Tragedy Unveiled
The Anatomy of Dramatic Suffering
An exploration of the dramatic genre that grapples with human suffering, catharsis, and the enduring power of narrative.
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Essence of Tragedy
Human Suffering
Tragedy is a genre of drama fundamentally rooted in human suffering. It centers on the terrible or sorrowful events that befall a main character or a cast of characters, often leading to their downfall.
The Cathartic Response
Traditionally, the primary aim of tragedy is to evoke catharsis in the audienceโa complex emotional release, often described as a "pain that awakens pleasure." This paradoxical response is central to the genre's enduring impact.
Cultural Significance
While various cultures have developed forms that provoke cathartic responses, the term "tragedy" most often refers to a specific tradition within Western civilization. This tradition has played a unique and vital role in shaping cultural identity and historical continuity.
Origin and Etymology
The Word "Tragedy"
The term "tragedy" originates from the Ancient Greek word tragoidia, believed to derive from tragos ("he-goat") and ode ("singing, ode"). This nomenclature likely stems from historical practices where a goat served as a prize in competitions or was part of a ritualistic sacrifice.
Dionysian Roots
According to Aristotle's seminal work, the Poetics, tragedy evolved from the improvisational performances of choral dithyrambsโhymns sung and danced in honor of Dionysus, the god of wine and fertility. This suggests an origin deeply connected to religious ritual and ecstatic expression.
Hellenic Tragedy
Athenian Theatre
Athenian tragedy, the earliest surviving form, was an integral part of the city-state's theatrical culture. Emerging in the 6th century BCE and flourishing in the 5th century BCE, it was a dance-drama performed annually at festivals honoring Dionysus.
Surviving Masterpieces
While numerous tragedies were performed, only a fraction of works from playwrights like Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides survive. These playwrights, along with their contemporaries, established the foundational structures and thematic concerns of the genre.
Theatrical Devices
Ancient Greek theatre employed innovative devices such as the ekkyklema (a platform to reveal the aftermath of off-stage events) and the mechane (a crane for divine entrances, giving rise to the term "deus ex machina"). These elements enhanced dramatic impact and narrative clarity.
Roman Tragedy
Adaptation and Influence
Following Rome's expansion, Greek tragedy was adopted and adapted. Early Roman dramatists like Livius Andronicus and Gnaeus Naevius began writing tragedies, laying the groundwork for Roman literature.
Seneca's Legacy
The most significant surviving Roman tragedies are those attributed to the Stoic philosopher Seneca the Younger. His nine plays, often adapted from Greek originals, are characterized by their rhetorical intensity, focus on violence, moralizing, and exploration of themes like revenge and the supernatural.
Renaissance Revival
Rediscovery of Classics
During the Renaissance, classical Greek and Roman drama was rediscovered. Humanists and poets translated and adapted ancient tragedies, reintroducing their forms and themes to European theatre after centuries of relative obscurity.
British Tragedy
British tragedy, particularly during the Elizabethan and Jacobean eras, diverged from strict classical models. It often defied the unities of time, place, and action, incorporating elements of comedy and exploring psychological depth and political complexity.
Italian and Continental Forms
In Italy, playwrights like Gian Giorgio Trissino and Giovanni di Bernardo Rucellai adapted classical tragedies into the vernacular, adhering closely to classical rules. This period also saw the emergence of opera, inspired by the ancient Greek ideal of sung drama.
Neoclassic Tragedy
French Tradition
In 17th-century France, playwrights like Pierre Corneille and Jean Racine developed a highly stylized form of tragedy. Influenced by classical precepts and Seneca, their works emphasized adherence to dramatic rules, noble characters, and the exploration of intense emotional conflicts.
Rules and Ideals
Corneille redefined tragedy, suggesting that noble characters and affairs of state were paramount, and that happy endings were not antithetical to the genre. Racine, conversely, focused on condensed plots, psychological intensity, and the representation of pathos and amorous passion.
Bourgeois Tragedy
The Ordinary Protagonist
Emerging in 18th-century Europe, bourgeois tragedy shifted focus from royalty and aristocracy to ordinary citizensโmerchants and common people. This marked a significant departure from classical and neoclassical ideals, which favored noble protagonists.
Reflecting Modern Life
This subgenre explored themes relevant to the burgeoning middle class, such as poverty, addiction, domestic violence, and social alienation. Plays like George Lillo's The London Merchant exemplified this new direction, making tragedy more accessible and relatable.
Modern Development
Redefining Tragedy
Modern interpretations have broadened the definition of tragedy, challenging Aristotle's notion that it must involve figures of high status. Playwrights like Arthur Miller argued for the tragic potential of ordinary individuals, reflecting contemporary societal shifts.
Critical Perspectives
Critics like George Steiner have questioned the continued existence of tragedy in its classical form, suggesting that modern works, including Shakespeare's, represent a departure from the absolute tragic model towards more hybrid, "realistic" forms that encompass a wider spectrum of human experience.
Theoretical Frameworks
Aristotle's Poetics
Aristotle defined tragedy as an imitation of a serious, complete action of significant magnitude, employing enriched language and enacted rather than narrated. It aims to effect catharsis through pity and fear, typically involving a reversal of fortune (peripeteia) caused by the protagonist's error (hamartia).
Hegel's Dialectic
G.W.F. Hegel viewed tragedy as a conflict of ethical forces. In Greek tragedy, this conflict is between equally justified ethical powers. In Shakespearean tragedy, it shifts to a conflict within the individual, where subjective passions and personality clash with external circumstances, leading to self-destruction.
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References
References
- The theory that Prometheus Bound was not written by Aeschylus adds a fourth, anonymous playwright to those whose work survives.
- See Horace, Epistulae, II, 3, 220: "Carmine qui tragico vilem certavit ob hircum".
- Taxidou 2004, p.ย 104: "most scholars now call 'Greek' tragedy 'Athenian' tragedy, which is historically correct".
- Headington, Westbrook & Barfoot 1991, p.ย 22.
- Headington, Westbrook & Barfoot 1991, p.ย 178.
- George Steiner, The Death of Tragedy [1961] (Oxford University Press, 1980; Yale University Press, 1996), p. xiii.
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