---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The sense of tragedy - according to…"
description: "\"The sense of tragedy - according to Aristotle - comes, ironically enough, not from the protagonist's weak points but from his good qualities. Do you kn..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa9/haruki-murakami-21_accepting_the-sense-of-tragedy-according-to-aristo_23796.jpg"
---

#  The sense of tragedy - according to Aristotle - comes…

![“The sense of tragedy - according to Aristotle - comes, ironically enough, not from the protagonist's weak points but from his good qualities. Do you know what I'm getting at? People are drawn deeper into tragedy not by their defects but by their virtues. ... &#91;But&#93; we accept irony through a device…” quote by Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa9/haruki-murakami-21_accepting_the-sense-of-tragedy-according-to-aristo_23796.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa9/haruki-murakami-21_accepting_the-sense-of-tragedy-according-to-aristo_23796.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa9/haruki-murakami-21_accepting_the-sense-of-tragedy-according-to-aristo_23796.jpg)

> “The sense of tragedy - according to Aristotle - comes, ironically enough, not from the protagonist's weak points but from his good qualities. Do you know what I'm getting at? People are drawn deeper into tragedy not by their defects but by their virtues. ... \[But\] we accept irony through a device called metaphor. And through that we grow and become deeper human beings.”

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Aristotle suggests tragedy stems from a hero's virtues, not flaws, because audiences empathize with noble qualities that lead to downfall.

**In simple terms:** Virtues cause tragic depth.

Key Takeaway

Tragedy arises from noble traits.

Themes

humanism irony metaphor empathy philosophy

Mood

reflective melancholic

Type

philosophical literary

When to use this quote

- theatrical storytelling
- literary analysis
- psychological counseling
- educational curricula

Key Concepts

tragic structure character virtue audience identification

Practical Applications

- writing compelling drama
- teaching narrative theory

Questions to Reflect On

- How do virtues amplify a character's downfall?
- Can irony deepen moral reflection?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Defects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defects/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Irony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/irony/) [Metaphor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metaphor/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Protagonists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protagonists/) [Quality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quality/) [Tragedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tragedy/) [Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virtue/)

## Related quotes

> [“The sense of tragedy - according to Aristotle - comes, ironically enough, not from the protagonist's weak points but from his good qualities. Do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-sense-of-tragedy-according-to-aristotle-comes-ironically-enough-2/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [People are drawn deeper into tragedy not by their defects but by their virtues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/people-are-drawn-deeper-into-tragedy-not-by-their-defects-but-by/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [“Listen, Kafka. What you’re experiencing now is the motif of many Greek tragedies. Man doesn’t choose fate. Fate chooses man. That’s the basic worldview…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/listen-kafka-what-you-re-experiencing-now-is-the-motif-of-many-greek/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [Writers of comedy have outlook, whereas writers of tragedy have, according to them, insight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thurber/writers-of-comedy-have-outlook-whereas-writers-of-tragedy-have/)

[James Thurber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thurber/)

> [“As a nation we have lost our sense of tragedy, a recognition that bad things happen to good people. A nation that expects the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-niskanen/as-a-nation-we-have-lost-our-sense-of-tragedy-a-recognition-that-bad/)

William A. Niskanen

> [“posit by W. B. Yeats: “Being Irish, he had an abiding sense of tragedy, which sustained him through temporary periods of joy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/posit-by-w-b-yeats-being-irish-he-had-an-abiding-sense-of-tragedy/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Being Irish, he had an abiding sense of tragedy, which sustained him through temporary periods of joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/being-irish-he-had-an-abiding-sense-of-tragedy-which-sustained-him/)

[William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/)

> [Children seldom have a proper sense of their own tragedy, discounting and keeping hidden the true horrors of their short lives, humbly imagining real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-hazzard/children-seldom-have-a-proper-sense-of-their-own-tragedy-discounting/)

[Shirley Hazzard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-hazzard/)

> [I don't think it's possible to have a sense of tragedy without having a sense of humor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/i-don-t-think-it-s-possible-to-have-a-sense-of-tragedy-without-having/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [In the midst of the sense of tragedy or loss, sometimes laughter is not only healing, it's a way of experiencing the person that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/in-the-midst-of-the-sense-of-tragedy-or-loss-sometimes-laughter-is/)

[Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/)

> [ \[But\] we accept irony through a device called metaphor. And through that we grow and become deeper human beings. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/but-we-accept-irony-through-a-device-called-metaphor-and-through-that/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [There's always a sense of tragedy with icons. It happened to both the Princess of Wales and Diana Dors. A lot of people had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keeley-hawes/there-s-always-a-sense-of-tragedy-with-icons-it-happened-to-both-the/)

[Keeley Hawes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keeley-hawes/)

> [“Writing this, he had reached the pit of despair and he thought that reading it, she would at least begin to sense his tragedy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/writing-this-he-had-reached-the-pit-of-despair-and-he-thought-that/)

[Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/)

> [The sense of tragedy is that the world is not a pleasant little nest made for our protection, but a vast and largely hostile…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norbert-wiener/the-sense-of-tragedy-is-that-the-world-is-not-a-pleasant-little-nest/)

[Norbert Wiener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norbert-wiener/)

> [It is impossible – now, at this point in the long journey of human culture – to avoid the sense that pain is necessity;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-barker/it-is-impossible-now-at-this-point-in-the-long-journey-of-human/)

[Howard Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-barker/)

## More by Haruki Murakami

> [I always feel like I'm struggling to become someone else. Like I'm trying to find a new place, grab hold of a new life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-always-feel-like-i-m-struggling-to-become-someone-else-like-i-m/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [If writing novels is like planting a forest, then writing short stories is more like planting a garden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/if-writing-novels-is-like-planting-a-forest-then-writing-short/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [“The sad truth is that what I could recall in five seconds all too soon needed ten, then thirty, thena full minute...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-sad-truth-is-that-what-i-could-recall-in-five-seconds-all-too/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [“Intelligent teenage girls were often instinctively theatrical, purposely eccentric, mouthing highly suggestive words to confuse people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/intelligent-teenage-girls-were-often-instinctively-theatrical/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [Memory is like fiction; or else it's fiction that's like memory. This really came home to me once I started writing fiction, that memory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/memory-is-like-fiction-or-else-it-s-fiction-that-s-like-memory-this/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [The most dangerous creature here would have to be me. So maybe I'm just scared of my own shadow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-most-dangerous-creature-here-would-have-to-be-me-so-maybe-i-m/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [If you listen to the radio for a whole hour there's maybe one decent song. The rest is mass-produced garbage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/if-you-listen-to-the-radio-for-a-whole-hour-there-s-maybe-one-decent/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [“that one of our problems was our inability to recognize and accept our own deformities”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/that-one-of-our-problems-was-our-inability-to-recognize-and-accept/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [“When I look back at myself at age twenty, what I remember most is being alone and lonely. I had no girlfriend to warm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/when-i-look-back-at-myself-at-age-twenty-what-i-remember-most-is/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [“There's not a branch of publishing or broadcasting that doesn't depend in some way on advertising. It'd be like an aquarium without water. Why,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/there-s-not-a-branch-of-publishing-or-broadcasting-that-doesn-t/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [“One by one, I'll face the tasks before me and complete them as best I can. Focusing on each stride forward, but at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/one-by-one-i-ll-face-the-tasks-before-me-and-complete-them-as-best-i/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [“Eleven o'clock had come and gone. I had to find a way to bring this conversation to a successful conclusion and get out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/eleven-o-clock-had-come-and-gone-i-had-to-find-a-way-to-bring-this/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [“Some people get a kick out of reading railway timetables and that's all they do all day. Some people make huge model boats out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/some-people-get-a-kick-out-of-reading-railway-timetables-and-that-s/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [“When the time comes, everybody’s got to end up where they belong. Only me, I didn’t have a place to call my own. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/when-the-time-comes-everybody-s-got-to-end-up-where-they-belong-only/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [“You let something out of the bag before yourself knew what it was all about”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/you-let-something-out-of-the-bag-before-yourself-knew-what-it-was-all/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

[Explore all 2,928 Haruki Murakami quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

## More Accepting quotes

> [From Augustine down, theologians have tried to compel people to accept their special interpretation of the Scripture, and the tortures of the inquisition, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matilda-joslyn-gage/from-augustine-down-theologians-have-tried-to-compel-people-to-accept/)

