Friday, October 29, 2010
What Makes A Tragedy
This week in class we have been reading essays about what makes a story a tragedy. We read articles by many different authors, all of whom had different opinions. The two readings I liked the most were "Tragedy and the Common Man" by Arthur Miller and "The Greek Tragedy: Doom is Booming" by Lloyd Rose. Miller had the opinion that tragedies were about a character struggling against society to improve or uphold their social status and this battle is tragic. Rose believed that tragedies were a story where you already pretty much knew the plot and you were simply watching the main character suffer, and dramas were stories where you find out what happens and these events bring on feelings of tragedy. Before these readings I always thought that tragedies and dramas were the same thing. I now realize that there are distinctions between the two, yet I disagree with Rose that they are entirely separate entities. I feel that dramas are the evolved modern versions of tragedy that have storytelling infused with the suffering. Dramas are the newer better version of tragedies. Just like films with audio are the improved version of silent films. We still view them both as movies, on the newer films have the advantage of better technology and storytelling techniques. Simply watching somebody suffer with no plot is not as enjoyable as watching a story unfold and seeing the character suffer with each new event.
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I disagree with your point that modern dramas are superior to the tragedies of old. Both are good methods by which stories can be told; whether you like one over the other is based on your personal taste. You cannot go around saying that modern writers have better story telling techniques as a fact, this is opinion that varies from one person to the other. The connection between silent movies compared to audio movies is also out of place. You are considering that the Greek writers did not have the means through which to write a story by method of your "modern drama". Audio movies came about because a technology was improved upon, while modern dramas came about not because story telling was improved, rather because of a shift in focus.
ReplyDeleteMy point is that dramas are the improved modern versions of tragedies, and typically the improved version is better. Modern tragedies are based off of 2,500 years of developing literature and incorporate more complex storytelling. To make it easier for you, lets compare it to another form of art. During the Greek age perspective did not even exist in painting; everything was two dimensional. But with the Renaissance artists learned to paint with perspective bringing about new more intricate pieces of artwork that the more astute consumer can enjoy. As you should also have realized this breakthrough in painting was an achievement in the industry available to artists at the time, they just hadn't discovered it yet. Just like the Greek writers had not yet developed more complex ways to tell a story and filmmakers in the 1920's had not yet discovered the technology to give their films audio. All these men were simply held back by the limitations of their mind. Also, my point was not that dramas are better than tragedies, but rather that dramas are the improved versions of tragedies. Of course there tragedies that are better than others, but that is a reflection of the author, not the genre. If I had the option of having Shakespeare write tragedies or dramas I, along with most people, would choose dramas.
ReplyDeleteYou are describing writing techniques, not story telling. Your point is that one method of showing tragedy is better than another, which is a subjective opinion. I would not call a modern drama an improvment over an older tragedy. Whether it was improved is subjective. Are you saying that there are better stories today than years before?
ReplyDeleteDear Mason,
ReplyDeleteAs much as I hate to agree with you, I do. I never realized a difference between tragedies and dramas either. Although I think that a drama can be a tragedy and that a feeling of sadness makes a tragedy more effective.
p.s. I hate you.
ReplyDelete