Tragedy and the Common Man

The device that is perhaps most prevalent throughout “Tragedy and the Common Man” is logos, an appeal to logic. This is one of the three modes of Classical Greek rhetorical persuasion. The essay begins with Miller’s thesis—that the common man should be a subject of tragedy—and the rest of the essay provides his attempts to support his point using counterarguments and logic. These often take the form of “if/then” statements, for example when he argues, “If rank or nobility of character was indispensable, then it would follow that the problems of those with rank were the particular problems of tragedy” (8). Since the latter statement is false, it disproves the former statement. Miller makes frequent use of this type of sentence structure when formulating his counterarguments, and he uses reason to argue his point from all sides.

Throughout the essay, Miller refers explicitly to both ancient Greek and Shakespearean tragedies, naming their titular heroes. Miller is arguing that tragedy as an art form is still relevant and necessary, and the endurance of these particular stories across history is evidence of its pervasiveness in society and culture. Many of these stories are commonly known, despite being centuries old, and thus Miller appeals to the audience’s existing knowledge of tragedy to support his argument.