中國傳統戲曲究竟有無悲劇？如果有，戲曲悲劇如何定義？這些問題確實難解。本文跳脫定義 問題，也不預設戲曲非有悲劇不可，從西方古典悲劇理論的核心：果報觀，以「甚麼樣的人」，「面 對甚麼樣的情勢」，「做出甚麼樣的行為」，「得到甚麼樣的結果」，「帶給觀眾甚麼樣的情緒」等五個 指標，分析元雜劇《趙氏孤兒》。
從分析中發現其悲劇主人翁程婴，僅是一介平民。面對屠岸賈這樣一個無法與之匹敵的強大勢 力，卻能選擇捨子救孤，並甘願忍辱二十年，大義凜然的氣節，讓觀眾哀憐其遭遇，生悲壯之感。 孤兒完成復仇，程婴受封田莊十頃，全在觀眾的期待之下發生，形成所謂「補償作用」。

Is there a tragedy in Chinese Opera? If yes, how can it be defined? Two thousand years ago, Aristotle's ideas about tragedy were recorded in Poetics. In it, he has a great deal to say about the structure, purpose, and intended effect of tragedy. His ideas have been adopted, disputed, expanded, and discussed by drama scholars for several centuries. Based on Aristotle’s Poetics to tragedy, modem scholars dedicate much of their critical energy to bring more completeness to the theories of tragedy. This paper traces the notion of Cause-Effect Retribution from classical tragedy theory, hoping to reconsider the possibility of the universality of drama experiences in Chinese opera.
The Orphan of Zhao, an unfortunately sparse title based on the story of zaju opera of Yuan Dynasty, recounts the story of the aristocratic family Zhao's being framed to death by Tu Angu, a treacherous official in the Spring & Autumn Period and the survival orphan Zhao's revenge for his family when he grows up.
The purpose of this paper is to examine the Cause-Effect Retribution in The Orphan of Zhao(趙氏孤 兒).This paper includes five parts as the following
Who are the protagonists ?
What circumstances have the protagonists encountered ?
How the protagonists act ?
What results are produced by the previous actions of the protagonists?
What audience feels about the results of the actions?