Today, we watched a Ted talk in class dealing with tragedy. The speaker presented some pretty interesting ideas about tragedy. The speaker's most notable thought, in my opinion, was that tragedy is simply a better alternative to ridicule. Tragedy offers an increased level of sympathy. One might call someone who goes through similar events to Hamlet a loser, however no one would call Hamlet a loser, because his story is presented in a dramatic and tragic manner. It is a better way of presenting ridicule. The speaker was trying to illustrate that point of view, and the way material is presented is often critical in determining how an individual will interpret a situation. Hamlet is a tragedy in addition to being a story about some guy who goes crazy. I think this may not be a part of the definition of tragedy, and it may not be a reason that human's enjoy tragedy, but it certainly elaborates on what a tragic story is capable of doing. It is capable of generating sympathy.
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