The Change of Tragedy
I've been given an essay to write on the changing characteristics of tragedy using two texts - Antigone, and A Streetcar Named Desire, and that famous aristotle quote on tragedy being a representaiotn of an action.. etc.
So I am generally ok with the texts, the only problem I'm having is that I can't define tragedy, and can't figure out how to encompass the changing conceptions of tragedy from the last two millennia into a short 1000 word essay.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
"Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia." -Charles Schultz
The traditional story was plot-driven, while the modern story is character-driven
You could start with Aristotle's definition that watching a Tragedy produces Cartharsis, a cleansing of the emotions through Pity and Terror. I think Aristotle says something about the actions on the stage helping the witnesses/audience to live their lives in proper relationship to the Gods, the Pity showing the positive way to the Gods, the Terror the actions to be avoided at all costs, hubris etc. lest the Gods take vengeance on you. (That's a paraphrase form memory, you had best look up the original if you are going to refer to it and then paraphrase it for yourself according to how it fits in with the actual title of your essay.) Then if you think of Pity as being drawn towards the character/situation and Terror as being repelled or horrified by the actions you are witnessing, you have a modern take on his definition.
Hope that helps - it's a big subject to fit into a thousand words!
Tragedy is traditionally the fall of a great man (great as in royal or in a high position) due to an inherent flaw in himself. In Greek tragedy, a lot of importance is placed on fate and the gods. This man is inevitably going to fall because his 'house' (family of nobles/royals) is 'cursed', due to some action by his parents/other relatives.
Modern tragedy (20th century tragedy) focuses more on this inherent character flaw. It's not Blanche's relatives fault or the gods' fault. Notice that Blanche is not noble, although she gives herself an air of grandness. Modern tragedy focuses more on people, not on fate or gods.
It would be worth your time to read Arthur Miller's essay "Tragedy and the Common Man." It serves as a nice modern critical view of tragedy in contrast to Aristotle.
"If the national mental illness of the United States is megalomania, that of Canada is paranoid schizophrenia."
- Margaret Atwood
Bear in mind too that in Ancient Greece, Tragedy (and Comedy) was part of a religious ceremony, not 'entertainment'. The dramatisation of a story that would have been well-known to the audience/worshippers was to show how to achieve a right relationship with the Gods. The Tragic Hero was one who had every advantage, wealth, position etc, but who thought he had achieved them for himself instead of thanking the Gods for them, and in so doing made himself into a God, thus committing the ultimate sin of Hubris, Overwheening Pride, a 'Fatal Flaw', if ever there was one. His downfall, his tragedy, was intended as an Awful Warning - the 'Terror' - for the audience, so that they would be repelled by such sacrilege and would honour the Gods in the appropriate way.
In essence, tragedy is the loss of status. The king becomes a pauper is a simplistic but accurate analogy. The cause is up to you.
I second this.Originally Posted by OrphanPip
thank so much guys. the quote is actually making sense to me now. i have another question, are there any other characteristics of tragedy that have changed? for example the role of women, or the principle of honour?
"Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia." -Charles Schultz
The principle of honour changes of course, but not because it is a trait of tragedies. Ulysses is anything but honorable, the greeks gave a damn, but the romans did, hence their empathy with Aeneas. What can you say is that the idea of virtue changed, but this is a change of the hero itself, which was already addressed before.
As Woman role, of course. Even on classic tragedy, you saw woman role shifting. But this is a social change. Tragedy just followed it. There is of course some other changes, like the unity of the story (being mythological themes, which all people knew about) compared to modern texts (original stories, not as well know, sometimes more spread on time and action like Shakespeare could do), the language (of course, a mundane protagonist talks differently from a semi-divine protagonist), the importance of secundary characters, the interaction with the public (in classic tragedy there was the chorus for almost all of this)...
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