Abstract:

In Ancient Tragedy, where we find the roots of tragic thought, it has been agreed that, the life on earth is full of misery and pain; however, every incident occurring on earth is updated by the will of the gods in Olympus. This agreement ensures enduring the living with its most hurtful and scaryest face by finding divine will behind this life. Thus, the heroes of the Ancient Tragedy do not regret anything and take all the responsibilities of all their actions, even if they are tested with the most formidable complaints. Because this endless pain caused by their actions is actually a necessity of the eternal side of their personalities, there is a seal of divinity. At this point, we can find the expression of the conflict between factivity and infinity, in the discrimination of Apollo and Dionysus formulated by Nietzsche. As Apollo is the God of shape and commends the golden mean, Dionysus saves the humans from the limits they are imprisoned in and unifies them with their nature. The key to achieving the tragic understanding is to strengthen our connection with Dionysian area. Dionysus saves us from the illusions of the appearances and reduces the worries and aches derived from the possible losses in the living, prevents the passive way of existence. Therefore, the triumph of Dionysus in this rivalry also conveys the legitimation of life even with its most horrifying side, which carries the essence of the tragic. Accordingly finding the bases of tragic understanding in affirmation, we can see this understanding in other narratives. In this study, we will trace the tragic thought in the cinema, one of the most massive and efficient narratives in our age. Because, realizing our possibility to reach the tragic understanding, also contributes us to legitimate our own existence. In this context, Barton Fink (Ethan and Joel Coen, 1991), The Wicker Man (Robin Hardy, 1973) and Badlands (Terrence Malick) films, which present various views of Dionysus, are pretty suitable examples to guide us. In our study, we will examine the continuous tragic understanding dating from Ancient Tragedy via these examples.

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