The Value of Tragedy

We don't want to go through a tragedy ourselves, but we delight in watching other people's crises on TV or in the movies. How come?

Losing a loved one is tragic. Whether the loss comes through a romantic breakup, a separation, a divorce or a death, we go through a long and painful grieving process.

Most of us have experienced at least one tragedy in the course of our lives, and we know how agonizing it is.

But how about watching a tragedy? That's a very different experience.

Consider the classic play King Lear, by William Shakespeare. A vain old man loses everything, including his devoted daughter. Audiences love it! Or the blockbuster movie Titanic, which ends with the hero's slipping sadly into the icy waters of the North Atlantic. It's the second-highest-grossing film of all time! Journalist Tom Jacobs reports that in inflation-adjusted dollars, three of the top 10 movies in history -- Gone With the Wind, Doctor Zhivago and Titanic -- fall into the tragedy category.

Such stories are sad. They end with loss or death. But audiences since the time of the ancient Greeks have loved them. Why is this?