Just went through the guide and its a very nice idea, but there are somethings that I think is worth looking into:
A tragedy is so much MORE than what the guide has described. A tragedy is not necessarily sad. If you take Macbeth into consideration I wouldn't find that story sad at all, great tragedy though. A tragedy wouldn't be a tragedy if it is not inevitable. That is right, a tragedy is based around a tragic hero leading towards his ultimate doom by both internal and external forces. The internal forces being his main flaw (For a start the tragic hero must be admirable usually with a high status, otherwise he/she cannot be sympathized), and while the external forces including twists or supernatural/natural forces that leads to the eventual downfall/loss of status of the tragic hero.
Tragedies are often predictable in plot, too, not always. Tragedies are written as far back as Ancient Greece as plays so that the audience can watch the story, and experience its emotional contents and undergo 'Catharsis', a cleansing of sadness and emotion afterwards. In reading, Tragedies are often also 'going down hill', as in the tragic hero started with everything he could possibly have, and the fortune of wheels indicates that from this point onwards his luck will run out. A tragedy is also sympathetic, and it works because the readers can sympathize with the characters, if they despise them then the reader won't even care less if your characters died.
Coming back to my point about flaws, sometimes it could also be a virtue. In John Milton's Paradise Lost Adam's fall is due to his flaw, also virtue, his love for Eve. A flaw could be almost anything. One last thing, I would like to say as well, is that the tragedy must make an impact at the end, often carrying a moral message.
That's all I would like to say for now, good thread, it was a nice read.
21-Nov-2008 14:25:46
- Last edited on
25-Nov-2008 22:59:56
by
Englishkid62
