--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Tragedy is born of myth, not morality…" description: "\"“Tragedy is born of myth, not morality. Prometheus and Icarus are tragic heroes. Yet none of the myths in which they appear has anything to do with mor..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d4/john-gray-4628_euripides_tragedy-is-born-of-myth-not-morality-pro_968065.jpg" --- # Tragedy is born of myth, not morality. Prometheus and… ![“Tragedy is born of myth, not morality. Prometheus and Icarus are tragic heroes. Yet none of the myths in which they appear has anything to do with moral dilemmas. Nor have the greatest Greek tragedies. If Euripides is the most tragic of the Greek playwrights, it is not because he deals with moral…” quote by John Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d4/john-gray-4628_euripides_tragedy-is-born-of-myth-not-morality-pro_968065.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d4/john-gray-4628_euripides_tragedy-is-born-of-myth-not-morality-pro_968065.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d4/john-gray-4628_euripides_tragedy-is-born-of-myth-not-morality-pro_968065.jpg) > ““Tragedy is born of myth, not morality. Prometheus and Icarus are tragic heroes. Yet none of the myths in which they appear has anything to do with moral dilemmas. Nor have the greatest Greek tragedies. If Euripides is the most tragic of the Greek playwrights, it is not because he deals with moral conflicts but because he understood that reason cannot be the guide of life.”” [John Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gray/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Myths illustrate that reason alone cannot guide life; tragedy arises from ignoring deeper forces. **In simple terms:** Reason isn’t enough; myths reveal limits. Key Takeaway Respect mythic insight. Themes mythology reason tragedy Mood thoughtful serious Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - leadership decisions - ethical dilemmas - creative work Key Concepts human limits existential risk Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance reason with mythic wisdom? - When does reason fail? A Different Perspective Myths can be misinterpreted. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Euripides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/euripides/) [Greek mythology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greek-mythology/) [Morality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morality/) [Tragedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tragedy/) [Tragic hero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tragic-hero/) ## Related quotes > [“I know I am playing out some tragic Greek play and I´m horrified, but the show must go on.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-finnamore/i-know-i-am-playing-out-some-tragic-greek-play-and-i-m-horrified-but/) [Suzanne Finnamore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-finnamore/) > [“The myth that morality and fidelity are old-fashioned and trite can imprison more than just one individual as generations are affected by the choices…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-rogers/the-myth-that-morality-and-fidelity-are-old-fashioned-and-trite-can/) Sandra Rogers > [Myth is the practical metabolism of our soulish life, the logic of our obsessions and oversights for which we have no language or code.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-smith/myth-is-the-practical-metabolism-of-our-soulish-life-the-logic-of-our/) [Kenny Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-smith/) > [The tragic hero prefers death to prudence. The comedian prefers playing tricks to winning. Only the villain really plays to win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/the-tragic-hero-prefers-death-to-prudence-the-comedian-prefers/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [“Perhaps Aristotle’s most widely-read work is his esoteric treatise on aesthetics, the Poetics. According to his analysis of tragic poetry (a section on comedy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-new-york-times/perhaps-aristotle-s-most-widely-read-work-is-his-esoteric-treatise-on/) [The New York Times](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-new-york-times/) > [“To joke in the face of danger is the supreme politeness, a delicate refusal to cast oneself as a tragic hero; panache is therefore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-rostand/to-joke-in-the-face-of-danger-is-the-supreme-politeness-a-delicate-2/) [Edmond Rostand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-rostand/) > [“You care for empresses and queens?” I asked him. “No. For tragic heroines.” “Why them?” “Suffering and courageous women who deserve their own immortality.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-frame/you-care-for-empresses-and-queens-i-asked-him-no-for-tragic-heroines/) [Ronald Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-frame/) > [My words fly up, my thoughts remain below](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claudius/my-words-fly-up-my-thoughts-remain-below/) [Claudius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claudius/) > [“the essence of tragedy is time, or rather the lack of it. There is no problem in any Greek tragedy that could not have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-j-adler/the-essence-of-tragedy-is-time-or-rather-the-lack-of-it-there-is-no/) [Mortimer J. Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-j-adler/) > [The truly tragic kind of suffering is the kind produced and defiantly insisted upon by the hero himself so that, instead of making him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden/the-truly-tragic-kind-of-suffering-is-the-kind-produced-and-defiantly/) [W. H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden/) > [“The tragic hero usurps the function of the gods and attempts to remake the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-gardner/the-tragic-hero-usurps-the-function-of-the-gods-and-attempts-to/) Helen Gardner > [“SHAKESPEARE What is a man, If his chief good and market of his time Be but to sleep and feed? A beast, no more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-carter/shakespeare-what-is-a-man-if-his-chief-good-and-market-of-his-time-be/) [Ronald Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-carter/) > [In sports, I refused to do any interviews that were just going to become human-interest stories. Don't turn me into a tragic heroine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aimee-mullins/in-sports-i-refused-to-do-any-interviews-that-were-just-going-to/) [Aimee Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aimee-mullins/) > [To joke in the face of danger is the supreme politeness, a delicate refusal to cast oneself as a tragic hero.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-rostand/to-joke-in-the-face-of-danger-is-the-supreme-politeness-a-delicate/) [Edmond Rostand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-rostand/) > [“If this were a fairy tale, this would be the part where the fishboy appears and Diana shoots him through the heart. Because he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-moskowitz/if-this-were-a-fairy-tale-this-would-be-the-part-where-the-fishboy/) [Hannah Moskowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-moskowitz/) ## More by John Gray > [“The success of a relationship is solely dependent on two factors: a man's ability to listen lovingly and respectfully to a woman's feelings, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gray/the-success-of-a-relationship-is-solely-dependent-on-two-factors-a/) [John Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gray/) > [“Men and women arguing in this way hurt not only their feelings but also their relationship. Just as communication is the most important element…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gray/men-and-women-arguing-in-this-way-hurt-not-only-their-feelings-but/) [John Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gray/) > [Just as a man is fulfilled through working out the intricate details of solving a problem, a woman is fulfilled through talking about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gray/just-as-a-man-is-fulfilled-through-working-out-the-intricate-details/) [John Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gray/) > [“The calls of birds and the traces left by wolves to mark off their territories are no less forms of language than the sings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gray/the-calls-of-birds-and-the-traces-left-by-wolves-to-mark-off-their/) [John Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gray/) > [“The good life is not found in dreams of progress,but in coping with tragic contingencies.We have been reared on religions and philosophies that deny…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gray/the-good-life-is-not-found-in-dreams-of-progress-but-in-coping-with/) [John Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gray/) > [To offer a man unsolicited advice is to presume that he doesn't know what to do or that he can't do it on his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gray/to-offer-a-man-unsolicited-advice-is-to-presume-that-he-doesn-t-know/) [John Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gray/) > [We mistakenly assume that if our partners love us they will react and behave in certain ways - the ways we react and behave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gray/we-mistakenly-assume-that-if-our-partners-love-us-they-will-react-and/) [John Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gray/) > [“We think our actions express our decisions. But in nearly all of our life, willing decides nothing. We cannot wake up or fall asleep,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gray/we-think-our-actions-express-our-decisions-but-in-nearly-all-of-our/) [John Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gray/) > [“Life was indeed cruel; but it was better to glorify the Will than deny it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gray/life-was-indeed-cruel-but-it-was-better-to-glorify-the-will-than-deny/) [John Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gray/) > [That love motivates you to cooperate, respect, appreciate, cherish, and admire that person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gray/that-love-motivates-you-to-cooperate-respect-appreciate-cherish-and/) [John Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gray/) > [“Although feelings of attraction are automatic, in order to sustain attraction in a personal relationship we must also be skillful in presenting ourselves in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gray/although-feelings-of-attraction-are-automatic-in-order-to-sustain/) [John Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gray/) > [When men and women are able to respect and accept their differences then love has a chance to blossom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gray/when-men-and-women-are-able-to-respect-and-accept-their-differences/) [John Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gray/) > [“If there is anything unique about the human animal, it is that it has the ability to grow knowledge at an accelerating rate while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gray/if-there-is-anything-unique-about-the-human-animal-it-is-that-it-has/) [John Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gray/) > [To love someone is to