How important is it for our society to have happy endings?
What about stories with denouments which reflect the tenor of the times? Is it crucial that the sentiment matches the cultural contentedness barometer?
I read an article recently from the BBC Magazine that gave a nice overview of the ups and downs of endings.
We may think of Greek drama in terms of the unrelenting tragedy of Oedipus Rex or Medea. But even the Greeks expected a happy ending, says Alan Sommerstein, professor of Greek at Nottingham University.
“Greek tragic productions came in sets of four – the fourth was always a roaring farce. And not all tragedies had what we might call tragic endings.”
…
And there was a belief that a tragedy could actually make people happier.
“Aristotle argues that tragic drama gives pleasure, arousing the emotions. I would think myself of Shakespeare’s time which was pretty grim, with the plague liable to break out.”
I don’t pretend to have any answers as to whether or not a happy ending makes us sad or a sad one happy. What I do wonder is how this relates to marketing stories.
We bring people together with our products and services, often by way of a story. Is it important in this story to achieve the “right” ending, or is it more important to achieve an ending that elicits an emotional response? An opportunity to forge a deeper, more meaningful connection?
And, how does this level of emotional resonance change the way we start the story? How we imbue the characters with texture? How we set the stage?
Does a relationship based on emotion — either happy or sad — contain more value than one based on an outcome?
If you have thoughts, I’d like to hear them.
