Concetti Chiave
- The origins of tragedy are rooted in ancient Greece, with Aristotle identifying its main features, including catharsis as a social function.
- The tragic hero in Greek tragedy was of high rank, transitioning from happiness to misery due to a "tragic flaw."
- Greek tragedies followed unities of action, time, and place, with a strong religious element emphasizing moral law and divine justice.
- Elizabethan tragedy, influenced by Seneca, departed from Greek conventions, introducing revenge motives and comic elements.
- Modern tragedy features ordinary individuals as tragic heroes, focusing on their fate to evoke pity and fear.
The origins of tragedy
The simplest definition of The beginning of tragedy are to be found in ancient Greece. The Greek philosopher Aristotle (384-322 BC) analysed tragedy in his poetic, and identified its main features:
•••Pity and terror were dissolved or purged by catharsis (purification) at the climax of the play. The purging of these emotions from the audience through their presentation on the stage was an important social function of tragedy, as such emotions might be harmful if not removed.
•The tragic hero was of high rank, neither good nor evilm and he passed from happiness to mistery and death as a result of a “tragic flaw”, i.e a weakness or a mistake on his part.
•There was unity of action (one story and only one), of time (events took place within a single day and night), and of place (events were set in a single place).
Greek tragedy
Another important feature which characterized Greek tragedy was the strong religious element, according to which the world was seen as being controlled by moral law (themis), and the men who broke this law were punished by divine justice (dike) and by fate (nemesis).
The number of actors was limited. A chorus – a group of characters representing ordinary people – was on stage throughout the performance and described the situation, often reacting to it, and provided a running commentary on it.
Elizabethan tragedy
Developed from Greek tragedy, and was greatly influenced by Seneca. However, it showed differences from Greek tragedy, the most important being the neglect of the Aristotelian unities, and the motive of revenge. In addition, it must be noted that Shakespeare often inserted comic characters or scenes into his tragedies.
Modern tragedy
Presents tragic heroes who are ordinary men and women rather than kings, queens and great warriors: dramatists have found that ordinary people are interesting, and have concentrated on their tragic fate, which equally arouses the emotions of pity and fear.
Domande da interrogazione
- What is the role of catharsis in Greek tragedy according to Aristotle?
- How does the concept of the tragic hero differ between Greek and modern tragedy?
- What are the key differences between Greek and Elizabethan tragedy?
Aristotle identified catharsis as a crucial element in Greek tragedy, where the emotions of pity and terror are purged from the audience at the climax of the play, serving an important social function by removing potentially harmful emotions.
In Greek tragedy, the tragic hero is typically of high rank and falls from happiness to misery due to a "tragic flaw." In contrast, modern tragedy features ordinary men and women as tragic heroes, focusing on their tragic fate to evoke pity and fear.
Elizabethan tragedy, influenced by Seneca, differs from Greek tragedy by neglecting the Aristotelian unities and incorporating the motive of revenge. Additionally, Shakespeare often included comic characters or scenes in his tragedies, unlike the more rigid structure of Greek tragedy.
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