What a Tragedy!
A "tragedy," Boys and Girls, is a play (usually in three acts) where the main character comes to grief because of a fatal flaw in his (or her) personality. It's also used to refer to any disaster that ends in loss of life ...
Mind you, a quick check in my trusty Webster's reveals some fascinating details about the origin of this word. It comes from two Greek words, tragos - a he-goat and oide - a song ... or a ... "a goat singer!" See the connection now?
No?
Me neither ... let's have another look ...
Hmmm ... it seems that once upon a time, whenever these old tragedies were performed (the plays that always ended in tears and sent the audience away thanking their lucky stars they hadn't fallen in love with their mothers etc), it was the custom to sacrifice a goat and sing a bit of a song before the play got under way - hence the term "part that comes after the goat-singer" or "tragedy."
Another guess ... er ...theory is that goats were often offered as prizes for these performances (whether for the playwright or actors my source doesn't say) ... hence the term "goat-actors" or "tragedy!"
Don't fancy that one either? OK, how about theory number three:
Because these plays dealt with characters who were brought to ruin and suffered extreme sorrow as a consequence of their own tragic flaws, moral weaknesses or inability to cope with unfavourable circumstances, and because these were performed live, without the aid of the instant replay, they had to show how down and out on their luck they were, so they dressed in goat-skins ... hence the term "daggy, you-got-everything-you-deserved you, you, nasty person dressed in a goatskin you" or, "tragedy."
I kid you not (pregnant pause inserted while you marvel at the pun ...)
Visit the Archives of The Write Way newsletter for more fascinating insights into the English language ... http://www.write101.com/archives/index.htm
Mind you, a quick check in my trusty Webster's reveals some fascinating details about the origin of this word. It comes from two Greek words, tragos - a he-goat and oide - a song ... or a ... "a goat singer!" See the connection now?
No?
Me neither ... let's have another look ...
Hmmm ... it seems that once upon a time, whenever these old tragedies were performed (the plays that always ended in tears and sent the audience away thanking their lucky stars they hadn't fallen in love with their mothers etc), it was the custom to sacrifice a goat and sing a bit of a song before the play got under way - hence the term "part that comes after the goat-singer" or "tragedy."
Another guess ... er ...theory is that goats were often offered as prizes for these performances (whether for the playwright or actors my source doesn't say) ... hence the term "goat-actors" or "tragedy!"
Don't fancy that one either? OK, how about theory number three:
Because these plays dealt with characters who were brought to ruin and suffered extreme sorrow as a consequence of their own tragic flaws, moral weaknesses or inability to cope with unfavourable circumstances, and because these were performed live, without the aid of the instant replay, they had to show how down and out on their luck they were, so they dressed in goat-skins ... hence the term "daggy, you-got-everything-you-deserved you, you, nasty person dressed in a goatskin you" or, "tragedy."
I kid you not (pregnant pause inserted while you marvel at the pun ...)
Visit the Archives of The Write Way newsletter for more fascinating insights into the English language ... http://www.write101.com/archives/index.htm
posted by Jennifer | 10:48 am
1 Comments:
?? Doesn't tragedy mean disaster or something gone wrong(or bad)?
I don't understand why goats are in this...
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