Why tragedies are alluring - David E. Rivas

Summary

This script explores the timeless structure of Greek tragedy, as described by Aristotle's 'Poetics.' It highlights how tragic heroes, despite their elevated status, are relatable through their flaws, like excessive pride or ambition, leading to their downfall. Using examples like Sophocles' 'Oedipus Rex' and Shakespeare's 'Hamlet' and 'Macbeth,' it emphasizes how these tragic stories evoke fear, pity, and catharsis in audiences. Ultimately, the video reminds viewers of the enduring nature of tragic storytelling and its ability to evoke deep emotions through universal themes of fate and human frailty.

Takeaways

• 📜 Greek tragedy follows a pattern where a noble individual makes a mistake that leads to their downfall.
• 🧍 The tragic hero is elevated in status and ability but remains relatable to the audience.
• ⚖️ The hero possesses a tragic flaw (hamartia), like ambition or pride, which leads to a critical mistake.
• 🎭 Sophocles's 'Oedipus Rex' is a prime example, with Oedipus unknowingly fulfilling a prophecy by killing his father and marrying his mother.
• 👑 Oedipus’s story highlights the greater impact of a downfall when the individual is of high rank and ability.
• 🔮 Oedipus's tragic flaw is hubris, which leads him to try to avoid the very fate that ultimately occurs.
• 🗡️ Shakespearean tragedies like 'Hamlet' and 'Macbeth' also reflect these classical principles of tragic downfall.
• 📺 Modern stories, like 'Game of Thrones' and 'The Dark Knight,' continue using Aristotle's tragic tropes.
• 😨 Aristotle believed tragedy evokes fear and pity, helping audiences reflect on their own vulnerabilities.
• 💧 The emotional release or catharsis experienced during tragedy provides a sense of relief and purification.

Q & A

What is the classic story pattern for Greek tragedy mentioned in the script?

The classic story pattern for Greek tragedy involves a royal, rich, or righteous individual making a mistake that leads to their downfall, as well as the ruin of those around them.

What are the three critical story components influenced by Aristotle's 'Poetics'?

The three critical story components are: the tragic hero should be elevated in rank and ability, the hero should be relatable, and the hero's downfall results from a tragic flaw, or 'hamartia'.

What is hamartia, and how does it affect the tragic hero?

Hamartia refers to the tragic flaw in the hero's character, such as ambition, tyranny, stubbornness, or excessive pride. This flaw leads to a critical mistake, which in turn causes the hero's downfall.

How does the story of Oedipus Rex exemplify the concept of a tragic hero?

In 'Oedipus Rex,' Oedipus is an elevated figure, a king, but he is also relatable. His tragic flaw, hubris (excessive pride), causes him to try and avoid his fate, which ironically leads him to fulfill the prophecy by killing his father and marrying his mother.

What is the significance of Oedipus's downfall in the context of Greek tragedy?

Oedipus's downfall is significant because of the height from which he falls. Once a king with great abilities, he becomes blind and homeless, symbolizing a greater tragedy than if a lesser figure had fallen.

How does Oedipus's ignorance contribute to his tragedy?

Oedipus's ignorance is central to his tragedy because he unknowingly kills his father and marries his mother. His actions are done in complete ignorance, making his downfall even more tragic.

What examples from Shakespeare's works illustrate similar tragic elements?

Hamlet's indecisiveness leads to his downfall and the death of most characters, while Macbeth's ambition drives him to great heights before bringing about his ruin. Both reflect the tragic elements Aristotle identified.

How do modern stories like 'Game of Thrones' and 'The Dark Knight' relate to the elements of Greek tragedy?

'Game of Thrones' and 'The Dark Knight' both use narrative elements of hubris, moral flaws, and the downfall of elevated characters, resonating with the same tragic tropes Aristotle identified over 2000 years ago.

What emotions does a good tragedy evoke according to Aristotle?

A good tragedy evokes fear and pity in the audience: fear of experiencing similar catastrophes and pity for the tragic hero's downfall.

What is catharsis, and why is it important in the context of tragedy?

Catharsis is the emotional relief or purification the audience experiences after watching a tragedy. It allows them to release strong emotions or momentarily forget their own problems.

