Based on your discussions during today's lesson and your own ideas, write a paragraph explaining why you think humans beings enjoy tragedy as a from of entertainment. Please post you paragraph as a comment on this post.
I feel that most people enjoy entertainment in the form of tragedy as it is more interesting than the clichéd 'happy endings'. A tragedy can make you feel good about yourself as you can see the worst possible situation therefore showing us our life is not so bad after all. Allowing people to feel more interested within a film/book etc can provoke a more emotional response to any tragic act. This more emotional response may show us that people like to link they're own lives to what they're impression of a character is.
I think that people are drawn to tragedy as a form of entertainment because people like seeing other people in tragic situations as it can give them a sense of hope, pride and smugness to watch other people in pain. Also people who are able to empathise with the characters may find that reading/watching the tragedies will allow them to find a sense of relief and catharsis, knowing that they can relate with somebody else. Furthermore, individuals may find the hyperbolic story lines entertaining of the ‘tragedy’ are so outrageous no one can take it seriously.
I think that tragedy is enjoyed as a form of entertainment to us because it makes us feel good about ourselves, and makes us feel much more superior, proud and authoritative when seeing others are in a state of peril or in a distressing situation. I also think that some people watch and/or read stories with a tragic plot to help them, for instance, if they’re in a similar situation it may help them find a way out of it or get ideas of how to deal with it better, they would therefore also find it easier to emphasise with specific characters or the story as a whole.
In my opinion, there are many different reasons why people see tragedy as a form of entertainment. It could make us feel better about the situation that we’re in ourselves because the character/characters are in a more unfortunate situation, making the audience feel a sense of power and superiority over them. People also get a sense of relief and hope if they can relate to the storylines, although in theatrical plays, such as Shakespeare, the situations are exaggerated and therefore not realistic. We tend to be more engaged in a play/book if it’s more dramatic and intense.
There are many reasons in which mankind are attracted to tragedy as a type of recreation. For example I believe that, stereotypically, mankind enjoy the downfall of others so when actually faced with divergent situations within a tragedy, for example, mortal peril or severe distress, many people gain relief and often even smugness over the fact that the unpleasant events occurring within the book, play or film more than likely wouldn’t occur in reality due to the hyperbolic theme of tragedy and therefore would make some individuals feel superior, snobbish and ultimately a cut above those that become ‘defeated’. Also, humans could enjoy the failure of others, not necessarily for personal gain, but as it allows them to empathise with certain characters or situations, giving the viewer/reader the feeling of catharsis when being able to reach an understanding of the plot or an individual character or relate to the situation. Similarly, mankind enjoy having the ability to compare and comment on situations but purely out of being overly inquisitive and often condescending. Furthermore, individuals may find the enthusiasm and unpredictability of tragedy both exhilarating and rewarding as the extreme and exaggerated aspects of tragedy offer unrealistic situations that many could find interesting as comedy, language and actions are overstated, allowing viewers to relax and purely allow the melodramatic perception to overcome them. Moreover, certain people may find the variety of emotion within a tragic book, play or film inspiring as many that are not necessarily in touch with their emotional side may find that tragedies generally can cause an upsurge of emotion, ranging from sorrow, joy, anxiety or even perplexity, giving unemotional viewers a surprise at every turn within a tragedy. Ultimately, I believe mankind find tragedy appealing as it allows our instinctive, true emotions to be revealed by the means of opinions, reactions and feelings when regarding a tragedy and the situation or characters within it..
I believe human beings enjoy tragedies as a form of entertainment because of the feelings which the plays often provoke within oneself. Often the sudden change from good to bad, causes emotions of of pity and sorrow to arise within the spectators. Tragedies can result in a catharsis or healing for the audience through their ability to emphasise, in response to the similar suffering of the characters. On the other hand, spectators may often feel a sense of complacency and superiority, after seeing others who are experiencing circumstances worse than their own.
There are many reasons as to why humankind are drawn to tragedy as a form of entertainment but personally, I believe that we find it so fascinating because we think that we are at the top in society and are better than everyone else, so when we see someone else suffer or having a downfall, it makes us feel very smug and even more superior. Humankind may also feel a sense of hope as they can empathise with the characters in the tragedy.
Some good ideas here (although it is a great shame that there are not more)- I like what many of you are saying about mankind's baser instincts, Hannah in particular. There seems to be a consensus towards the idea that the quasi-voyeuristic way in which we take a schadenfreudic joy in the downfall of others is simply to gratify our own sense of self-satisfied superiority- what lovely people we all are!
The fact the subject of tragedy can be recycled over and over in literary work shows that it is by far the most popular, interesting theme to humans. Since the dawn of time humans have been continuously intrigued and entertained by suffering - going as far as to watch one another fight to the death, for example. Pain and suffering is entertaining for us because, though cruel, it is dramatic, exciting and shocking.
