Tragedy: Difference between revisions

Tragedy is a form of drama, literature, or other fiction that centers on the nature of human beings, their conflicts and their sufferings. <ref>Miller, James E., Helen McDonnell, and Edmund J. Farrell. "Introduction to Greek Drama." America Reads / Question and Form in Literature. Glenview, IL: Scott, Foresman, 1979. 301. Print.</ref> The noun, “tragedy” is derived from the Greek word,“tragoidia.” Roger Dunkle discusses in his "Greek Tragedy" article on how tragedy is always associated with the "one dictionary definition [that] says: 'any play or narrative that seriously treats of calamitous events and has an unhappy but meaningful ending' or just 'any dramatic, disastrous event'," but it can also have an association with play genres. However, “tragedy” should still be considered a noun that has a fluid definition because it has multiple forms. Tragedy can be an aftermath, a type of play, a [[ character ]], a feeling, or a conflict that contains multiple situational circumstances. Tragedy mainly encompasses negative connotations due to the fact that it often accompanies traits of sadness, misfortune, and despair. Tragedy can be depicted as the result of a disturbing event, a literary classification, a displeasing situation, or even a movie or playwright that evokes a high level of somberness and sorrow. Tragedy has an intended purpose to invoke grief and misery in its audience, whether it is in a play, book, or movie.

The Greek word "tragoidia" translates to "goat song," which could have one of several meanings. Although not all tragedies are considered Greek, it is quite common to "refer to the tragedies that have survived the ancient world as “Greek” although tragedy as we know it, was developed in Athens." <ref>http://cgim.dbq.edu/cgim/greece05/greek_tragedy.htm</ref> In fifth century BC, it was often said that goats were "a song for the prize of a goat or song at the sacrifice of a goat," and were also used as sacrifices in early rituals. These rituals took place in the form of dance, which is considered the first ever form of tragedy. This was the prominent element to a tragedy for many years. Over time, a speaker was added, and was likely to be a priest because these rituals had a religious [[ theme ]]. Eventually, dialogue between the speaker and dancers took place, which lead to the introduction of the chorus. Over time, these ritualistic elements continued to evolve into the tragedy as it is known today.

In ancient Greece, annual festivals were held in honor of the Greek god, Dionysus. The goat was considered sacred to him because he was the god of vegetation and wine. Because goats contained great value to Dionysus, it is said that rituals were held in order to promote the continuous cycle of death and life. Although tragedies have evolved over time, they still continue to have a common and reoccurring [[ theme ]]. The idea of human suffering has never ceased to be prominent. As tragedies have developed, they have continued to raise questions such as the reasoning behind suffering, and the balance of good and evil. Additionally, tragedies have maintained their sad and dispirited qualities.

* Short Story — A type of creative writing found in shorter forms that accompany feelings of sadness and despair.

* [[ Novel ]] — A form of writing that mainly uses a heroic figure to incur misfortune and have a pessimistic, or optimistic ending based upon the [[ hero ]]'s behavior.

* [[ Novella ]] — A short [[ novel ]], or long story, that contains the sad and despair found in most novels.

* Poem — A literary work that addresses difficult circumstances, and is often based on personal experiences of grief and heartbreak.

* Play — A drama where a performance given to an audience about how the [[ protagonist ]] undergoes sorrowful circumstances, and plays often evoke desolation in its audience<ref>Armstrong, Linda, Mary Dieterich, and Sarah M. Anderson. "Technical Terms." Common Core: Types of Text. Print.</ref>

During the late 16th Century playwright William Shakespeare composed several works during the Renaissance Tragedy era, which simply became known as the Shakespearean tragedies.<ref>http://cla.calpoly.edu/~dschwart/engl339/tragedy.html</ref> Today Shakespeare is seen as one of the founders of British tragedies. Scholars typically break these tragedies into three distinct periods. The first period, which is marked by the tragedy ''Titus Andronicus'', occurs around 1590-1594. The second period occurs around 1595-1601, and produces works like ''Julius Caesar.'' Finally the third period of tragedies, which produces some of Shakespeare's most famous tragedies including, ''Othello'', ''Macbeth'', and ''Hamlet'', occurs around 1602-1610.<ref>http://absoluteshakespeare.com/william_shakespeare.htm</ref>