In the Tragic Fallacy, by Joseph Krutch, he challenges us to modify Aristotle's definition that tragedy is the "imitation of noble actions".
I was most drawn in by Krutch's idea that Aristotle is wrong because "no one knows what a noble action is or whether or not such a thing as nobility exists in nature apart from the mind of the man" This really spoke to me because everyone in this world has different opinions about actions. What I believe is a tragic event is not going to be the same for somebody different, so it would not be any different for an action of nobility.
However, without nobility-- tragedy cannot exist. This personally really confuses me because you nobility can't be labeled.
Krutch then begins to relate this to different portions of tragedy. For example "tragedy is essentially an expression, not of despair but of the triumph over despair and of the confidence in the value of human life". I took this as a lesson in life, even though a bad event happened a lesson can be learned; people can overcome those tragic events. Even in death there can be "its own happy end in its own way" this is very challenging though, because there needs to be a relationship between despair and happy feeling. Krutch states because of this "Tragedy, the greatest and most difficult of the arts".
After reading all of this, I can conclude that even though defining what an act of nobility is, if you find the happy medium between two feelings it can work. Lessons even if small such as the love shown in "Romeo and Juliet" can turn something bad into something beautiful.
I was most drawn in by Krutch's idea that Aristotle is wrong because "no one knows what a noble action is or whether or not such a thing as nobility exists in nature apart from the mind of the man" This really spoke to me because everyone in this world has different opinions about actions. What I believe is a tragic event is not going to be the same for somebody different, so it would not be any different for an action of nobility.
However, without nobility-- tragedy cannot exist. This personally really confuses me because you nobility can't be labeled.
Krutch then begins to relate this to different portions of tragedy. For example "tragedy is essentially an expression, not of despair but of the triumph over despair and of the confidence in the value of human life". I took this as a lesson in life, even though a bad event happened a lesson can be learned; people can overcome those tragic events. Even in death there can be "its own happy end in its own way" this is very challenging though, because there needs to be a relationship between despair and happy feeling. Krutch states because of this "Tragedy, the greatest and most difficult of the arts".
After reading all of this, I can conclude that even though defining what an act of nobility is, if you find the happy medium between two feelings it can work. Lessons even if small such as the love shown in "Romeo and Juliet" can turn something bad into something beautiful.