Prologue: Section 2 Summary and Analysis

"Tragedy and Comedy" In this brief section, Campbell states that essentially, comedy and tragedy are both aspects of the same experience of living. He writes that all life, in spite of humanity's fondness for happy endings, has only one ending: death, the endless void of non-existence (see "Quotes," p 26). He also writes that while tragedy is essentially a narrative form anchored in the pain and fear of that ultimate truth, comedy is a celebration and manifestation of the joyous truth that exists alongside that pain - the truth that one way or another, life will continue. "Comedy," Campbell says, "[is] the wild and careless, inexhaustible joy of life invincible." Time, he writes, is ultimately glorious in life and celebrations of love and beauty, "the world sings with the ... angelic ... music of the spheres."

"The Hero and the God" Campbell...