Aristotle was wrong. He said that tragedy is the, "imitation of nobility," but who is to say what actions are noble? How can a being imitate something that they do not know? As we read more and more tragic literature I have certainly started to understand why tragedy is so closely associated with nobility. However, if the reader can ignore the status and social cast of the characters it is easy to see that the two topics are close to unrelated.
Tragedy affects everyone, even if they don not know it. Perhaps they even think that they do know it, but I highly doubt it. To know that you are affected by tragedy one must have an understanding of what tragedy is and isn't. Tragedy is not simply a sad or devastating event, it is something you can learn from. "All works of art that deserve their names have a happy ending." even the real-world ones. There is always a bright side.
Tragedy affects everyone, even if they don not know it. Perhaps they even think that they do know it, but I highly doubt it. To know that you are affected by tragedy one must have an understanding of what tragedy is and isn't. Tragedy is not simply a sad or devastating event, it is something you can learn from. "All works of art that deserve their names have a happy ending." even the real-world ones. There is always a bright side.