Tragedy

Tragedy, being one of the two original themes followed by theatrical play writers, is especially significant for many reasons. For me, the most prominent of those reasons is that from experiencing a tale of misfortune, we gain a renewed appreciation for the fact that we have not experienced such misfortune. We are reminded that the state of our lives could be much worse than it currently is. Another thing that makes tragic plays significant is the morbid fascination we have with plots involving morose misfortune. Tragic plays also serve the important purpose of grounding us in reality. If we have an unrealistically positive view of the world, tragedies remind us that life isn't all sunshine rainbows and unicorns. Melancholy as tragic shows may be, they are, again, morbidly fascinating. It really makes you want to ponder why we as human beings find misfortune so fascinating and captivating. Plays such as Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, and Hamlet (yes I'm using classic works of Shakespeare as examples since I'm not the biggest theatre buff in the world) have been thoroughly seared into my memory. Life is full of misfortune, it's full of sadness, and it's full of dark clouds that hover over our heads from time to time, so it's only natural that we would tell stories relating to those aspects of life. Tragedies, while they aren't for everyone, are especially entertaining for those, such as myself, who have an appreciation for such stories. The fascination with the dark, the morbid, the tragic, and the melancholy is ingrained in so many people, so it only makes sense that there are so many theatrical works reflecting that.