In Arthur Miller's article on "Tragedy, and the Common Man", he applies the old definition of tragedy and how it was studied, to the new modern world. In the beginning of his article, he explains how Tragedy used to be, and who it was associated with. He explains that in old play writes such as "Hamlet" or "Oedipus", tragedy was only made tragic, when it happened to people of authority. Basically saying that the when the people with the most to lose lost, or did not compete their objective, that was tragic. The old way was basically you had to be a king figure or something close to that to have true tragedy happen to you. He then goes on to state that people today relate to those stories through the emotions that everyday people have felt thorough reading these pieces of literature. We all want to fit into a role in a society, just like Oedipus, who wanted to be the king that saved Thebes. Miller then states that we only see what is truly tragic when the hero is fighting to become that person in society, and can't reach it becasue of something called the tragic flaw. The tragic flaw refers to the characteristic or event that is stopping the character from fitting into the role of society that they wanted to. In Oedipus's case, his flaw was that he indeed had killed his father, and was the one making Thebes suffer, meaning he could never become the king to save Thebes because he was the one causing its collapse. Reader can relate to this because we all are afraid of never making it in the position we want in society. Miller then goes into what I think is the most important part of his article, where he compares his definition to the modern one. The definition in the dictionary of tragedy was a "story with a sad ending." Miller argues there is more to it than that. He argues that tragedy can not take place unless victory is possible. The whole message of a tragedy is the hero determination to reach his pr her goal to fit in society. It reflects hope that a character has. The character will realize their tragic flaw, but by doing so even if the ending is sad, the story ends with a lesson that affects the reader in a positive way. It teaches them to realize their tragic flaw before it ultimately tears them down, it remind them that they have hope, and with determination they can reach their own position in society, just like these kings and noble people had tried to do. It reminds the common man, that just like these tragic kings, we have hope in finding what will make life a success. This perspective really was eye opening in away that it connects modern people with themes from the past. If we all compare ourselves to these kings, we learn that we must find our flaws and fight them in order to achieve our desired place in society. It reminds people to always strive to make themselves better so they do not gain respect just to have it all taken away from one tragic flaw. The main thing that says which I think is vital for the modern world, is to look at tragedy as a lesson, instead of just a sad story. Tragedy teaches us what not to do, be expressing how a hero lost everything. If we take the lessons from tragedy, we can avoid a tragic life of our own.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorJustin is a high school student, currently enrolled in AP literature. ArchivesCategories |