Greek Plays Of Tragedy example essay topic
444 words
I am just going to blab on now, wait a second! Over the many years that have past, plays have been produced based on the events and the emotions that occur to people everyday. A theme that often affects the majority of people is the concept of tragedy, be it in love, luck or life. In the case of love, it is usually related back to people confronted by the challenge to find true love. This, however, does not always take place. The ages - from classical to Shakespeare's era and finally to modern theatre - reflect these themes of tragedy in love from what occurs to people, the attitudes the public have and the ideas about the human condition during the time a play was produced. The theme of tragedy is seen as one that treats human suffering. It is an imitation of a situation that is serious, of importance and affects everyone. Despite the general division of tragedies into classical (dealing with noble characters) and modern (dealing with ordinary people), there has been a constant, but less well known, genre of tragedy that has dramatized the current events of the time. (180) The word tragedy came from the Greek word "goat song" and initially meant 'a serious play'. Polished up by Greek playwrights and later by the philosopher Aristotle, it was seen as the most sophisticated dramatic topics for plays to be set.
In classical theatre, tragedy took part in the plays that were performed. An extract from the play Medea, tells the audience of a sorceress who believes she is betrayed by her husband whom she is love with. As a result of her judgement, she murders her children and carries away the corpses to bury them herself as a way of teaching her husband the wrongs. This play has great relevance to the theme of tragedy and although fantasy plays a small part in the plot, it brings through another theme, one of love and betrayal.
The scenes in this play reflect society in its time, the acts of human nature and the challenge facing the characters - to find true love and being hurt in the process - as it not only dealt with the issues that the audience were confronted by, but also gives the pleasure of witnessing it occur to other noble characters. Greek plays of tragedy, when performed, encouraged the audience to consider the useless waste of fine human characteristics and the bravery of misfortune of human beings themselves. (221) These are the first two paragraphs of my essay!
