Analysis of The Pleasures of Tragedy by Susan L. Feagin (Essay Example)

I read “The Pleasures of Tragedy” by Susan L. Feagin, where she argues that despite something being a tragedy, people experience pleasure from it.  She defines what constitutes as a tragedy in her paper. In her opinion, if a sad event occurs in a story or movie, it should be referred to as a tragedy. She fails to take into account that a tragedy differs from a sad event. A tragedy is when something unimaginable occurs, a brutal injury, or murder. There are numerous examples of movies that depict sad events and there are ones that show tragedies. There are differences between sorrowful events and tragedies that involve an untimely demise. I am arguing that what deems something a tragedy is a catastrophic death, it is not a death by natural causes,  and it impacts audiences differently.

To illustrate, my view of a tragedy is when a character dies from something unexpected or unnatural. What I am defining as unnatural is when the death happens unexpectedly and before they are meant to pass. People are supposed to pass when they die at an elderly age and have lived their life normally. Movies have tragic events that happen all the time. The Harry Potter franchise is renowned for killing off characters with no purpose or reason behind the death. In the final Harry Potter movie, a beloved character is killed off.  In the scene, Dobby the elf is stabbed by a knife thrown by the evil witch, Bellatrix. There is no purpose for his demise other than killing off a character at an unexpected time. Nothing that happens after his death would be any different if he were still alive. It was a depressing scene to watch and that was the only purpose. It was a tragedy thrown into the movie for a somber effect.

In addition, tragic death can have a purpose in movies as well.  This is frequent in a large sum of Disney movies. Death even can lead to a progression in the movie. The director of the movie wants the character to move forward and grow stronger after experiencing a tragedy. To be clear, the character's death is still unnatural but it serves its purpose in the movie. An example of this would be The Lion King. Mufassa is murdered by his own brother by being thrown off a cliff and trampled. This death was random and not considered a natural death. This death, however, leads to the events in the movie. Simba learns about finding himself, growing up, and learning how to be king. If Mufassa was not killed then the movie would be boring and would have no plot progression. In this movie and a collective amount of other Disney movies, the purpose behind tragic events can be necessary, but in other movies, such as Harry Potter, the tragedy is unnecessary.

On the contrary what Feagin believes accounts for a tragedy is simply a sad event that occurs in a movie. This implies that even if there is a character that dies of an elderly age the movie is still a tragedy. I disagree with her perspective, there are sad events that happen in a movie that is natural. A great example of this is the opening scene of the movie Up. To summarize, it depicts a married couple and everyday life. They are a married couple that tries to have a baby, partake in romantic dates, clean their house, and do everything as a couple. The wife Ellie dies of elderliness. Her time on Earth was over and it was time for her to pass.  There were no interruptions such as being brutally murdered or slaughtered. She dies peacefully in her sleep. That is an example of natural death. The opening scene sets up the movie with melancholy touch but compared to other movies I do not consider it a tragedy. The only sad event that happened was the wife’s death. The other events were typical married life scenarios. 

Feagin would also consider the scene from Star Wars Return of the Jedi a tragedy as well. Just like Ellie, the character Yoda dies from a life of longevity in the movie. The movie itself has its fair share of funny and sad moments. Yoda’s death was natural and he left when it was his time to leave. He was not brutally murdered like a vast majority of Star Wars characters. Granted, it was a sad death that impacted the audience. He is a beloved character that children look up to and he is an icon. However, the movie is not a tragedy in itself.

Not only are tragedies horrifying and shocking events but they also impact the audience who is watching. People have different reactions and experiences. To further explain, movies have the capability to allow people to feel numerous emotions and some reflect on their own life. When it comes to tragedies, they create movies that are more meaningful and memorable. People remember the depressing scenes more than scenes that are light-hearted or comedic. It will not always be a shared opinion on what qualifies as a tragedy. In the end, it is subjective. Feagin’s and my view on what defines a tragedy might not be the same as someone else.

Numerous movies have famous death scenes. The boat scene in Titanic for instance is well known and the majority of people know about it. There is not enough room for both Jack and Rose to fit on the floating door. Jack is suffering and knows he is not going to live so Rose pushes him off into the icy depths of the ocean. This scene had audiences tear up and start sobbing. Members of the audience also felt no emotion and had deadpan expressions. It might have been easier for some to connect to the scene than others. It is highly possible that the scene was more relatable to some people. They could have dealt with a family member who passed in a tragic way and the scene brought up that sorrowful memory. Some might remain unfazed by the scene and have a hard time feeling strong emotions. A person who feels that way is unlikely to say that the movie Titanic was a tragedy in their eyes. Various people who watched Titanic and have never experienced a gruesome death cannot connect with the scene. 

Therefore, tragedy is a fatal death, it does not occur from natural causes, and is based on people’s own experiences. Feagin argues that for something to be a tragedy it has to be a sad event. Not all movies with death scenes are a tragedy in themselves. Examples of tragedies are the deaths of Dobby in Harry Potter and the death of Mufassa in The Lion King. Both of these are unexpected and horrendous murders. The deaths are unnecessary and necessary but both are examples of tragedies. Movies' deaths that are natural and not gruesome are the deaths of Ellie from Up and Yoda from Star Wars. Feagin would say it is still a tragedy even though the deaths were not premature or horrifying. They were heartbreaking but peaceful ends. The definition of tragedy also depends on a person’s own encounters. People might consider the Titanic Rose and Jack scene a tragedy while others will not. The movie can affect people in countless ways and some will feel more emotions than others. Tragedy is a difficult concept that is not simplified into one definition. It is a vital part of why we watch movies and experience difficult emotions. The effect tragedy has on the world is massive. It impacts a person’s view on their own life and how they view death. It is a tough subject for people to address and it is necessary for movies and other forms of media to show tragedy. Like Feagin addresses, tragedy creates different responses and people feel pleasure from it even though they feel displeasure. The saddest moments are remembered vividly and the way that they made us feel.