I feel that most people enjoy entertainment in the form of tragedy as it is more interesting than the clichéd 'happy endings'. A tragedy can make you feel good about yourself as you can see the worst possible situation therefore showing us our life is not so bad after all. Allowing people to feel more interested within a film/book etc can provoke a more emotional response to any tragic act. This more emotional response may show us that people like to link they're own lives to what they're impression of a character is.
ReplyDeleteI think that people are drawn to tragedy as a form of entertainment because people like seeing other people in tragic situations as it can give them a sense of hope, pride and smugness to watch other people in pain. Also people who are able to empathise with the characters may find that reading/watching the tragedies will allow them to find a sense of relief and catharsis, knowing that they can relate with somebody else. Furthermore, individuals may find the hyperbolic story lines entertaining of the ‘tragedy’ are so outrageous no one can take it seriously.
ReplyDeleteI think that tragedy is enjoyed as a form of entertainment to us because it makes us feel good about ourselves, and makes us feel much more superior, proud and authoritative when seeing others are in a state of peril or in a distressing situation. I also think that some people watch and/or read stories with a tragic plot to help them, for instance, if they’re in a similar situation it may help them find a way out of it or get ideas of how to deal with it better, they would therefore also find it easier to emphasise with specific characters or the story as a whole.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, there are many different reasons why people see tragedy as a form of entertainment. It could make us feel better about the situation that we’re in ourselves because the character/characters are in a more unfortunate situation, making the audience feel a sense of power and superiority over them. People also get a sense of relief and hope if they can relate to the storylines, although in theatrical plays, such as Shakespeare, the situations are exaggerated and therefore not realistic. We tend to be more engaged in a play/book if it’s more dramatic and intense.
ReplyDeleteThere are many reasons in which mankind are attracted to tragedy as a type of recreation. For example I believe that, stereotypically, mankind enjoy the downfall of others so when actually faced with divergent situations within a tragedy, for example, mortal peril or severe distress, many people gain relief and often even smugness over the fact that the unpleasant events occurring within the book, play or film more than likely wouldn’t occur in reality due to the hyperbolic theme of tragedy and therefore would make some individuals feel superior, snobbish and ultimately a cut above those that become ‘defeated’.
ReplyDeleteAlso, humans could enjoy the failure of others, not necessarily for personal gain, but as it allows them to empathise with certain characters or situations, giving the viewer/reader the feeling of catharsis when being able to reach an understanding of the plot or an individual character or relate to the situation. Similarly, mankind enjoy having the ability to compare and comment on situations but purely out of being overly inquisitive and often condescending.
Furthermore, individuals may find the enthusiasm and unpredictability of tragedy both exhilarating and rewarding as the extreme and exaggerated aspects of tragedy offer unrealistic situations that many could find interesting as comedy, language and actions are overstated, allowing viewers to relax and purely allow the melodramatic perception to overcome them.
Moreover, certain people may find the variety of emotion within a tragic book, play or film inspiring as many that are not necessarily in touch with their emotional side may find that tragedies generally can cause an upsurge of emotion, ranging from sorrow, joy, anxiety or even perplexity, giving unemotional viewers a surprise at every turn within a tragedy.
Ultimately, I believe mankind find tragedy appealing as it allows our instinctive, true emotions to be revealed by the means of opinions, reactions and feelings when regarding a tragedy and the situation or characters within it..
I believe human beings enjoy tragedies as a form of entertainment because of the feelings which the plays often provoke within oneself. Often the sudden change from good to bad, causes emotions of of pity and sorrow to arise within the spectators. Tragedies can result in a catharsis or healing for the audience through their ability to emphasise, in response to the similar suffering of the characters. On the other hand, spectators may often feel a sense of complacency and superiority, after seeing others who are experiencing circumstances worse than their own.
ReplyDeleteThere are many reasons as to why humankind are drawn to tragedy as a form of entertainment but personally, I believe that we find it so fascinating because we think that we are at the top in society and are better than everyone else, so when we see someone else suffer or having a downfall, it makes us feel very smug and even more superior. Humankind may also feel a sense of hope as they can empathise with the characters in the tragedy.
ReplyDeleteSome good ideas here (although it is a great shame that there are not more)- I like what many of you are saying about mankind's baser instincts, Hannah in particular. There seems to be a consensus towards the idea that the quasi-voyeuristic way in which we take a schadenfreudic joy in the downfall of others is simply to gratify our own sense of self-satisfied superiority- what lovely people we all are!
ReplyDeleteThe fact the subject of tragedy can be recycled over and over in literary work shows that it is by far the most popular, interesting theme to humans. Since the dawn of time humans have been continuously intrigued and entertained by suffering - going as far as to watch one another fight to the death, for example. Pain and suffering is entertaining for us because, though cruel, it is dramatic, exciting and shocking.
ReplyDeleteCASSIE