Student-designed final essay samples

essay assignment

(essay sample a): When I signed up for the course, my parents asked me what was tragedy and I just shrugged my shoulders . . . 

(essay sample b): While reading the specific genre of tragedy I found myself trying to assign a definite changing point in the plot which leads to the fall of the tragic hero in the play . . . .

(essay sample c): Judging by the survey of works covered in this course, it is clear that tragedy has evolved in a number of ways. . . . 

(essay sample d): New Dramatic Theory: On American Tragedy

(essay sample e): When I enrolled in Tragedy, I had several preconceived ideas about what genre consisted of. . . . 

(essay sample f): Modern Tragedy and the Ambiguity of the Identity of the Tragic Hero

(essay sample g): Upon taking “Tragedy” I had limited knowledge of the different genres . . . .

Excerpt

Women in tragedy

            Tragedy does more than explore the degradation of certain individuals and situations.  As the supreme genre, it attempts to teach certain lessons, “inspire a search for truth” (handout) and often ends on a note of hope or resolution.  In order to accomplish this it mimics reality in a way that the other genres do not, especially in regard to gender related issues.  One universal truth about the greatest writers of tragedy is that they posses an innate ability to create realistic female characters regardless of the patriarchal history of tragedy.  Part of this realism most likely comes out of necessity; if a writer wishes to reach both genders with his writing then both genders should be accurately represented; otherwise one side or another will be ostracized.  Aside from this necessity though, is the notion that female characters, especially those found in male-authored plays, are often more colorful than their male counterparts, and there are many reasons for this idea.
            Medea, while cold-hearted and single-minded, is definitely a stronger, more dynamic character than her husband.  Her intelligence, hatred, and inferior social position drive the plot in a direction that would not have been very realistic if she had been a male character.  This is mainly because her legal status as a woman in Greek society put her at the mercy of her husband.  Furthermore, the play gains much more “shock value” because she flagrantly defies all of the public ideals about maternal instinct.  The murder of children becomes even more profane when committed by the mother.  Antigone gains the same kind of power over the audience because she is defying not only male authority, but her father figure as well.  Thus the women of Greek tragedy are alike in this respect: they gain depth by having the strength to defy social conventions and patriarchal authority.  . . . [DC]