SH+P6+2015+Tragedy

Benjamin Crabtree Aim: Tragedy is a form of entertainment for people interested in operas or dermatic type plays. to some people tragedy has more purpose than comedy type plays or themes.“The aim of tragedy, is to bring about a catharsis of the spectators” (Aristotle). This is achieve mostly in plays that have a sad ending resulting in death or suffering where there is a lot of different types of emotion/“catharsis” that take place within a tragedy. It is not considered a tragedy unless it includes an event in which there is great suffering, destruction, and distress within the plot. For an example one of the most known types to relate to is Romeo and Juliet where there was no happy ending because they both died making the play categorized as tragedy. Tragedy gets the spectators attached to the characters so when something happens to that person it gives that feeling of sadness to the spectators. Lots of people like the feeling they get when watching a tragedy based play. Giving tragedy a purpose of giving the spectator mixed emotions when watching the play or reading the book.

Work cited: Hodgson, John W. “Understanding Dramatic Tragedy.” Understanding Dramatic Tragedy. N.p. Web. 26 Oct. 2015.

“Critical Essay Aristotle on Tragedy.” Agamemnon, The Choephori, and The Eumenides. N.p. Web. 26 Oct. 2015.

David Brown Audience: The audience of tragedy are those watching the production. The Barbara McManus writes, “In a perfect tragedy, character will support plot, i.e., personal motivations will be intricately connected parts of the cause-and-effect chain of actions producing pity and fear in the audience”(Outline of Aristotle's Theory of Tragedy in the Poetics). The audience is affected by the tragedy to help build feelings toward characters. Tragedy helps the audience make a connection with the characters. Tragedy makes the audience think about life. It gives the audience a new perspective on events in the world.

Works Cited: McManus, Barbara F. "Outline of Aristotle's Theory of Tragedy." Outline of Aristotle's Theory of Tragedy. N.p., Nov. 1999. Web. 26 Oct. 2015.

"Tragedies." Tragedies. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2015.

Jordan Cartwright Historical Implications:

Tragedy has been a major factor in literature. Tragedy was first introduced in Athens, Greece, and was used to imitate gods. Tragedies were performed as plays and used to depict Greek Mythology. This is shown when the author states, “Performed in an open-air theatre such as that of Dionysos in Athens and seemingly open to all of the male populace, the plot of a tragedy was almost always inspired by episodes from Greek Mythology which we must remember were often a part of Greek Religion" (Cartwright). Tragedies are defined by causing great suffering and distress through a serious accident or catastrophe. The greek poets used this in their plays by directing the suffering and distress at the hero of the story. For instance, in greek times, one common tragedy is Oedipus Rex. Oedipus Rex is considered a tragedy because the Theban King unknowingly killed his father and married his mother. This shows that the hero of the story, in this case Oedipus, endures suffering because he unknowingly murdered his father and married his mother.

Works Cited: Cartwright, Mark. “Greek Tragedy.” Ancient History Encyclopedia. 16 Mar. 2013. Web. 26 Oct. 2015

“A Brief History of Tragedy.” Interesting Literature. 1 May 2013. Web. 26 Oct. 2015

Ridgeway, William. “The Origin of Tragedy: Introduction.” The Origin of Tragedy: Introduction. N.p. 1915. Web. 26 Oct. 2015

Ethan Davis Cultural Implications:

Tragedies within literature draw from the cultural aspects in the world. This makes these tragedies hit harder when they are shown to the public. When people read or see these tragedies, in some way, shape, or form, these people can relate to the tragedy. As the author William Ridgeway said, “The universal misinterpretation of a passage in the Poetic led many to hold that Tragedy proper had grown out of the gross Satyric drama, though none of our extant tragedies is any trace of coarseness in thought or word to be found” (Ridgeway). These tragedies were interpreted in several different ways. Between all of the cultures seeing these tragedies, the messages of a tragedy could vary from group to group. This is due to the fact that these tragedies draw from cultural aspects. Thus, those from the culture the tragedy draws from the most will feel more of a connection and get a defined meaning for the tragedy. For a different culture, however, without feeling a direct link to the play, they may have a different interpretation of the tragedy. Regardless, no matter the culture, the tragedy will be interpreted in several different ways.

Works Cited: “A Brief History of Tragedy.” Interesting Literature. 1 May 2013. Web. 26 Oct. 2015

Ridgeway, William. “The Origin of Tragedy: Introduction.” The Origin of Tragedy: Introduction. N.p. 1915. Web. 26 Oct. 2015