Outlines

00:00

🎭 Greek Tragedy Pattern

This paragraph introduces the classic Greek tragedy narrative pattern, which revolves around a royal or high-ranking individual who, despite being relatable to the audience, makes a mistake that leads to ruin. The paragraph emphasizes three critical components influenced by Aristotle's 'Poetics': the tragic hero's elevated status, relatability, and a tragic flaw (hamartia) that triggers disaster. 'Oedipus Rex' is used as an example to illustrate these elements, highlighting how Oedipus's hubris leads to his downfall.

Keywords

💡Greek tragedy

Greek tragedy refers to a form of theatre originating in ancient Greece, characterized by serious, somber themes and often involving the downfall of the main character. In the video, Greek tragedy is used as a backdrop to discuss the classic story pattern involving a tragic hero who makes a mistake leading to ruin, exemplified by Sophocles's 'Oedipus Rex'.

💡Tragic hero

A tragic hero is the main character in a tragedy, often a person of high status who is neither wholly good nor evil but relatable, possessing a tragic flaw that leads to their downfall. The video uses Oedipus as an example, who starts as a king but ends up homeless and blind due to his tragic flaw of hubris.

💡Hamartia

Hamartia, derived from Greek, refers to a tragic flaw or error in judgment that leads to the downfall of the hero in a tragedy. The video mentions hamartia as a critical component of Greek tragedy, such as Oedipus's hubris, which ironically causes the very fate he tries to avoid.

💡Hubris

Hubris is excessive pride or self-confidence that often leads to one's downfall, a common tragic flaw in Greek tragedies. In the video, Oedipus's hubris is highlighted as his tragic flaw that ultimately results in his tragic end.

💡Catharsis

Catharsis is the emotional release or purification experienced by audiences as they witness the tragic events unfold in a story. The video suggests that a good tragedy can evoke fear and pity, leading to catharsis, which may provide relief or allow one to temporarily forget their own problems.

💡Aristotle's 'Poetics'

Aristotle's 'Poetics' is a work that discusses the nature of tragedy and its components, which have influenced storytelling for centuries. The video references Aristotle's 'Poetics' as a foundational text that helps us understand why certain story patterns, like the Greek tragedy, are so compelling.

💡Sophocles's 'Oedipus Rex'

'Oedipus Rex' is a Greek tragedy by Sophocles that serves as a prime example of the tragic hero archetype. The video uses this play to illustrate the concept of a tragic hero who, despite his intelligence and status, falls due to his tragic flaw, which is central to the narrative.

💡Riddle of the Sphinx

The Riddle of the Sphinx is a famous element in 'Oedipus Rex' where Oedipus solves the riddle, leading to his rise as king. The video mentions this as part of Oedipus's journey, showing how his initial success sets the stage for his eventual tragic fall.

💡Fate

Fate, in the context of Greek tragedy, is the predetermined course of events that cannot be altered. The video discusses how Oedipus's attempts to escape his prophesied fate ironically lead to its fulfillment, demonstrating the inescapability of fate.

💡Emotional purification

Emotional purification is the process of releasing and cleansing strong emotions through experiencing the catharsis induced by a tragedy. The video suggests that tragedies like 'Oedipus Rex' allow audiences to empathize with the hero and release emotions, contributing to their emotional purification.

💡Modern storytelling

Modern storytelling refers to contemporary narratives that continue to use classical story patterns, such as the tragic hero's journey. The video points out that stories like 'Game of Thrones' and 'The Dark Knight' resonate with these tropes, showing the enduring influence of Greek tragedy on storytelling.

Highlights

The classic story pattern of Greek tragedy involves a royal or righteous individual making a mistake that spirals into ruin.

This pattern has been used for thousands of years and continues to influence modern storytellers.

Aristotle’s 'Poetics' identified three critical components of a tragedy: an elevated hero, a tragic flaw, and a disaster resulting from that flaw.

The tragic hero is elevated in rank and ability but also relatable, neither extraordinarily good nor evil.

The hero's tragic flaw (hamartia), such as ambition or pride, leads to their downfall.

Oedipus Rex by Sophocles exemplifies these elements: Oedipus tries to escape a prophecy but unknowingly fulfills it.

