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TragedyandtheCommonManbyArthurMillerInthisagefewtragediesarewritten.Ithasoftenbeenheldthatthelackisduetoapaucityofheroesamongus,orelsethatmodernmanhashadtheblooddrawnoutofhisorgansofbeliefbytheskepticismofscience,andtheheroicattackonlifecannotfeedonanattitudeofreserveandcircumspection.Foronereasonoranother,weareoftenheldtobebelowtragedy-ortragedyaboveus.Theinevitableconclusionis,ofcourse,thatthetragicmodeisarchaic,fitonlyfortheveryhighlyplaced,thekingsorthekingly,andwherethisadmissionisnotmadeinsomanywordsitismostoftenimplied.Ibelievethatthecommonmanisasaptasubjectfortragedyinitshighestsenseaskingswere.Onthefaceofitthisoughttobeobviousinthelightofmodernpsychiatry,whichbasesitsanalysisuponclassicformulations,suchastheOedipusandOrestescomplexes,forinstance,whichwereenactedbyroyalbeings,butwhichapplytoeveryoneinsimilaremotionalsituations.Moresimply,whenthequestionoftragedyinartinnotatissue,weneverhesitatetoattributetothewell-placedandtheexaltedtheverysamementalprocessesasthelowly.Andfinally,iftheexaltationoftragicactionweretrulyapropertyofthehigh-bredcharacteralone,itisinconceivablethatthemassOfmankindshouldcherishtragedyaboveallotherforms,letalonebecapableofunderstandingit.Asageneralrule,towhichtheremaybeexceptionsunknowntome,Ithinkthetragicfeelingisevokedinuswhenweareinthepresenceofacharacterwhoisreadytolaydownhislife,ifneedbe,tosecureonething--hissenseofpersonaldignity.FromOrestestoHamlet,MedeatoMacbeth,theunderlyingstrugglesthatoftheindividualattemptingtogainhisrightfulpositioninhissociety.Sometimesheisonewhohasbeendisplacedfromit,sometimesonewhoseekstoattainitforthefirsttime,butthefatefulwoundfromwhichtheinevitableeventsspiralisthewoundofindignity,anditsdominantforceisindignation.Tragedy,then,istheconsequenceofaman'stotalcompulsiontoevaluatehimselfjustly.Inthesenseofhavingbeeninitiatedbytheherohimself,thetalealwaysrevealswhathasbeencalledhistragicflaw,afailingthatisnotpeculiartograndorelevatedcharacters.Norisitnecessarilyaweakness.Theflaw,orcrackinthecharacter,isreallynothing--andneedbenothing,buthisinherentunwillingnesstoremainpassiveinthefaceofwhatheconceivestobeachallengetohisdignity,hisimageofhisrightfulstatus.Onlythepassive,onlythosewhoaccepttheirlotwithoutactiveretaliation,areflawless.Mostofusareinthatcategory.Butthereareamongustoday,astherealwayshavebeen,thosewhoactagainsttheschemeofthingsthatdegradesthem,andintheprocessofactioneverythingwehaveacceptedoutoffearorinsensitivityorignoranceisshakenbeforeusandexamined,andfromthistotalonslaughtbyanindividualagainsttheseeminglystablecosmossurroundingus--fromthistotalexaminationoftheunchangeableenvironment--comestheterrorandthefearthatisclassicallyassociatedwithtragedy.Moreimportant,fromthistotalquestioningofwhathaspreviouslybeenunquestioned,welearn.Andsuchaprocessisnotbeyondthecommonman.Inrevolutionsaroundtheworld,thesepastthirtyyears,hehasdemonstratedagainandagainthisinnerdynamicofalltragedy.Insistenceupontherankofthetragichero,ortheso-callednobilityofhischaracter,isreallybutaclingingtotheoutwardformsoftragedy.Ifrankornobilityofcharacterwasindispensable,thenitwouldfollowthattheproblemsofthosewithrankweretheparticularproblemsoftragedy.Butsurelytherightofonemonarchtocapturethedomainfromanothernolongerraisesourpassions,norareourconceptsofjusticewhattheyweretothemindofanElizabethanking.Thequalityinsuchplaysthatdoesshakeus,however,derivesfromtheunderlyingfearofbeingdisplaced,thedisasterinherentinbeingtornawayfromourchosenimageofwhatorwhoweareinthisworld.Amongustodaythisfearisasstrong,andperhapsstronger,thaniteverwas.Infact,itisthecommonmanwhoknowsthisfearbest.Now,ifitistruethattragedyistheconsequenceofaman'stotalcompulsiontoevaluatehimselfjustly,hisdestructionintheattemptpositsawrongoranevilinhisenvironment.Andthisispreciselythemoralityoftragedyanditslesson.Thediscoveryofthemorallaw,whichiswhattheenlightenmentoftragedyconsistsof,isnotthediscoveryofsomeabstractormetaphysicalquantity.Thetragicnightisaconditionoflife,aconditioninwhichthehumanpersonalityisabletoflowerandrealizeitself.Thewrongistheconditionwhichsuppressesman,pervertstheflowingoutofhisloveandcreativeinstinct.Tragedyenlightensanditmust,inthatitpointstheheroicfingerattheenemyofman'sfreedom.Thethrustforfreedomisthequalityintragedywhichexalts.Therevolutionaryquestioningofthestableenvironmentiswhatterrifies.Innowayisthecommonmandebarredfromsuchthoughtsorsuchactions.Seeninthislight,ourlackoftragedymaybepartiallyaccountedforbytheturnwhichmodernliteraturehastakentowardthepurelypsychiatricviewoflife,orthepurelysociological.Ifallourmiseries,ourindignities,arebornandbredwithinourminds,thenallaction,letalonetheheroicaction,isobviouslyimpossible.Andifsocietyaloneisresponsibleforthecrampingofourlives,thentheprotagonistmustneedsbesopureandfaultlessastoforceustodenyhisvalidityasacharacter.Fromneitheroftheseviewscantragedyderive,simplybecauseneitherrepresentsabalancedconceptoflife.Aboveallelse,tragedyrequiresthefinestappreciationbythewriterofcauseandeffect.Notragedycanthereforecomeaboutwhenitsauthorfearstoquestiona