Summary:
In traditional tragedy, the tragic person is usually one of a high status, such as Oedipus in Oedipus the King, whereas for modern tragedy, the status is lowered to one such as that of Willy in Death of a salesman, this difference is caused by the different issues regarded as important during the time in which the play was produced.
The genre of tragedy has evolved as a system in dramatic literature by adapting to the different societies of time. Although the theme of tragedy is present in both traditional and modern tragedy, the circumstances in which the tragic person finds him or herself in differs. For example the status of the tragic person changes from traditional to modern tragedy, in traditional tragedy, the tragic person is usually one of a high status, such as Oedipus in Oedipus the King, whereas for modern tragedy, the status is lowered to one such as that of Willy in Death of a salesman, this difference is caused by the different issues regarded as important during the time in which the play was produced.
The tragic events in tragedy has also shifted from losing of honour and dignity to events that display the lost of material wealth. This can be seen through Willy committing suicide so that his family can claim the insurance, enforcing the materialistic part of modern tragedy. The opposite can be said of Oedipus, shamed by killing his father and marrying his mother, he blinded himself as an act of guilt and dishonour.
Another evolution in tragedy is the way in which the tragic person is potrayed. For traditional tragedy, although the tragic person meets his or her end at last, he or she would have met with some success earlier on in life before leading to the tragic ending, thereby making the hero not as heart wrenching as in modern tragedy, where the tragic person has not met with any earlier success and their last action just makes them feel so pitiful like in the case of Willy where he committed suicide to ensure his family get the insurance.
Another key evolution in tragedy is exaggeration, making the believable sound almost unbelievable. In modern tragedy, there is a great exaggeration in the tragic events that occur to the person, for example how Willy is sacked, loses his son's faith, is reminded of the past and his brother, which eventually leads to him committing suicide. This chain of events is comparatively much more exaggerated than the chain of events in Oedipus's case.
Thus through the above points has tragedy evolved as a system in dramatic literature.
Q1b)
I think to a certain extent that the evolution of the genre has been a result of the playwright's reaction to the nature of the existence of the common man. Although one has to admit that a large part of the change in the genre of tragedy was initiated by the alerting of playwrights to the existence of the common man, one cannot deny that there were other changes whose roots did not lie in that of the common man.
According to Arthur Miller, the common man is as apt if not even more apt a subject for tragedy as almost anyone can relate to the tragic events that occur to the common man. For example, in the Death of a Salesman, almost anyone can relate to the experience of being fired, whereas it would be much harder for someone to relate to the experience of a king. Thus making the play more enjoyable to the audience by making itself more personal, thus endearing the common man to the playwrights.
Also, when one is asked where tragedy would fit in the most, without hesitation, it would be placed with the subject of the common man. "If the exaltation of tragic action were truly a property of the highbred character alone, it is inconceivable that the mass of mankind should cherish tragedy above all other forms, let alone be capable of understanding it." Due to the societal views on tragedy commonly befalling the common man, more and more playwrights have used the topic of the common man in their plays to make the parts in their tragic plays fit together.
Together with the tragic flaw that every "tragic hero" possesses, and the repeated failures experienced by the person bearing the tragedies due to these flaws, playwrights have molded the common man into a critical part of their plays.
Through the above points have playwrights shown their awareness to the presence of the common man and their reaction to it by incorporating it as a key part in their plays, this further goes to show that the evolution of the genre of tragic plays was brought about as a result of the playwright's reaction to the existence of the common man.
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