The modern tragedy is a form of dramatic expression, written in prose or verse, considered a subsequent current classical tragedy, present in multiple artistic expressions, mainly in theater, poetry and literature.
Tragedy as a genre had its origins in Ancient Greece, first coined and developed by Aristotle, and since then it has evolved in different currents along with the advancement of human history.
Reconstruction of the theater of Dionysus in Athens, in Roman times.
The tragedy, classical and modern, consists of the exaltation of human suffering in the search for redemption, causing catharsis and empathy in the audience. The character faces the obstacles imposed by himself and his environment, and has a purpose that he considers beneficial.
The historical and social context, even if it is fictitious, in which modern tragedy unfolds, has been considered crucial to evaluate the evaluative elements of the characters when facing their challenges.
The authors of modern tragedy have been characterized by modifying and expanding the technical and aesthetic limits that ancient and classical tragedy presented.
Modern tragedy has gained ground in practices such as cinema, which allows them to exploit their emotional values in a different way than literature or poetry.
Origin of modern tragedy
The origin of modern tragedy as a literary manifestation dates back to the 19th century, with the appearance of authors mainly in Europe who felt the need to dismantle the canons imposed up to now by classical tragedy: the search and action of high-class characters (kings and nobility), that acting excessively, end up losing everything, which also affects the environment in which they find themselves.
The tragedy began to move away from the heroic exaltation to get closer to the common man and search in his daily problems for the new fabric of tragedy.
The constant struggle of the common man became the new narrative center on which many authors proliferated. This time, the man, more than blinded by his own values, acts on impulse in the face of the temptations and calls of everyday life.
The birth of modern tragedy has been the subject of various considerations. Although some have considered it as an evolution of classical tragedy, others affirm that it is a simple rejection of classical structures and that it should be considered as a dramatic form that would have nothing to do with tragedy.
However, modern tragedy continues to be considered a continuation and renewal of classical tragedy, in view of the fact that its main authors took these foundations for their transformation, as occurs with artistic currents of various origins.
Some popular names that worked the modern tragedy were those of Henrik Ibsen, Ausgust Strindberg, Anton Chekov in Europe; while in America Eugene O'Neill and Tennessee William stood out.
Characteristics of modern tragedy
One of the most representative elements of modern tragedy is the handling of irony. The use of humorous devices would not necessarily transform the tragedy into a comedy, but it works to highlight the absurdity of life that more than once can seriously affect the environment and the life of a character.
Worldly dreams and goals are exalted to give the character his own epic to live, although the consequences only aggravate the absurd character that initially led him to his destiny.
Contrary to classical tragedy, whose bases were developed by Aristotle, in which he mainly specified that a work to be considered a tragedy had to comply with the following resources: the narrated time must be equal to the duration of the work, temporal jumps are not allowed; in the same way, everything must take place in the same place; the action follows an inevitable course and the protagonists must be characters of high rank and category; the hero seeks a greater good, putting him at risk because of his decisions.
Modern tragedy, on the other hand, has been characterized by playing with narrative and literary resources. Not only in the transformation of the conflicts that give continuity to the plot, but in the way it can be raised.
The temporal and spatial units are often ignored, although the tragic end of the character is maintained.
The use of resources such as flashbacks or time jumps, to provide narrative background; the deepening of the psychology of the character, whose actions are no longer tied to an inevitable outcome, but rather their decisions as an individual that provide resolution, without necessarily having to respond to a specific archetype.
Modern tragedy in other media
The beginnings of the tragedy were in the theater, to later find a place in poetry and literature. Modern tragedy, through its most prominent authors, had a similar birth: first the theater, to quickly join literature and even dance, through the moving representation of modern stories.
Today, modern tragedy has shifted to film and television in a massive way. In the first, the beginnings were cinematographic representations of the classic theatrical pieces; however, over time the elements of the cinematographic language have allowed it to create its own modern tragedies.
The popular and massive nature of television, in its search for content diversification, has handled the tragedy in some television formats, which have also distorted their form to adapt to the medium.
Due to the exclusivity and difficulty of the first expressive forms in which the tragedy was represented, it is possible to consider it as a form or genre of high cultural and intellectual demand, with a non-superficial handling of the created universes and the values and emotions addressed.
Today, the discussion revolves around determining whether any representation of tragic dramatic characteristics, whether in theater, literature, poetry or cinema, could be considered as an accurate manifestation, or at least an approach, of a tragedy modern in its most orthodox terms.
References
- Miller, A. (1978). Tragedy and the Common Man. In A. Miller, The Theater Essays of Arthur Miller (pp. 3-7). Viking Press.
- Steinberg, MW (sf). Arthur Miller and the Idea of Modern Tragedy. The Dalhouse Review, 329-340.
- Stratford, M. (nd). The Difference Between a Classical & a Modern Tragedy in Literature. Retrieved from The Pen & the Pad: penandthepad.com
- Vial, JP (2002). Poetics of time: ethics and aesthetics of narration. University Publishing House.
- Williams, R. (1966). Modern Tragedy. Broadview Encore Editions.