In contrast to comedy, which tends to have maximum effectiveness within a specific time and place, tragedy is universal and timeless. This course presents five categories through which to view the ways tragic stories can be told based on the way the tragic conflict or antagonist affects the protagonist. The antagonists being namely: self, power, chance, and others – with this last category being divided in two based on whether the conflict is produced intentionally or unintentionally by the other party.

In the spirit of universality and timelessness, we have tried to sample a wide selection of films from across borders and time periods. This will allow us to touch on many big-name films and directors that we haven’t had a chance to cover on the podcast yet.

At the end of the course we hope you will have a deeper appreciation for tragic storytelling, as well as a different set of lenses through which to view tragic stories in any medium.

(Click on a poster to watch a trailer)