A Comparison of Tragedy in English Works
For a story to be a tragedy it has to follow the principles set by
Aristotle, a Greek philosopher, or those of Arthur Miller who is a twentieth
century playwright. A tragedy, in Aristotle's view, usually concerns the fall
of an individual whose character is good but not perfect and his misfortunes are
brought about by the tragic flaw. This flaw is the part of the character that
personifies him as being tragic. Miller uses this definition of a tragedy but
also broadens it including the common man. All of these characteristics are
seen in the plays Julius Caesar, Death of a Salesman, and Oedipus Rex.
Although the title of the play Julius Caesar focuses on Caesar, the
play itself is really based on Brutus. "Brutus had rather be a villager than to
repute himself a son of Rome."(Act I, scene II, line 172). This was said by
Brutus after Cassius told him how Caesar had become a towering figure over Rome
and how Caesar controls Rome.......
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