Sur les métaphores privilégiées du dénouement tragique (1550-1650)

The lot of migrants, the violence of wars, the elimination from the World cup are often described as tragedy, although they are not theatrical plays. This paper considers the metaphorical use of the tragedy and of the tragic ending and describes its rise in the early modernity. The metaphor influenced the definition of the tragic genre and, conversely, tragedy and tragic endings were considered as paradigms to interpret the experience of sorrow and loss.