acknowledge the goodness of who they are. Through loving a person we awaken their awareness of their own innate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gray/to-love-someone-is-to-acknowledge-the-goodness-of-who-they-are/) [John Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gray/) > [“Today we have made a fetish of choice; but a chosen death is forbidden. Perhaps what distinguishes humans from other animals is that humans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gray/today-we-have-made-a-fetish-of-choice-but-a-chosen-death-is-forbidden/) [John Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gray/) [Explore all 104 John Gray quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gray/) ## More Euripides quotes > [“Oh where is the noble face of modesty, or the strength of virtue, now that blasphemy is in power and men have put justice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/euripides/oh-where-is-the-noble-face-of-modesty-or-the-strength-of-virtue-now/) [Euripides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/euripides/) > [“What greater sorrow than being forced to leave behind my native earth?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/euripides/what-greater-sorrow-than-being-forced-to-leave-behind-my-native-earth/) [Euripides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/euripides/) > [“It is a good thing to be rich and a good thing to be strong, but it is a better thing to be loved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-d-price/it-is-a-good-thing-to-be-rich-and-a-good-thing-to-be-strong-but-it-is/) [Steven D. Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-d-price/) > [“The wisest men follow their own direction And listen to no prophet guiding them. None but the fools believe in oracles, Forsaking their own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/euripides/the-wisest-men-follow-their-own-direction-and-listen-to-no-prophet/) [Euripides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/euripides/) > [“Again, again your mind has changed course with the wind. For you think now of godly things ignored when you worked dreadful deeds on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/euripides/again-again-your-mind-has-changed-course-with-the-wind-for-you-think/) [Euripides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/euripides/) > [I reckon I probably worked for Euripides a long time ago. I do think we have many Earth walks and it's possible that he's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-dewitt/i-reckon-i-probably-worked-for-euripides-a-long-time-ago-i-do-think/) [Joyce DeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-dewitt/) > [“No mortal ever knows happiness and good fortune all the way to the end. Each one is born with his bitterness waiting for him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/euripides/no-mortal-ever-knows-happiness-and-good-fortune-all-the-way-to-the/) [Euripides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/euripides/) > [Euripides was wont to say, silence was an answer to a wise man; but we seem to have greater occasion for it in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/euripides-was-wont-to-say-silence-was-an-answer-to-a-wise-man-but-we/) [Plutarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plutarch/) > [“The sea, as Euripides says in one of his plays about Iphigenia, washes away the stains and wounds of the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/the-sea-as-euripides-says-in-one-of-his-plays-about-iphigenia-washes/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“We'll buy back our own harm with what is most dear to us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/euripides/we-ll-buy-back-our-own-harm-with-what-is-most-dear-to-us/) [Euripides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/euripides/) > [“Of most dreadful suffering, I am the cause.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/euripides/of-most-dreadful-suffering-i-am-the-cause/) [Euripides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/euripides/) > [“The hounds snap fierce at your heels. Turn toward Athens. I hear them pelting hard on you, I see black flesh and snake-hands coiling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/euripides/the-hounds-snap-fierce-at-your-heels-turn-toward-athens-i-hear-them/) [Euripides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/euripides/) > [“Hurry, come hold me, though I am dead. Shed tears on my body as on my grave.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/euripides/hurry-come-hold-me-though-i-am-dead-shed-tears-on-my-body-as-on-my/) [Euripides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/euripides/) > [“I wish you joy. To spend life's fleeting days mid joy that never meets an evil hour is to be blessed beyond compare.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/euripides/i-wish-you-joy-to-spend-life-s-fleeting-days-mid-joy-that-never-meets/) [Euripides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/euripides/) > [“AGAMEMNON: Oh immovable law of heaven! Oh my anguish, my relentless fate! CLYTEMNESTRA: Yours? Mine. Hers. No relenting for any of us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/euripides/agamemnon-oh-immovable-law-of-heaven-oh-my-anguish-my-relentless-fate/) [Euripides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/euripides/) [Browse all 38 Euripides quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/euripides/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Tragedy is born of myth, not morality. Prometheus and Icarus are tragic heroes. Yet none of the myths in which they appear has anything to do with moral dilemmas. Nor have the greatest Greek tragedies. 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