Empathy in the form of pity (Greek eleos) is a key component of the much-debated Aristotelian concept of catharsis. Tragic narrative, said Aristotle, rouses pity and fear (Greek phobos) and effects a catharsis (purification) of such emotions.422 When we identify with the protagonist of tragedy, we vicariously share his vulnerability to the workings of fate: “Cathartic awe stops us in our tracks, throws us off kilter, deworlds us. The Greeks identified this with the detachment of the Olympian deities, enabling us to see through things, however troubling or terrible, to their inner or ultimate
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