Film story or genre of Drama is of two types. Tragedy and Comedy. While both has the purpose to entertain and serve the audience, they have different structure and form. Today lets talk about a tragedy or tragic story.
Tragedy in a story refers to a genre where the main focus is the main character’s downfall, pain or suffering. Tragedy is consist of the chain of unfortunate events that become the constraint in the main character’s goal.
Certainly it causes pain to the protagonist. Tragedy evokes a mixed reaction in the viewer’s mind. Specially it generates emotions such as sadness and sympathy for the character.
In a tragic story the protagonist or the hero must be admirable in some points or atleast have some qualities that isolates them from other characters. Otherwise tragedy may not work.
The structure of a perfect tragedy:
A tragedy follows the same 3act structure as a perfect story :
Setup: This part introduces the protagonist, their world, and the initial circumstances.
The Rising Action: This part develops the conflicts and challenges that the protagonist faces.
Climax: This is the turning point where the Hero's situation gets worse, often due to a tragic flaw or external conflicts.
Falling Action: This unfolds the consequences of the climax(e.g. death of loved ones after war) and the protagonist's downward spiral (e.g. Leaving the city).
Resolution: Concludes the story with a tragic ending, leaving the audience with a sense of catharsis.
#film #storytelling #story