Profound Tragedy.
Brevis ipsa vita est sed malis fit longior
Miller's main argument in his piece Tragedy and the Common Man can be summed up in the quote, "the possibility of victory must be there in tragedy." This quote itself is significant because of the truth within it. If somebody loses something that they cannot possibly attain, then it is not sad when they do not attain it. It is only tragic when they have a chance to attain something, and then work towards it but only to fail in the end, after much effort. In this regard, Miller argues that the essence of tragedy arises when a hero character is ready to give up everything in order to secure his personal sense of dignity. All the tragic events that take place within the story follow this desire, and the true meaning of the tragic story stems from this struggle. In this regard, that the desire to not be displaced is the driving factor of tragedy, Miller proceeds to argue that tragedy is relevant to today's society, if not more relevant than ever.
Miller's argument about tragedy offers a perspective that I have not considered before. I think part of the reason is that I simply have not seen enough tragic stories to be able to come to the conclusion that all the character wants is to maintain his dignity. That being said however, I think the quote that the possibility of victory must be present for tragedy to occur makes perfect sense, and I can clearly see why something would or would not be tragic depending on the presence of the possibility of victory. In addition, I too thought that the tragic arts were an archaic art form, but I can now see how it is relevant today.
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