 Show What makes a story tragic is not only what kind emotion it incites in the reader's heart. Most people mistakenly associate tragedy with sadness or pessimism. A tragedy goes beyond emotions to reach pathos --- an identification with the character's worldview, and to suffer, in vicarious ways, like she suffers. For example, a story of a soldier killed in a war is sad, not tragic. But a story of a soldier killed in a war despite her heroic effort to end the war can be tragic, if it includes other elements of a tragedy. The PlotThe important thing about the plot is not what the characters feel but what they do. Feelings are secondary. They do not trouble the writer of tragedies because they are the byproduct of the action in the story. According to Aristotle's "Poetics," the plot must contain three basic elements: a unity of plot, peripety and discovery. Unity of plot means all action must be relevant, probable and believable. Peripety means a reversal of fortune by the end of the story, and discovery means the main character gains a new understanding of her situation, something she didn't know before. A Tragic FlawThe tragic flaw is a trait in the main character in the story that leads to her destruction. It is responsible for foolish or unfortunate --- generally bad --- actions, which in turn arouse tragic emotions of pity and terror. It does not have to be a bad quality. A good quality taken to extreme, such as pride, can count as a tragic flaw. The main character commits a mistake either consciously, such as Othello, or unconsciously, such as Oedipus. Aristotle stipulated that the tragic hero should be of noble birth, a man who is essentially good but makes a great mistake that leads to his downfall. CatharsisAn essential quality of a tragedy is that it arouses emotions of terror and pity. But by the end of the story, the reader is purged of the negative emotions and feels rejuvenated. Aristotle called this purification of the soul catharsis. Nobody knows for certain why tragedies are cathartic, although psychologists claim that by showing us that terror can be overcome, it prevents the subconscious from developing neurosis. Contrary to Aristotle, Nietzsche claimed that cathartic experiences prove we can celebrate life even in --- not despite --- great suffering. Tragedy in Modern TimesAlthough Aristotle's "Poetics" still remains the starting point in discussions about tragedy, this art form has evolved over the millennia. Along with democratization of the political sphere, modern writers of tragedies have turned their gaze on the plight of the common man. "The commonest of man take that stature," wrote Arthur Miller, speaking of the tragic stature that was once attached only to the royal or the noble-born. For Miller, a story becomes tragic when the common man, to gain his dignity, fights against his world and circumstances, despite all odds against him, and loses.
How to figure out what kind of story you’re writing, and why it matters.Photo by Mosa Moseneke on Unsplash
That’s the definition. Not a sad story. Not even a very sad story. The two best known of the basic plots are comedy and tragedy, These two basic plot types make up the two halves of the drama masks that represent classic theatre, and you can categorize most of Shakespeare's plays into one of the two. Everybody dies in Shakespeare's tragedies. Photo by Anthony Topper Today's basic plot: the tragedy. Want to learn more about plot types? Check out my new book, The Write Structure, on sale for $5.99 (for a limited time!). It helps writers like you make their plot better and write books readers love. Click to get the book. What Is Tragedy?In sixth grade English, when I was first exposed to Shakespeare, I was taught essentially that a tragedy is a play where everyone dies in the end. Clearly there's more depth than that, but you have to start small with eleven-year-olds. In Booker's realm, a tragedy focuses on a villain protagonist, and the reader sees them delve further into darkness and evil before their ultimate death or destruction at the hands of the hero. His prime example is that of King Lear, in which the title character recognizes his error, but it's too late to repent by the time he figures it out, and he dies. Here are the stages of a Tragedy: Anticipation Stage The tragic hero gets it into his or her head that something is missing, and they want it. This might be power, fame, a specific love interest, or something else, but the protagonist has their motivation for the disaster dominoes that are about to fall. Dream Stage The tragic hero sets out on their path to obtain their MacGuffin. Something occurs that tells the reader that this is a no-turning-back situation (Booker cites Faust's deal with the devil), and things start to go strangely well for the protagonist. He might be well on his way down the path of evil, but no one is calling him out on it, or no one can stop him, so he proceeds further into the depths. Frustration Stage Right about here is where the tragic hero hits his first roadblocks. They might be small annoyances, but in dealing with them, the protagonist commits additional dark acts that seal his fate and alert the reader that the only way this can end is badly. Nightmare Stage The tragic hero's plan is unraveling, and he can sense that an opposing force or fate is closing in. He's increasingly paranoid and living in fear of what's to come. Destruction or Death Wish Stage Our protagonist breathes his last, whether at the hands of his enemies or due to some final act of violence. Either way, his death isn't mourned much, and the darkness that surrounded him dissipates, and there is much rejoicing. In a way, Tragedy is a much more cynical version of the Rebirth, or the flip side of the Overcoming the Monster story, since most monsters follow this trajectory. Classic examples are Macbeth and Hamlet, and a lot of films about organized crime also follow this trajectory (Goodfellas, Scarface, The Departed). PRACTICEPick one of the stages of the Tragedy and write a scene from that stage for fifteen minutes. Post your practice in the comments section, and check out the work of your fellow writers. About the author Liz BuremanLiz Bureman has a more-than-healthy interest in proper grammatical structure, accurate spelling, and the underappreciated semicolon. When she's not diagramming sentences and reading blogs about how terribly written the Twilight series is, she edits for the Write Practice, causes trouble in Denver, and plays guitar very slowly and poorly. You can follow her on Twitter (@epbure), where she tweets more about music of the mid-90s than writing. How do you know if a story is a tragedy?Tragedy in Literature: a story wherein the main character is either dead at the end or would be better off dead. That's the definition.
What are the 3 elements of tragedy?Aristotle defined three key elements which make a tragedy: harmartia, anagnorisis, and peripeteia. Hamartia is a hero's tragic flaw; the aspect of the character which ultimately leads to their downfall. In Othello, his rage and recklessness is fueled, more than anything, by his jealousy.
What are the 5 characteristics of a tragedy?Terms in this set (7). Unhappy End. Main character comes to unhappy end.. Important in Society. Hero is usually some one important in society.. Extraordinary Abilities. ... . Outside Forces/Antagonist. ... . Related Events. ... . Audience's Sympathy. ... . Meets Doom.. What are the key elements of a tragedy?According to Aristotle, tragedy has six main elements: plot, character, diction, thought, spectacle (scenic effect), and song (music), of which the first two are primary.
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What makes a story a tragedy?
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