January 30, 2008
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Tragic Destiny vs Dark Past
I’ve noticed that a great many stories can be broken down into types:
1. stories that focus on a character with a Tragic Destiny
2. stories that focus on a character with a Dark PastTragic Destiny stories are all about how the pivotal character copes with knowledge or suspicion of their inevitable fate. Usually the character yearns to live a normal life and avoid their fate, but ultimately has to face it.
Dark Past stories are all about how the key character’s dark past comes to haunt them and how they are struggling to suppress it or keep it at bay, only to find, usually, that they have no choice but to confront it.
Some Tragic Destiny stories include Slayers, Scrapped Princess, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Mulan, The Little Mermaid, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Lunar: Silver Star Story, Pan’s Labyrinthe, The Wizard of Oz
Some Dark Past stories include Rurouni Kenshin, Cowboy Bebop, Angel, Trigun, Blade, Hellboy, Highlander, Naruto, Beauty & The Beast, Fullmetal Alchemst, Gargoyles, Batman, 24, Starwars
I generated this list off the top of my head. There are many more.
In some stories certain characters are Dark Past characters whereas others are Tragic Destiny character. For example, in X-Men, Jean Gray and Rogue are both Tragic Destiny characters whereas Wolverine is a Dark Past character. In Final Fantasy X, Auron is a Dark Past character whereas Yuna is a Tragic Destiny character.
Have you noticed something funny about these lists?
Theory:
- Tragic Destiny characters are more likely to be female. Dark Past characters are more likely to be male.
This especially seems to hold for newer works. Really old works didn’t have a lot of female characters but even then I wonder if the more effeminate characters would be more likely to be cast as the tragic destiny characters.
Anyway, that’s just a random thought I had.
Is it true? What do you think?
Comments (6)
an interesting correlation and it would fit your examples. But the good thing about formulas is that they can be defied or transcended…
Interesting… and I must say I fit the tragic destiny, don’t you think?
@rianahntr -
More or less, up until now I think you have and I know you certainly see yourself that way. But I can’t see the future so who knows what your destiny will end up being?
@nephyo - that’s one way to look at it, I guess. But, whatever happens, happens.
well, in the classical sense, most of these characters are all just your stock “tragic hero.” Dark past, unknown or bad family, and a quest that tests their strength and moral fiber but ultimately culminating in their death/banishment/something equivelantly shitty.
Though I see where you’re coming from as well. Antigone is a good example of tragic destiny (even jives with your “most of these are girls” theory as well).
@elvesdoitbetter - True enough. They’re both subcategories of the same phenomenon and sometimes it can be hard to draw the line between them. I think the difference I am stressing is in attitude and perspective. The Tragic Destiny figure emphasizes what *is* or *could* happen to them as a result of whatever bad luck or fate or bad decisions that has happened in the past. The Dark Past character emphasizes what *did* happen to them and how screwed up it was and how it has messed up their present and likely will mess up their future. Tragic Destiny wants to escape their future. Dark Past wants to escape their past.
Actually I’ve found lots of examples since writing this of Dark Past figures that were women and Tragic Destiny figures that are men, so if there is a gender correlation it isn’t a very strong one.
I’m not too familiar with Antigone, but it’s interesting that such an old story would fit this pattern I’ve observed.