Modern tragedy and death of a salesman.

Authors Avatar

Modern tragedy and death of a salesman

  Tragedy has evolved greatly over the years.  The first tragedies date back from the 4th century b.c.  The concept of tragedy was created first by the Greeks.  A famous Greek philosopher, Aristotle, first analysed the principles of good tragedies.

 

 There are specific elements present in a tragedy.  Tragedy mainly deals with the moral issues e.g., politics and ambition.  All tragedies have a protagonist (hero).  This hero is made noble and has a high standing in society.  But in all tragedies the protagonist always has a fatal flaw in his or her character.  There is always a reverse of fortunes involving the hero called peripetia.  

 

 The effect of tragedy is to stimulate feelings of pity and fear, which leads to catharsis, which brings about purging.  Tragedies put you the audience in the position of the protagonist. So you feel what the character in the play is feeling.  The undermining of hubris is always confirmed by re-establishing the order that was at the beginning.  For example in Romeo and Juliet, these two ‘star crossed lovers’ had to die before their parents realised how much hate and controversy was bought about by their feud.  

 

  Once their pride had fallen order and peace was once again restored in Verona.  Tragedies that are most effective have the whole of the action set in one day.  Classic Greek tragedies were those in which was set in one day, and there is only one plot, no sub plots.  By focusing an intensive concentration on one place, it has a more psychological effect on the audience.

Join now!

  Miller believes few tragedies are written in this modern age because society is more diverse.  In the modern world there is a much wider range of world views on life that are contested extensively by people. This makes it difficult for the writer to write a tragic play.

  We think of ourselves with an enhanced sense of realism.  In the past your importance consisted in the role you played within the order and in the structure of your particular society.  Today in the modern period we, because of democracy and our enhanced sense of individualism, consider ...

This is a preview of the whole essay