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According to Aristotle a tragedy is a form of drama characterized by seriousness and dignity, usually involving a conflict between a character and some higher power, such as the law, the gods, fate, or society.

In The Poetics, he also says that tragedy results in a catharsis of healing for the audience through their experience of these emotions in response to the suffering of the characters in the drama. That would be the goal of any tragedy. Therefore, a tragic show would be a kind of vaccination against passions

In Birth of Tragedy, Nietzsche viewed tragedy as the art form of sensual acceptance of the terrors of reality and rejoicing in these terrors in love of fate (amor fati).

On Friday afternoon I saw Brokeback Mountain and yesterday I watched Battlestar Galactica 1x08 (interview with a cylon!) in the afternoon, then I spent a night at the opera (that was the title of a Queen's album, wasn't it?) and saw Madame Butterfly.

Did they fit in the definitions?

( Brokeback Mountain...slightly spoilerish )

( Battlestar Galactica )

( Butterfly )