Tragedy

Tragedy

What is Tragedy?

Origin

The word "tragedy" appears to have been used to describe different phenomena at different times. It derives from (Classical Greek τραγῳδία), contracted from trag(o)-aoidiā = "goat song", which comes from tragos = "goat" and aeidein = "to sing" (cf. "ode"). Scholars suspect this may be traced to a time when a goat was either the prize in a competition of choral dancing or was that around which a chorus danced prior to the animal's ritual sacrifice.

IV

-the purging of the emotions or relieving of emotional tensions.

Inspiring the emotions of pity and fear among the spectators

Catharsis

III

-this is where the table turns upside down for the character like the rich became the poor, the good became evil.

Reversal of Fortune

Anagnorisis (recognition or realization of mistakes) followed by a

-a personality trait of a main character that leads to his or her downfall. In other words, a character with a tragic flaw is in need of some kind of attitude adjustment.

II

The existence of hamartia or tragic flaw

-basically, these are the royalties or the upper class people like the kings and emperors or even a president.

I

Tragic character must be special / of noble birth or descent / of great stature or significance at the beginning of a story.

Elements of Tragedy

It is a very interesting story. But I feel sorry for Oedipus, because at first he knew nothing at all about what's going on. He just wanted to know who his real parents are. And while he was walking down the road, he ran over this man on the chariot and he argued with the man not knowing that he is his real father. They fight and Oedipus killed the man or in other words he killed his father. Then he became the King of Thebes (his home town) and married the widowed Queen which is his mother. Not only marry the mother but also have kids with her. That's kinda gross. And in the end he knew all of it. Of course it is hard to accept it but it already happened. So Oedipus suffer but he can't do anything about it. But I guess none of this will happen if the messenger, the man who Jocasta gave Oedipus to, follows the order of the Queen which is to kill the child or Oedipus.

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Oedipus was a strong, young man who was walking down the road when all of a sudden, an arrogant rich guy nearly runs him over with a chariot. The two fight, the rich guy dies. Further down the road, Oedipus met a Sphinx who has been plaguing the city of Thebes, and challenging pedestrians with riddles. Oedipus solved the riddle correctly, and became the King of Thebes. He also married Jocasta, the recently widowed queen of Thebes.

After a decade later Oedipus became the King of Thebes, the chorus complained about the terrible plague. Oedipus wanted to help the city to solve it's problem. Apparently the Gods of Omlympian are angry because no one bothered to find the murderer of their previous king. So what Oedipus did was he vowed to find the killer and bring justice. Even if it is a friend, a relative of himself.

Because Oedipus wanted to know the murderer, he requested help from a local prophet, an old timer named Tiresias. But Tiresias told Oedipus to stop looking for the killer. But this only made Oedipus motivated to find the killer. Finally, Tiresias gets fed up and told him that he is the murderer. Then, he declares that the murderer is Theban born, and that he killed his father and married his mother.

Oedipus freaked out by Tiresias claims. And in the end it is all true. The prophecies came true. Oedipus was shocked to know that he married his mother and have kids with her, and he killed his father without even knowing it. With all the disaster going on, Jocasta commited a suicide, she hangs herself and what Oedipus did was he blinded his eyes using the ornaments that Jocasta was wearing.

Creon, Jocasta's brother take over the throne and Oedipus will wander around Greece.

Thoughts about the story:

• Injustice or Imbalance

• Their downfall comes as a shock

ex. Austin Power (Son of Dr. Evil)

• Their fate is exceptional but uncommon

• Furthest from the idea of tragedy

• Suffering of saints may inspire pity, but not fear.

ex. Jesus Christ of The Passion of the Christ, Gladiator, Jose Rizal

A wicked person => good fortune

A totally virtuous person => downfall

Oedipus Rex

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Summary:

and his ideal for tragedy

Aristotle's 4 types of plot

ex. Jack of Titanic

• The best kind of plot according to Aristotle

Moderately good person => downfall

ex. Freddy of Freddy vs Jason

• Suffering seems justified or deserved

A wicked person => downfall

Prepared by:

Jen Louie San Jose

Writing in 335 BCE (long after the Golden Age of 5th-century Athenian tragedy), Aristotle provides the earliest-surviving explanation for the origin of the dramatic art-form in his Poetics, in which he argues that tragedy developed from the improvisations of the leader of choral dithyrambs (hymns sung and danced in praise of Dionysos, the god of wine and fertility)

In another view on the etymology, Athenaeus of Naucratis (2nd-3rd c. AD) says that the original form of the word was trygodia from trygos (grape harvest) and ode (song), because those events were first introduced during grape harvest.

τραγῳδία

A virtuous person to its downfall

• is a form of art based on human suffering that offers its audience pleasure. While most cultures have developed forms that provoke this paradoxical response, tragedy refers to a specific tradition of drama that has played a unique and important role historically in the self-definition of Western civilization.

I guess this would be the best tragic story for me. Because this, I think, the least used kind of tragic story. A moderate person to its downfall is very common. It is often used. Just to be new, I think this would be the best. Just like Aristotle said, the character's downfall comes as a shock. Once that this scenario happens, people will be thinking why does that character suddenly fell to the ground. There will be some hanging questions in their minds. So what the people will do is seek for some answers. And also, the story will remain in their heads for a long time until their question is answered.