George A. Panichas, Aspects of Tragedy, Ancient & Modern

Aspects of Tragedy, Ancient & Modern
George A. Panichas - 05/19/08

A certain greatness, immensity, and exceptionality surrounded the tragic dimension, even as tragedy connotes something greater than immediate life. In the ancient world, the perimeters of tragic vision were established and recognized—the tragedy of Achilles, his superhuman strength and his tragic demise, teach us to understand our limits and to measure our humanity. But in the modern world, where man “has no place,” he loses his perimeters and with them the ability to comprehend his own greatness and his own sorrow. . . .