Tragedy, Closure, and Society: Agamemnon.

The guy gets the girl. The poor man wins the lottery. The orphan gets a home. They lived happily ever after. Americans are so used to endings that provide closure and warm, fuzzy feelings, that it is difficult to understand the appeal of a tragic ending. For the Greeks, the ending that does not provide that same satisfaction as the "happy ending" is what brings them back for more. In a society so engaged in …

…so tragic as it was, the disastrous endings of Greek plays were meant to make the Greeks feel better about their own lives. The plays instructed them to be thankful that their brother did not kill their mother, or that a certain god didn't impose his wrath on them. The ancient Greek tragedies, terror-inciting conclusions and all, were just as much critical successes in their time, as the blockbuster movies with satisfying endings of today.