What Makes A Tragedy - 908 Words

What Defines a Tragedy? The dictionary describes a tragedy as, â€Å"a serious drama typically describing a conflict between the protagonist and a superior force (as destiny) and having a sorrowful or disastrous conclusion that elicits pity or fear.† Aristotle’s â€Å"Poetics† have long been the standard of a proper tragedy. Yet, could there be more to the perfect tragedy than what either the dictionary or Aristotle suggests? What are the actual characteristics that form a â€Å"true† tragedy? In Sophocles’ â€Å"Oedipus the King† and Shakespeare’s â€Å"Hamlet† (two of the most renowned tragedies ever written), lay the keys to unearthing the facts about what characteristics produce the ultimate tragedy. â€Å"Oedipus the King† tells the terrible tale of a brilliant man who became king of Thebes and later discovers that he is the cause of a plague on the city because he killed his father and married his mother. â€Å"Ham let† follows the events of a Danish prince who has been called upon to kill his uncle and thereby avenge his father’s murder. These two tragedies appear to have little in common on the surface, but upon closer inspection, share the many qualities of an epic tragedy. Another critical element in the perfect tragedy (in order from greatest to the least) is the presence of strong â€Å"Plot, Character, Language, Thought, Spectacle, and Melody† (Aristotle 780-781). These, in Aristotle’s opinion, are the â€Å"six constituent elements† that comprise a marvelous tragedy (780). Of the six, Aristotle focusesShow MoreRelatedWhat Makes a Successful Romantic Tragedy?1905 Words   |  8 PagesWhat makes a successful romantic tragedy? Romantic tragedy can be a very successful genre to work with for film directors although, in some cases, the making of the film goes haywire somewhere along the line and ends up being a rather catastrophic rendition of a romantic tragedy. When I pursued a study of this genre, I found that there are several factors which can make or break a film, depending on how well these factors are used and to what extent they are thought through and developed. TheseRead MoreGreek Tragedies in a Modern World Essay877 Words   |  4 PagesGreek Tragedies in a Modern World *Works Cited Not Included From the times of Aristotle to modern day Boal people have tried to come up with a definition of tragedy that encompasses all of the works they feel to be tragedies. However, there are always a few exceptions to their rules that make their thesis insubstantial. Those who define tragedies all have different elements that they say are necessary in classifying something as a tragedy. Unfortunately for us, no one definition has ever beenRead MoreShakespeare s Othello As A Tragic Hero1517 Words   |  7 PagesShakespeare’s play, Othello, as a tragedy? Aristotle is a famous Greek philosopher who defines Shakespeare’s character, Othello, as a tragic hero. Many parts in Othello tell the readers that the play is a tragedy, such as jealousy, arguing, and death, which makes the play famous and delightful to read. 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Arthur shows this to us in the book Death of aRead More Analysis of veiwpoints on tragedy Essay864 Words   |  4 PagesAnalysis of veiwpoints on tragedy The question of what defines tragedy has been an issue addressed by several different literary minds since the day of Aristotle, the first person to define tragedy. When Aristotle first defined tragedy he believed tragedy was something reserved for a person of noble stature. He said this person was eventually brought down by a tragic flaw, hence the term tragedy. Robert Silverberg agrees with Aristotle’s views on tragedy, but other authors don’t accept