Oedipus the King

Gregory Hurley

Humanities- Studies in Literature

Professor Silva

27 December 2013

Tragedy: A Concept of the Human Condition

When people describe an event as “tragic,” the first thing that comes to mind is that something terrible has happened to a person or people. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines tragedy as “a very bad event that causes great sadness and often involves someone's death; a very sad, unfortunate, or upsetting situation , something that causes strong feelings of sadness or regret, [or] a play, movie, etc., that is serious and has a sad ending.” In life, it is not difficult to classify particular situations as tragic, such as the ending of a young life by a drunk driver or the destruction of the World Trade Center by terrorists. However, in literature, being able to define a piece as tragic is more complex. Even a comedy, biopic, or otherwise light-hearted drama can include elements of tragedy. For instance, in the movie Ray (2004), the title character Ray Charles experiences several tragic incidences including going blind as a child and the death of his mistress, Margie. The movie cannot be considered tragedy; however, because the movie carries an uplifting theme of redemption in which Ray’s conquering of addiction and success as a musician symbolize his triumph over temptation, pride, and other demons that could have consumed him. Ray lives a long life with success in his career, surrounded by loving family and giving the world joy through the music he is famous for creating.

If tragedy in literature is not defined by inclusion of death, sadness, upsetting situations, or regret, then there must be other qualities present in order for it to fall within the category of tragedy. According to Aristotle, tragedy is “an imitation of an action of high importance, complete and of some amplitude, in language enhanced by distinct and varying beauties; acted not narrated; by means of pity and fear effecting its purgation of these emotions”...