What george lucas did to that beloved franchise is tragic
by austin gignilliat
A long time ago, in a place pretty far away… (Specifically a couple thousand years ago and in Greece)… People would make an annual pilgrimage to Athens for the festival of Dionysia. This gathering of Greeks involved parties, large amounts of a wine (seeing as how the festival was in honor of Dionysius, the god of wine), and, of course, the theatre. The whole festival revolved around tragic plays and the theatre, as they were performed as an offering for Dionysius and the gods, but the people got a good kick out of them too. This event, and theatre in general, was very important to the Greeks, especially the famous Greek philosopher Aristotle. Aristotle considered tragic plays to be part of an important cleansing process that the viewer goes through whilst watching. Aristotle felt this way about tragic plays and the theatre, but what would he think about a modern day tragedy or the cinema? If Aristotle were to watch the three Star Wars prequels (which could be considered modern day tragedies) would he consider them to bring about the same cleansing of emotions that plays such as Oedipus Rex performed for the ancient Greeks? I believe that the answer is yes. While the mode of portraying these stories has changed over the years, whether the tales are told on a stage or through a projector, they can still insight the same range of emotions that Aristotle valued so heavily in the ancient Greek tragedies.
Aristotle is one of the most famous philosophers in the world. Being a pupil to Plato, he had excellent training in the world of philosophy. While he was Plato’s student, their views varied on many important issues and topics. Plato believed that all forms of art, including theatre, were dangerous because they encouraged unpredictable emotions that were based off of what both Plato and Aristotle consider to be fake, or “imitations”. Plato and Aristotle agreed that art was made up of “imitations” and that it could insight radical emotions in all of us, but they differed on whether or not this was a good thing. Aristotle said that the range of emotions that one may go through while viewing a tragic play were actually a good thing. He believed that these feelings helped the person through a “cleansing” of pent up emotion. Aristotle believed that this process of releasing emotion was important; for it to be successful the tragic work would need to include plot, and characters, and needs to bring about the emotions that is necessary for the “cleanising”. By these characteristics, I believe that Aristotle would say that the Star Wars prequels do in fact bring about this emotional purge that he believed to be so important.
For those of you not familiar with the Star Wars prequels, they were made in order to fill in the story behind George Lucas’ masterpiece creation which was the original Star Wars trilogy. The prequels chronicle the life of Anakin Skywalker: his journey to becoming a Jedi Knight, his love for Padme, and his eventual fall to darkness. Anakin’s fear of losing his beloved Padme leads him to seek out the power necessary to save her from death. In this search Anakin loses himself to the dark side and eventually brings about her death, a tragic irony remincent to Shakespearean tragedies. The Stars Wars prequels definitely include a strong plot, and without a doubt they include relatable characters (we’re going to ignore Jar Jar). The movies end, at least for me, with a great deal of emotion. Watching Padme stare in horror and what her husband has become sends shivers up my spine, and the thought that through his actions Anakin causes Padme’s death while he is really trying to save her has brought me close to tears.
By all accounts I believe that George Lucas’ second Star Wars trilogy, while largely less awesome than his first, agrees with Aristotle’s definition of what makes a good tragic story. It does not matter how the story is being told, as long as it has a strong plot followed with great characters and results in emotions from the viewer, it is a good story. I have no doubt that the Star Wars prequels are capable of bringing about the much needed emotional purge that Aristotle valued so greatly. That is, of course, if you view them not from the perspective of “these aren’t nearly as good as the first three”.
Aristotle is one of the most famous philosophers in the world. Being a pupil to Plato, he had excellent training in the world of philosophy. While he was Plato’s student, their views varied on many important issues and topics. Plato believed that all forms of art, including theatre, were dangerous because they encouraged unpredictable emotions that were based off of what both Plato and Aristotle consider to be fake, or “imitations”. Plato and Aristotle agreed that art was made up of “imitations” and that it could insight radical emotions in all of us, but they differed on whether or not this was a good thing. Aristotle said that the range of emotions that one may go through while viewing a tragic play were actually a good thing. He believed that these feelings helped the person through a “cleansing” of pent up emotion. Aristotle believed that this process of releasing emotion was important; for it to be successful the tragic work would need to include plot, and characters, and needs to bring about the emotions that is necessary for the “cleanising”. By these characteristics, I believe that Aristotle would say that the Star Wars prequels do in fact bring about this emotional purge that he believed to be so important.
For those of you not familiar with the Star Wars prequels, they were made in order to fill in the story behind George Lucas’ masterpiece creation which was the original Star Wars trilogy. The prequels chronicle the life of Anakin Skywalker: his journey to becoming a Jedi Knight, his love for Padme, and his eventual fall to darkness. Anakin’s fear of losing his beloved Padme leads him to seek out the power necessary to save her from death. In this search Anakin loses himself to the dark side and eventually brings about her death, a tragic irony remincent to Shakespearean tragedies. The Stars Wars prequels definitely include a strong plot, and without a doubt they include relatable characters (we’re going to ignore Jar Jar). The movies end, at least for me, with a great deal of emotion. Watching Padme stare in horror and what her husband has become sends shivers up my spine, and the thought that through his actions Anakin causes Padme’s death while he is really trying to save her has brought me close to tears.
By all accounts I believe that George Lucas’ second Star Wars trilogy, while largely less awesome than his first, agrees with Aristotle’s definition of what makes a good tragic story. It does not matter how the story is being told, as long as it has a strong plot followed with great characters and results in emotions from the viewer, it is a good story. I have no doubt that the Star Wars prequels are capable of bringing about the much needed emotional purge that Aristotle valued so greatly. That is, of course, if you view them not from the perspective of “these aren’t nearly as good as the first three”.