You are 27 or 28 right? It is very tough to live at that age. When nothing is sure. I have sympathy with you.
Haruki MurakamiRead
The sense of tragedy - according to Aristotle - comes, ironically enough, not from the protagonist's weak points but from his good qualities. Do you know what I'm getting at? People are drawn deeper into tragedy not by their defects but by their virtues. ... [But] we accept irony through a device called metaphor. And through that we grow and become deeper human beings.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Tragedy often arises from the protagonist's virtues rather than their flaws, highlighting the complexity of human nature.
This quote suggests that the essence of tragedy is intricately tied to the virtues of the characters involved, as described by Aristotle. Rather than mere weaknesses, it is the strengths of individuals that draw us into their tragic circumstances, allowing for a profound exploration of human experience. Through metaphors, we can embrace the irony of this idea, leading us to a deeper understanding of ourselves and the human condition.
Themes
TragedyVirtuesHuman ExperienceIronyMetaphor
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about literature, one might reference this quote to emphasize the complexity of characters in tragic narratives.
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I think you still love me, but we can’t escape the fact that I’m not enough for you. I knew this was going to happen. So I’m not blaming you for falling in love with another woman. I’m not angry, either. I should be, but I’m not. I just feel pain. A lot of pain. I thought I could imagine how much this would hurt, but I was wrong.
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Everybody burns out in this world; amateur, pro, it doesn't matter, they all burn out, they all get hurt, the OK guys and the not-OK guys both. That's why everybody takes out a little insurance. I've got some too, here at the bottom of the heap. That way, you manage to survive if you burn out. If you're all by yourself and don't belong anywhere, you go down once, and you're out. Finished.
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Life is so uncertain: you never know what could happen. One way to deal with that is to keep your pajamas washed.
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