[Matilda Joslyn Gage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matilda-joslyn-gage/)

> [Laughing, laughing, laughing, laughing! It is the jester! A voice from the Void, to cheer poor Cicero! I accept your gift, dearest Night Mother.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/laughing-laughing-laughing-laughing-it-is-the-jester-a-voice-from-the/)

[Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/)

> [This duo inside of me causes the perfect opportunity to live and learn twice as fast as those who choose to accept simplicity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tupac-shakur/this-duo-inside-of-me-causes-the-perfect-opportunity-to-live-and/)

[Tupac Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tupac-shakur/)

> [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/)

[Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/)

> [We only enter into the full life if our faith gives thanks. Because how else do we accept His free gift of salvation if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/we-only-enter-into-the-full-life-if-our-faith-gives-thanks-because/)

[Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/)

> [Don't be bitter. Everybody suffers. If you can accept your suffering then you will understand other people better. Be grateful for pain. Love life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/don-t-be-bitter-everybody-suffers-if-you-can-accept-your-suffering/)

[Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/)

> [It takes an unusually philosophic mind to accept that all one’s suffering might be to no end, really, in the larger scheme of things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-takes-an-unusually-philosophic-mind-to-accept-that-all-one-s/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [No nation being under another nation can accept gifts, and kick at the responsibility attached to those gifts, imposed by the conquering nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/no-nation-being-under-another-nation-can-accept-gifts-and-kick-at-the/)

[Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/)

> [Even with clothing naked animals, there were people who wanted to send in money. A woman in Santa Barbara, California, sent a $40,000 check.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-abel/even-with-clothing-naked-animals-there-were-people-who-wanted-to-send/)

[Alan Abel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-abel/)

> [Society understands the architecture of academia and knows there are relevant qualifications in different fields, and the media accepts the idea of specialisations and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-griffiths/society-understands-the-architecture-of-academia-and-knows-there-are/)

[Jay Griffiths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-griffiths/)

> [Whatever your conscious mind assumes and believes to be true, your subconscious mind will accept and bring to pass. Believe in good fortune, divine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-murphy/whatever-your-conscious-mind-assumes-and-believes-to-be-true-your/)

[Joseph Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-murphy/)

> [Losing someone is easy, but accepting it is hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/losing-someone-is-easy-but-accepting-it-is-hard/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [… and so he tried to accept the ache in his heart as what Dr. Larch would call the common symptoms of normal life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/and-so-he-tried-to-accept-the-ache-in-his-heart-as-what-dr-larch/)

[John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/)

> [I think what was special about 'Music by Prudence' was the classic story of the title subject's life path - from being an outcast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-think-what-was-special-about-music-by-prudence-was-the-classic/)

[Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/)

> [As my films are born at the moment when they are reflected into another person's mind and memories, there are no misconceptions. I totally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pirjo-honkasalo/as-my-films-are-born-at-the-moment-when-they-are-reflected-into/)

[Pirjo Honkasalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pirjo-honkasalo/)

Browse all 6,788 Accepting quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The sense of tragedy - according to Aristotle - comes, ironically enough, not from the protagonist's weak points but from his good qualities. Do you know what I'm getting at? People are drawn deeper into tragedy not by their defects but by their virtues. ... [But] we accept irony through a device called metaphor. And through that we grow and become deeper human beings.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Haruki Murakami"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-sense-of-tragedy-according-to-aristotle-comes-ironically-enough/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Accepting"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-sense-of-tragedy-according-to-aristotle-comes-ironically-enough/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa9/haruki-murakami-21_accepting_the-sense-of-tragedy-according-to-aristo_23796.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa9/haruki-murakami-21_accepting_the-sense-of-tragedy-according-to-aristo_23796.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa9/haruki-murakami-21_accepting_the-sense-of-tragedy-according-to-aristo_23796.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The sense of tragedy - according to Aristotle - comes, ironically enough, not from the protagonist's weak…” — Haruki Murakami",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Haruki Murakami",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The sense of tragedy - according...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-sense-of-tragedy-according-to-aristotle-comes-ironically-enough/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-sense-of-tragedy-according-to-aristotle-comes-ironically-enough/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
