Tragedy And The Common Man Essay

A Common Man or a Tragic Hero In the essay, Tragedy and the Common Man, written in 1949 by Arthur Miller is revealed the comprehensive view of the author concerning the notion of tragedy. One of his deepest opinions is that the common man is as capable of experiencing abundant tragedy, as much as kings and queens are. In additions, Miller believes that the sense of tragedy comes into being when the character is ready to sacrifice all he has, to preserve one thing; “ his sense of personal dignity”. Those main points of Miller’s essay and more, are strongly aligned with the notions of tragedy and heroism that appear in Ridley Scott’s film; The Gladiator (2000). The common man, who is capable of experiencing the abundant tragedy, …show more content…
The Gladiator’s intention to win is immense, due to his humanism. Not only because of his personal revenge, but he desires to deliver a message to the people that even a common man can achieve victory and recognition. In addition, in The Tragedy and the Common Man, Miller writes, “ tragedy is the consequence of a man’s total compulsion to evaluate himself justly, his destruction in the attempt posits a wrong or an evil in his environment.” The citation can relate to the intention of Maximus to stand against his enemy, due to an incessant desire for revenge. Thus, the gladiator underestimates his ability and he is not able to evaluate himself correctly. Morally, he wins the battle, but physically he does not, exactly because he underestimates his strength and power. Maximus is a hero, and he is still a common man. In both, the Tragedy and The Common Man and The Gladiator, the notion of tragedy and its affect on the common man, is explicitly discussed. The lack of heroes, according to Arthur Miller, is the main reason why there are not enough contemporary heroes. Indeed, The Gladiator is a contemporary film, that tells an archaic story; but it is a remarkable example of how the common man, can also become the tragic