I find that humans have the tendency to find another person's downfall much more entertaining than we should. This can most easily be represented through celebrities. One wrong move and the entire country knows about it. As we watch a life seemingly come crashing down, we can't help but stare in amazement. "I'm glad it's not me!" seems to be the mass response. I think this says a lot about humans, and the flaws we can't get away from. We may feel bad for them, yeah, but not bad enough that we won't invest time reading, hearing, or watching a report on it. It's tragic.
According to the Wikipedia page, tragedy is defined as "a play or drama based on human suffering that invokes in it's audience a pleasure in viewing".
Tragedy is most commonly recognized in plays such as Romeo and Juliet, or operas like the ever famous Phantom of The Opera. We know it when we see it (or in some cases, read it), but I still wonder what exactly a work must contain to be considered a "tragedy".
The Wikipedia page also said that "According to Aristotle, 'the structure of the best tragedy should not be simple but complex and one that represents incidents arousing fear and pity—for that is peculiar to this form of art.' This reversal of fortune must be caused by the tragic hero's hamartia, which is often mistranslated as a character flaw, but is more correctly translated as a mistake.' According to Aristotle, 'The change to bad fortune which he undergoes is not due to any moral defect or flaw, but a mistake of some kind. The reversal is the inevitable but unforeseen result of some action taken by the hero. It is also a misconception that this reversal can be brought about by a higher power (e.g. the law, the gods, fate, or society), but if a character’s downfall is brought about by an external cause, Aristotle describes this as a misadventure and not a tragedy.'"
So basically, in a tragedy, the hero/heroine makes a mistake. This mistake leads to some kind of downfall on the hero's part, usually resulting in death (although not always their own. Romeo and Juliet shows this perfectly. Both Romeo AND Juliet were so blinded by their love that they both ended up dying for the other).
According to the Wikipedia page, tragedy is defined as "a play or drama based on human suffering that invokes in it's audience a pleasure in viewing".
Tragedy is most commonly recognized in plays such as Romeo and Juliet, or operas like the ever famous Phantom of The Opera. We know it when we see it (or in some cases, read it), but I still wonder what exactly a work must contain to be considered a "tragedy".
The Wikipedia page also said that "According to Aristotle, 'the structure of the best tragedy should not be simple but complex and one that represents incidents arousing fear and pity—for that is peculiar to this form of art.' This reversal of fortune must be caused by the tragic hero's hamartia, which is often mistranslated as a character flaw, but is more correctly translated as a mistake.' According to Aristotle, 'The change to bad fortune which he undergoes is not due to any moral defect or flaw, but a mistake of some kind. The reversal is the inevitable but unforeseen result of some action taken by the hero. It is also a misconception that this reversal can be brought about by a higher power (e.g. the law, the gods, fate, or society), but if a character’s downfall is brought about by an external cause, Aristotle describes this as a misadventure and not a tragedy.'"
So basically, in a tragedy, the hero/heroine makes a mistake. This mistake leads to some kind of downfall on the hero's part, usually resulting in death (although not always their own. Romeo and Juliet shows this perfectly. Both Romeo AND Juliet were so blinded by their love that they both ended up dying for the other).