Among what I learned when I studied literature in college was that most of us don't understand the difference between comedy and tragedy. We think of comedy as something that's fun, upbeat, happy. Comedy makes us feel good, and lightens the load of living life. Tragedy, on the other hand, is morose, downbeat, negative and wearisome. It depresses us, discourages us, brings a dark cloud into our world.
What I learned was that this view is precisely the opposite of the truth.
Comedy shows humankind at its most ignoble, its worst. In a comedy, the protagonist is put in a situation that any idiot could handle with ease, and s/he completely fucks it up. We roar at the protagonist's pathetically feeble and stupid efforts. We feel superior to the protagonist (although we all secretly know we have suffered through similar fiascos of our own devise.) All Steve Martin movies, all Marx Brothers movies, all Amy Schumer movies are based on this premise, as are all Greek and Shakespearean comedies. We feel better (sort of) about ourselves, but have no reason at all to feel
better about our species.
Tragedy puts the protagonist in a situation that NO ONE could overcome; think of King Lear, Oedipus Rex or . . . and here it comes, Game of Thrones, which I submit to you has been a tragedy from Day One. By placing the protagonist(s) in an impossible dilemma, we get to take their full measure by seeing how CLOSE THEY COME to doing the impossible before they inevitably fall short. Think of it this way: Say you're trying to measure an object that has at least one dimension obviously greater than 6 feet. With a 1-foot ruler, you can take an approximate measurement. You can roll the ruler over and over and get a pretty good idea of the size, but not a precise measurement. But, with a 12-foot tape measure, you can get a precise measurement. Tragedy precisely measures the human spirit, letting us see its greatness, and thereby showing us how wonderful and beautiful our species can
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R_Kane (15828)
7 years ago
be--and, by extension, how wonderful and beautiful you and I can be.
Shortly after GoT debuted, I caught some interview with GRRM, in which he was asked what the final scene should be. He said something like, "It should be of a graveyard, with mist floating over it."
I think GoT will end with everybody dead. No more throne, no more kingdoms, just the Night King and the White Walkers. Some of the deaths will be glorious and inspiring-- Arya, Brienne, Jon, Bronn (God love him), even The Hound. Others will be comic and satisfying--Cersei, Littlefinger, the Spider. Tragedy is the direction in which GoT has been headed since the first scene of the first season. The Walkers' army swells with each human who dies, while humankind's armies dwindle simultaneously. The glorious tragic conclusion is where all of the vectors of the narrative point.
On our Big Little Lies topic, there were some obviously-young posters who were unhappy there wasn't some last-minute "twist" that moved the ending away from where it had so plainly been going. Eurestes, Shakespeare, Sophocles Checkov and writers of their ilk write literature, not "twists." I believe that GoT will show us humanity at its most glorious, before leaving us in a world of death and ice.
Focus on the heroism, sacrifice and glory, not on the ice and the death.
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ShogunofYonkers (77423)
7 years ago
Nice reply...your words ring true-
I guess i like when a hammer meets a nail best of all...seems most direct and real to me...but i appreciate your post Kane even tho deep thinking always seems a waste of time to me...anyway-
Nice work!
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