What is the Tragic Worldview?

The tragic worldview It is a way of looking at the world from a negative point of view, thinking about all the bad things that happen. In addition, the perspective tends to be totally pessimistic, believing that all the events that are going to happen will end tragically.

Worldview is a word that comes from classical Greek. It is formed by"cosmo", which means"world"and"vision". It is, therefore, the way of seeing what surrounds us. The human being interprets reality through his worldview and ends up acting accordingly to it.

There is another word that has been called the worldview, in this case of German origin, and that was imposed in Europe from the beginning of the twentieth century. It is about Weltanschauung. Actually, it means exactly the same as its Greek equivalent.

The tragic worldview in art

The concept of the tragic worldview is associated in most cases with the field of culture. It is especially present in theater and literature, where it has a great historical trajectory.

The protagonists of these works try to escape the fate that has been imposed on them, without finally achieving it. In the same way, negative circumstances that mark the life of the human being usually appear: war, illness and, above all, death.

The Greek tragedy

It is usually presented as the beginning of this way of seeing the world to the Greek tragedy. This genre begins around S. V a.c. In the tragedy appears the hero, who can not avoid becoming a victim. It is often handled by superior forces without being able to avoid the bitter end.

In this way, Oedipus can be used as an example. The curse of the gods means that, whatever you try, you can not escape your destiny. Equally lucky that Oedipus run Electra or Antigone, to point out other tragic characters of the Greek tradition.

The tragic worldview beyond Greece

Beyond the Greek tragedy, there are numerous examples of works that incorporate this worldview in their arguments. One of the most recognized authors in history, William Shakespeare , has a good assortment of these lost struggles of the protagonists against destiny.

Since Romeo and Juliet to Hamlet , going by Othello or Julius Caesar , the difficulties that are presented always end up defeating the main characters.

Other more modern authors, such as García Lorca in Yerma or Buero Vallejo also participate in this way of explaining and suffering the world.

Tragic worldview in society

The worldview, whatever the type, is not exclusive to art. Being this an expression of society, it is normal that there have also been times when this way of seeing the world was normal in certain sectors.

As examples of moments or tragic characters in real life, you can put the great moral depression that enters Spain after the loss of their last colonies in America, in 1898.

Similarly, a good part of German philosophy in the nineteenth century is imbued with a pessimism that fits very well with this way of seeing the world. Nietzsche He comes to talk about the Greek tragedy in some of his works and other philosophers take references that fit that tradition.

Characters such as Salvador Allende and Víctor Jara could also fit into this worldview, although in some cases they rub against the so-called epic worldview.

References

1. Pastor Cruz, José Antonio. Tragedy and Society. Retrieved from uv.es
2. The Conservative Academic. An In-depth Analysis of the TRAGIC WORLDVIEW. Retrieved from theconservativeacademic.wordpress.com
3. David K. Naugle. Worldview: The History of a Concept. Recovered from books.google.es
4. Richard A. Levine. The Tragedy of Hamlet's World View. Recovered from jstor.org