Who understands tragedy the best? Is tragedy reserved only for the highly placed in society who can lose their spot? In "Tragedy of the Common Man" by Arthur Miller he says "In the light of modern psychiatry, which bases its analysis on classical formulations, such as the Oedipus and Orestes complexes, for instance, where were enacted by royal beings, but which apply to everyone in similar emotional situations." In other words the mind of a person who is royalty or in a high place in society is not that much different from the common man, but society conditions us to think that tragedy only happens to people who have something to lose. This loss could be as simple as a loss of wealth or a loss of a place as King like in Shakespeare's Hamlet. The article by Arthur Miller supports this with the quote "I think the tragic feeling is evoked in us when we are in the presence of a character who is ready to lay down his life, if need be, to secure one thing-his sense of personal dignity." The classical example of this is Hamlet when he tries to regain his rightful place as King that his uncle took from him by having a affair with his mother. If we feel tragedy when someone is trying to gain their "rightful" place, but what causes tragedy.
Do we really know what causes tragedy? Is it as superficial as a loss of status and wealth? Or is it something lost within the human psyche? In Tragedy of the Common Man "The quality in such plays that does shake us, however, derives from the underlying fear of being displaced, the disaster inherent of being torn away from our chosen image of what and who we are in this world. Among us today this fear is strong, and perhaps stronger, than it ever was. In fact, it is the common man who knows this fear best." In essence we all strive to be individuals who are not replaceable, and when we feel our place in the world is threatened by something or someone we will do anything to keep that spot. For example, just say you are on a basketball team, and you are the best free througher on the team. When a person who is new to the team is a better free througher then you this would cause you to most likely feel that your spot on the team is threatened by this person. The feeling of needing to preserve your spot would cause you to compete more with this person, and would lead you to try to improve your skills. The last sentence of the quote reflects how the common person is held more accountable for their actions than someone of high standing. If the common person understands tragedy more, and it is caused by our strive to be individuals than what does tragedy bring to us?
Tragedy ultimately brings us more positive qualities than negative ones. This can be highlighted by "Tragedy enlightens-- and it must, in that it points the heroic finger at the enemy, of man's freedom." which shows that as we strive to be individuals we also strive to be free, and that drive for freedom is highlighted by tragedy. In conclusion, we can more from our struggles than from our success in life.
Do we really know what causes tragedy? Is it as superficial as a loss of status and wealth? Or is it something lost within the human psyche? In Tragedy of the Common Man "The quality in such plays that does shake us, however, derives from the underlying fear of being displaced, the disaster inherent of being torn away from our chosen image of what and who we are in this world. Among us today this fear is strong, and perhaps stronger, than it ever was. In fact, it is the common man who knows this fear best." In essence we all strive to be individuals who are not replaceable, and when we feel our place in the world is threatened by something or someone we will do anything to keep that spot. For example, just say you are on a basketball team, and you are the best free througher on the team. When a person who is new to the team is a better free througher then you this would cause you to most likely feel that your spot on the team is threatened by this person. The feeling of needing to preserve your spot would cause you to compete more with this person, and would lead you to try to improve your skills. The last sentence of the quote reflects how the common person is held more accountable for their actions than someone of high standing. If the common person understands tragedy more, and it is caused by our strive to be individuals than what does tragedy bring to us?
Tragedy ultimately brings us more positive qualities than negative ones. This can be highlighted by "Tragedy enlightens-- and it must, in that it points the heroic finger at the enemy, of man's freedom." which shows that as we strive to be individuals we also strive to be free, and that drive for freedom is highlighted by tragedy. In conclusion, we can more from our struggles than from our success in life.