For many eras, theatre has brought a lot of joy and happiness into the lives of people. Theatre has served as a way to tell stories from different cultures and different people to audiences of different cultures and different people. Theatre has become an international art form that practices the art of storytelling through acting, movement, visual arts, and sometimes even song. Theatre has become an art form that everyday people can relate to, giving life to characters that we can see so much of ourselves in. One genre of theatre in particular that people often relate to the most is tragedy. Tragic theatre often conveys feelings and emotions that resemble human misery. Tragedies affect people on a global scale because all humans understand suffering and misery. Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle devised a formula on what an ideal tragic hero would be: the character must be good, but not entirely good (“An Introduction to Greek Tragedy”, 00.01.10-00.01.20). The character has to resemble an every day human being. Why tragedies are so effective is because we can see ourselves in the hero better because we understand hardships and we know that not a single human is perfect. But tragedy is not limited to just the stage. No, tragedy is found in every art form, and, with modern technological advances, more accessible.
For the ancient Greeks, drama and theatre were an essential part of the polis (Pomeroy 213). Theatre played an important role in bringing people together spiritually and intellectually (Pomeroy 213). A lot of the time in ancient Greece, theatre was used as a way to honour gods at festivals. In the beginnings of theatre, it was usually four dramas would be performed in one day, and only males would be actors. The emergence of women in theatre came a long while after, and now we see in modern productions women being a part of the cast. In our society, theatre is a predominately artistic pleasure rather than a religious festivity. Theatre can be found internationally with different origins in their own emergence into society, and with different stories to tell. Every culture has their own tragedies, but in a lot of places, the tragedies of ancient Greece are still performed. Some notable ancient Greek Tragedies include Aeschylus’ Agamemnon, Sophocles’ Oedipus at Colonus and Oedipus Tyrannus, and Euripides’ Bacchae. All of these tragedies have some similarities to each other. All of these tragedies challenge the gods and try to alter their own fate, which does not work in their favour in the end. They are tragedies, after all. Two famous pieces of ancient Greek literature Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey are also tragic, epic poems. It would seem that the Greeks had more interest in tragic art rather than comedic. The Iliad was adopted in 2004 as the film Troy, starring Eric Bana, Brad Pitt, and Orlando Bloom. The film, despite not being a theatrical work, but rather, a cinematic work, still conveyed the tragedy of the Trojan War to audiences. While the film doesn’t include every aspect of the poem, it still does a fairly good job of invoking the emotions of the tragedy the war caused. The adaptation of a lot of tragedies do not have to be on stage, as we’ve seen in Troy’s case, but rather they can be adapted on television shows, books, and visual art.
Ancient Greek historian Thucydides believed that his work was historical pieces, which can be as a historical piece of prose, but is also the work of a tragedy. His work The Peloponnesian War details the battle between the Peloponnesian league in the Delian league. He says, “My narrative, perhaps, will seem less pleasing to some listeners because it lacks an element of fiction.” (Thucydides, The History of the Peloponnesian War 1.22) Thucydides in this historical account of the Peloponnesian war can be seen as a work of nonfiction that can be used as a type of tragedy. Books like Anne Frank's memoir can be seen also as a piece of non-fictional tragedy as well, as an account of the life of someone who was present during World War II. That being said, it doesn’t take away from the extremity of the content in these works. Both Thucydides and Anne Frank detail the horrific experiences of both wars, which evokes misery in readers. Tragedy is a huge part of the Drama category of literature, and it isn’t only Shakespeare who has written tragedies. However, Shakespeare was said to be inspired by the Greeks, so there’s no doubt that his works of tragedy, such as Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, and Julius Caesar were heavily influenced by ancient Greek tragedies. And it’s no surprise that Shakespeare wrote about historical figures in his tragic works.
Tragedies can also be found on your TV screen at home. A lot of the time in TV dramas, we see characters experience tragedies that we as the viewers take up on ourselves as well. There is an entire genre of TV shows called Dramas, which are mostly tragic for the characters and viewers alike. These TV shows have an international range, which serve as another form of storytelling on an international scale. Tragic TV shows have used tragic stories as a way to influence storylines. The South Korean drama Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo, one of the saddest Korean TV dramas according to viewers and critics alike, has both historical and mythological contexts. Much like how Troy is an adaptation of a piece of literature, this drama is also an adaptation of a work by a Chinese author. Both the movie Troy and the drama Moon Lovers portray tragic events on screen for viewers about war, betrayal, and sacrifice, and are international resources of tragedy for audiences.
Tragic events are part of everybody’s everyday life, so it’s no surprise that artists gain inspiration from them. A notable art form of conveying intense emotions is visual arts, so through painting, sculpture, and even clothing. Ancient Greek art often depicts mythological scenes from notable pieces of literature and myth. Overtime, artists have adapted other pieces of literature and scripture into their art. There are various pieces of art that tell stories from the Bible, fairy tales, and history, all of which can be viewed as pieces of tragedy depending on context. Because this particular form of art is incredibly subjective, viewers of these pieces will have their own interpretations of what the tragic elements of the stories these pieces are telling really are.
The ancient Greeks relied heavily on theatre as their means of storytelling during festivals and to bring communities together. Luckily for us, on top of having theatre as a wonderful pastime and enjoyment to the public, we also have ways of accessing tragedies right from home. Through literature, visual arts, and cinematic masterpieces, the genre of tragedy is not a genre that people are unfamiliar with. Tragedy is around us in our everyday lives, so it’s only natural that artists of all kinds would use it as an influence for their work. And, if you look closely enough, you will see that a lot of the ancient Greek tragedies can be found in our modern pieces, and lives, as well.
Works Cited
Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo. Directed by Kim Kyu-tae. Written by Jo Yoon-young. Aired August 29 - November 1, 2016.
National Theatre. (Jan 11, 2013). An Introduction to Greek Tragedy. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSr6mP-zxUc&feature=youtu.be&ab_channel=NationalTheatre
Pomeroy, Sarah B., et al. A Brief History of Ancient Greece: Politics, Society, and Culture. 4th ed., Oxford University Press, 2020.
Thucydides’ “The History of the Peloponnesian War,” 431 BC
Troy. Directed by Wolfgang Petersen, performances by Eric Bana, Brad Pitt, and Orlando Bloom, Warner Bros. Pictures, 2004.
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