Oedipus kills his father and marries his mother, actions committed in ignorance, which lead to his eventual ruin.

At the start, Oedipus is elevated as a king and heroic figure, but his fall is more tragic due to his high status.

Oedipus's tragic flaw is hubris—his excessive pride in trying to avoid his fate—which ultimately causes the prophecy to come true.

This pattern of downfall transcends Greek tragedy, as seen in Shakespeare's Hamlet and Macbeth, where characters' flaws lead to their demise.

Modern pop culture, such as 'Game of Thrones' and 'The Dark Knight,' also resonates with Aristotle's principles of tragedy.

Aristotle argued that tragedies evoke fear and pity in audiences, as they fear a similar downfall and pity the hero’s fate.

The purpose of tragedy is to bring about catharsis—emotional relief and purification for the audience.

Empathizing with the hero allows the audience to experience strong emotions and possibly forget their own troubles for a while.

In the end, tragic stories serve as reminders that, despite life's difficulties, things could be worse, as in Oedipus's extreme misfortune.

Transcripts

The story goes something like this:

a royal, rich or righteous individual, who otherwise happens to be a lot like us,

makes a mistake that sends his life, and the lives of those around him,

spiraling into ruin.

Sound familiar?

This is the classic story pattern for Greek tragedy.

For thousands of years,

we've spun spellbinding tales that fit this pattern,

and modern storytellers around the world continue to do so.

Three critical story components influenced by Aristotle's "Poetics"

help us understand the allure.

First, the tragic hero should be elevated in rank and ability,

but also relatable.

Perhaps he is a king, or extraordinary in some other way.

But because you and I are neither unusually good

nor unusually bad,

neither is the hero.

And he has one particular tragic flaw, or hamartia,

something like ambition, tyranny, stubbornness, or excess pride

that causes him to make a critical mistake.

And from that mistake comes disaster and downfall.

As an example of these elements in action,

let's look to Sophocles's "Oedipus Rex,"

about a man who doesn't know he was adopted,

and is warned by an oracle that he's destined to murder his father

and marry his mother.

In trying to escape this fate,

he kills a man who won't get out of his way at a crossroad.

He then cleverly answers the riddle of the monstrous Sphynx,

freeing the Kingdom of Thebes from a plague.

He marries the widowed queen and becomes king.

But after he finds out that the murdered man was his father,

and the queen he married is his mother,

Oedipus gouges out his eyes and retreats into the wilderness.

At the beginning of his story,

Oedipus is elevated in ability, and he's elevated in rank.

He's neither unusually evil nor saintly.

He's relatable.

Notice the height of the fall.

Once a king, but now homeless and blind.

It's more tragic, after all, if a king falls from a tall throne

than if a jester falls off his step stool.

Oedipus's tragic flaw is hubris, or excessive pride,

and it causes him to attempt to avoid the fate prophesied for him,

which is exactly what makes it happen.

He's a particularly unlucky soul

because his mistake of killing his father and marrying his mother

is done in complete ignorance.

Of course, these narrative principles transcend classic Greek tragedy.

In Shakespeare's canon,

we see Hamlet's indecisiveness lead to a series of bad decisions,

or perhaps non-decisions,

that culminate in the death of almost every character in the play,

and Macbeth's ambition catapults him to the top

before sending him careening to his grave.

Even modern pop culture staples like "Game of Thrones" and "The Dark Knight"

resonate with the tropes Aristotle identified over 2000 years ago.

So what's the point of all of this suffering?

According to Aristotle, and many scholars since,

a good tragedy can evoke fear and pity in the audience:

Fear of falling victim to the same or similar catastrophe,

and pity for the height of the hero's downfall.

Ideally, after watching these tragic events unfold,

we experience catharsis,

a feeling of relief and emotional purification.

Not everyone agrees why this happens.

It may be that empathizing with the hero

allows us to experience and release strong emotions that we keep bottled up,

or maybe it just lets us forget about our own problems for a little while.

But regardless of how you feel when you watch poor Oedipus,

never has there been a more salient reminder

that no matter how bad things get,

at least you didn't kill your father and marry your mother.