Access Millions of academic & study documents

Greek and Roman Tragedies Genre of Play Discussion

Content type
User Generated
Subject
Literature
Type
Discussion
Showing Page:
1/4
Greek and Roman tragedies are widely read and studied and yet there is no definitive
definition or representation of what they are because unfortunately, we don’t have them all and
are therefore unable to draw perfect, exact conclusions as to what a tragedy is. I have so far read
five tragedies and based on those few five have concluded what I believe to be the definition of
Greek and Roman tragedy as a whole. Tragedy is a genre of play that features a main character
of inherent importance in that particular play who by fault of his own personal failings or
predetermined destiny and circumstances is put into a situation deemed tragic or categorically,
astronomically unfortunate. What I believe makes a tragedy good is the connection the audience
has with the character who is supposed to have the tragic flaw and be put through the tragic
events. Without this personal connection or sympathetic feeling towards that character the play
wouldn’t seem tragic because we don’t care if that character is put through a major struggle or
not. Based on my definition and the following explanation I think that Oedipus is the most tragic
of all the five plays I’ve read, be that the one by Sophocles or by Seneca, the story of Oedipus is
the most tragic.
My definition focuses on the plot and the characters to help understand and illustrate
what a tragedy is. Aristotle says that the most important thing in a tragedy is the plot, but I
disagree (Poetics). I do think that the plot and storyline of any tragedy is vastly important, but
the characters and how they are presented and whether the readers/viewers of the play form a
bond with that character(s) is more important for the definition of a tragedy and what makes a
play tragic to begin with. The audience for Libation Bearers forms a quick sympathetic
relationship with Orestes, as a long-lost son who returns home to thwart the evil figure who has
murdered his father, because one blood sin will lead to another. The same thing happens in The
Bacchae, the audience decides that Dionysus, as the forgotten and spat upon god who came back

Sign up to view the full document!

lock_open Sign Up
Showing Page:
2/4
to avenge and restore the name of his mother is the clear hero and protagonist in this tragedy,
even though his counterpart, Pentheus also could have been the tragic hero, as he is foremost a
king, as well as a victim of a number of tragic happenings throughout this play. The Bacchae is
an excellent example of why the characters are more important than the plot, because to see this
play from the perspective of Pentheus being the hero as opposed to it being Dionysus would have
completely changed the play. Dionysus is still involved in the tragic part of the play being
scorned and having his mothers name be dragged through the mud by her own family so to
speak, even though it may seem as though Pentheus gets the worst of it. And yet, we still see
Dionysus as the hero, because he is the one who the author presents to the audience as the one to
from a bond with and the one who we should be cheering for. The plot is important because we
don’t want to be bored throughout the play, but the thing that really makes a play tragic is
whether or not we as the audience have formed a connection with the hero who will have to face
his tragic destiny, because without that, the play won’t be the same or have the same effect on
the audience because we have not formed that bond and therefore don’t see the story and
happenings to be tragic.
An interesting side note following this definition is the comparison of the tragedies we
have read and the satyr play, Cyclops. We do not consider this satyr play to be a tragedy, and I
believe that this is for the explicit reason that Odysseus is the hero of the play and the one whom
the audience chooses to be the main protagonist as well as the one they form their sentimental
and sympathetic connection with. In this satyr play, Odysseus is the winner, he bests the beast by
using his adaptable, cunning intelligence, and he then gets to leave victoriously. This is not
tragic. What is tragic in the play is what happens to the Cyclops. His home is invaded with what
he believes to be a nice meal and ends up being his destined doom. After Odysseus outsmarts

Sign up to view the full document!

lock_open Sign Up
Showing Page:
3/4

Sign up to view the full document!

lock_open Sign Up
End of Preview - Want to read all 4 pages?
Access Now
Unformatted Attachment Preview
Greek and Roman tragedies are widely read and studied and yet there is no definitive definition or representation of what they are because unfortunately, we don’t have them all and are therefore unable to draw perfect, exact conclusions as to what a tragedy is. I have so far read five tragedies and based on those few five have concluded what I believe to be the definition of Greek and Roman tragedy as a whole. Tragedy is a genre of play that features a main character of inherent importance in that particular play who by fault of his own personal failings or predetermined destiny and circumstances is put into a situation deemed tragic or categorically, astronomically unfortunate. What I believe makes a tragedy good is the connection the audience has with the character who is supposed to have the tragic flaw and be put through the tragic events. Without this personal connection or sympathetic feeling towards that character the play wouldn’t seem tragic because we don’t care if that character is put through a major struggle or not. Based on my definition and the following explanation I think that Oedipus is the most tragic of all the five plays I’ve read, be that the one by So ...
Purchase document to see full attachment
User generated content is uploaded by users for the purposes of learning and should be used following Studypool's honor code & terms of service.
Studypool
4.7
Indeed
4.5
Sitejabber
4.4

Similar Documents