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The passing of Buddha, marking a tragic loss for his followers but also emphasizing the Buddhist teachings on impermanence.
Discipline: Religion -
A Greek tragedy that tells the story of Oedipus, a king who unwittingly fulfills a prophecy that he would kill his father and marry his mother, leading to his downfall.
Discipline: Literature -
An iconic Roman architectural marvel that hosted gladiatorial contests, often ending in tragedy and death.
Discipline: Architecture -
A pivotal event in Christianity symbolizing ultimate sacrifice and suffering.
Discipline: Religion -
The tragic life of Mary, who was executed by her cousin, Elizabeth I of England, after being implicated in a plot to assassinate Elizabeth.
Discipline: History -
A period of Western classical music characterized by its ornate style and expressive melodies. Composers like Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel composed works that often explored themes of human suffering and redemption, reflecting the dramatic and tragic aspects of life.
Discipline: Music -
A novel that tells the tragic story of a young man's unrequited love and subsequent suicide, which had a profound impact on the Romantic movement.
Discipline: Literature -
Kant's "Critique of Pure Reason" explores the limits of human knowledge, arguing that we can understand appearances but not the true nature of things. This highlights the tragic human condition: our pursuit of truth is limited by our cognitive abilities, leaving ultimate reality beyond our grasp.
Discipline: Philosophy -
An iconic expressionist painting depicting a figure with an agonized expression against a turbulent sky. The work conveys intense emotional suffering and existential angst, symbolizing the universal human experience of fear and despair, making it a powerful representation of tragedy.
Discipline: Visual Arts -
A novel exploring the tragic flaws of Jay Gatsby and the American Dream.
Discipline: Literature -
A silent film that portrays a dystopian future and the tragic class struggle between workers and the elite.
Discipline: Film -
A seminal blues song by Robert Johnson, often associated with the legend of Johnson selling his soul to the devil at the crossroads in exchange for musical talent. The song reflects themes of despair, longing, and existential struggle, embodying the tragic essence of the blues genre.
Discipline: Music -
A global conflict that involved most of the world's nations, including all of the great powers. The war resulted in an unprecedented scale of tragedy, including the Holocaust, the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and immense loss of life and destruction.
Discipline: History -
A 20th-century American play that portrays the tragic decline of Blanche DuBois.
Discipline: Theater -
Designed by architect Minoru Yamasaki, the Twin Towers' destruction on September 11, 2001, became a symbol of tragedy and loss.
Discipline: Architecture