'Death' , 'Revenge' , 'Unhappy endings' come to my mind When I think about the word 'tragedy'. What is tragedy? Tragedy is a form of drama based on human suffering that invokes in its audience an accompanying catharsis or pleasure in the viewing.(Banham 1998, p. 1118.) Then what are Shakespearean tragedies?
"Show me a hero and I will write you a tragedy." (F. Scott Fitzgerald) I also think this quote applies very well to William Shakespeare's works, for he has created such beautiful pieces of literature in the form of tragedies. There are several elements of Shakespearean tragedy. For example, Tragic hero, Tragic(Fatal) flaw, Internal and external conflict, Comic relief, The supernatural, The abnormality, Revenge, and Death etc. I am going to take a look at some of the elements of Shakespearean tragedy used in very famous plays, 'Hamlet' and 'Romeo and Juliet'.

First of all, a 'Tragic flaw', by definition, is a personality trait that leads to the downfall of the protagonist. Hamlet is well aware of his fatal flaw from the beginning, he constantly questions himself on why he continues to delay the fulfillment of his duty. Hamlet finally acts to kill Claudius only after realizing that he is poisoned. But by putting off, his tragic flaw, leads to multiple death such as Polonius, Ophelia, Gertrude, Laertes, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern and himself, too.
Second, Use of 'supernatural' elements is one of common characteristics of the Elizabethan drama. In Hamlet, the ghost of Hamlet's father who tells his son to avenge his death is introduced as a supernatural. Supernatural powers contribute to the fate of the protagonist. However, this is not solely responsible for the downfall of the hero, it still lies in the actions of the hero. These actions are the outcome of the protagonist's feeling of revenge.
Next, in Romeo and Juliet, a major external conflict throughout the whole play is the fighting between the Montagues and the Capulets. An example of an internal conflict is when Juliet has to decide wether she will mourn for Tybalt's death, or be happy that Romeo is still alive and well. She loves them both, but has to choose in order to be able to move on in her life.
“To be, or not to be, that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing end them.” (Scene 3.1) In this monologue, Hamlet thinks about suicide but, he is afraid of what will happen or where he will go after death. Hamlet overcomes this internal conflict and chooses to live.
Finally, 'Comic relief' refers to a scene of comical or humorous nature in an otherwise serious and tragic play. It is supposed to entertain the viewer while relieving the built up intensity from the earlier scenes. Scene 5.1 is perhaps the most famous comedic moment in Hamlet. The scene follows directly after the discussion of Ophelia's death and the development of the plot of Laertes and Claudius to murder Hamlet. This scene of great tragedy and plot comes right before the macabre conversation between the gravediggers over the digging of Ophelia's grave. Hamlet is outwitted in this scene by the gravedigger. The gravedigger tries to mess with Hamlet's head with a clever use of his words. In line 131 the gravedigger shows how he outwits Hamlet, "One that was a woman, sir, but rest her soul, she's dead."
The Nurse does not have a very significant role in the play Romeo and Juliet. But, she is a very amusing and interesting character. She adds comic relief to the play with her ridiculous puns and sayings. "I'll lay fourteen of my teeth-And yet, to my teen be it spoken, I have but four-She's not fourteen. How long is it now To Lammas-tide?" (Scene 1.3)

As we can see in the plays, Shakespeare used some special elements in his tragedy plays. Some help the tragic effect to be stronger and evoke our pity and terror and others provide a catalyst for action by the characters and appeal to the audience curiosity of the mysterious and thus strengthen their interest.