Johnston: The beauty of tragedy
N ietzsche describes Greek tragedy as a union of two divine forces: the Apollonian and the Dionysian. The Apollonian is found in the dream of a well-ordered world. It is the force of harmony, clarity, beauty, and individuation. The Dionysian reflects a darker, primal side of human nature. Revealed in intoxication, it is chaotic, orgiastic, destructive, and undifferentiated.
According to Nietzsche, Greek tragedy was remarkable for stitching the two together in one artistic form, reflective of human experience. But the aesthetic integrity of tragedy was corrupted by the work of...
#2
By jerry
11:42a.m. on September 20, 2008
Could this article be worse?
Try reading "Tragedy:A View of Life" by Henry Alonzo Myers (late prof of Cornell) long out of print but available through Amazon.