I was reading Nietzsche's thoughts on tragedy, and trying to figure out what we have today that might fit his view of a good tragedy. Since Nietzsche wants everyone to suffer and die for a tragedy to be good, and most of our literature and films do their best to have happy, feel-good endings, there aren't very many examples that I could find that would fit. However, in my opinion, horror films, and Joss Whedon's "Cabin in the Woods" especially, are the closest we come to matching Nietzsche's ideal tragedy.
Nietzsche likes "Oedipus Rex" because the main character tries to do everything he can to avoid his destiny, makes all the right choices and tries to be a good man, and still ends up suffering and dying. It was inevitable. I think that "Cabin in the Woods" fits this type because the main characters don't really do anything wrong, and they try everything to get out of their situation, and they still suffer and die. It was inevitable that they were going to end up dead as soon as they left for the creepy cabin in the woods, and no matter what they do, they end up dead. While some horror movies have happier endings than others, all of them have certain inevitable patterns. If there is a blonde, she will die. If they decide to split up, someone will die. If they say "what could possibly go wrong," everything will go wrong. As soon as you sit down to watch a horror movie, you know someone in the movie will die, probably in agony and with lots of fake blood. These movies fulfill Nietzsche's requirements: people trying to make the right choices, people suffering, and people inevitably falling to their doom.
So, in my opinion, Nietzsche would approve of these films. Do you agree?
Rachel Means
Rachel,
ReplyDeleteI think that Nietzsche would like just about any movie that exemplified our human struggle against either society or nature and, as you say, ends up tragically. I think for N., our nobility is in our struggle.
I think you are right in saying that Nietzche would approve of films like "Cabin in The Woods," because it really illustrates human's inability to escape misfortune and man'sstate of helplessness.
ReplyDeleteThe only problem is that all of mankind is swallowed up at the end of "Cabin In The Woods." Where's the overman!? I feel like the teensy bit of cynical hope in Nietzsche is that someone exits the herd, takes control violently and controls everyone else into continued existence.
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