Jarrod Goergen

Essay 2: The Great and Spectacular Tragedy

            A literary genre by the name of “Tragedy” would simply sound depressing and repulsive to many audiences who have never studied the genre or read any works from the genre before. However, the genre of “Tragedy” is actually considered to be one of the greatest of the literary genres. There are a number of reasons why the genre is considered to be so great, even though the genre usually deals with tragic events and great downfalls. Three of the reasons are that tragic works deal with tragic heroes instead of common men, tragic works suppress spectacle in order to open spiritual possibilities, and that tragic works give a voice to taboo topics such as incest, suicide and child murder (“Greatness of Tragedy” Handout).

            One of the most important topics that have been prevalent in all of the readings so far is the issue of the Oedipal/Electra conflict. It has been the framework for nearly every piece of literature the class has read. The Oedipal conflict, popularized by Sigmund Freud, explains the phenomenon of male children wanting to kill their father in order to marry or have sexual relations with their mother. However, many children never carry this atrocious act out, but according to Freud all male children have dreams or fantasize about having an intimate sexual relationship with their mothers. Freud notes that “today, just as then, many men dream of having sexual relations with their mothers, and speak of the fact with indignation and astonishment” (Oedipus Complex Handout). Furthermore, Carl Jung expanded on Freud’s theory by introducing the Electra conflict, in which female children dream or fantasize about having sexual relations with their fathers while causing the mother to be absent from the relationship.

            As stated before, the genre of Tragedy gives a voice to taboo topics such as incest, suicide and child murder which is one of the reasons why it is so great. Therefore, it is no surprise that the Oedipal/Electra conflict is a recurring theme in these works. The first piece of literature to embrace the Oedipus conflict was Oedipus the King by Sophocles. The story involves tragic downfall of Oedipus, King of Thebes after he discovers that he has killed his father in a fight on the road, and later ends up marrying his mother which is an exact description of Freud’s Oedipus conflict. However, the events that take place may seem somewhat strange to audiences unfamiliar with tragic plays. After it is known that King Oedipus has married his mother, Jocasta, Jocasta becomes deeply offended by this and ends up killing herself. Furthermore, after Oedipus sees his mother dead, he gouges his eyes out in order to be blinded forever. However, neither of these is actually seen by the audience. Rather, they are told to the audience by the Second Messenger, causing the spectacle to be suppressed. Therefore, the play exhibits all of the three reasons stated earlier that make tragedy one of the greatest genres. 

            Shakespeare’s Hamlet also uses the Oedipus conflict to structure the play. In Act 3 Scene 4 of the play, Hamlet is actually scolding his mother for marrying her dead ex-husband’s brother. Over and over again he tries to persuade her not to remain with Hamlet’s uncle. “Good night, but go not to my uncle’s bed- / Assume a virtue, if you have it not” (Lines 160-161). Therefore, Hamlet is somewhat jealous of his uncle and desires his mother’s love. Furthermore, spectacle is suppressed in the play, although it is not suppressed as much as in Oedipus the King. When Hamlet realizes that Polonius is spying on his conversation with his mother, he stabs Polonius through the arras and kills him. However, the audience never sees the blade actually pierce Polonius’ open skin causing the spectacle to be somewhat suppressed.

            Aeschylus’ Agamemnon also deals with the problem of incest so often seen in tragedies. While Agamemnon, King of Argos, is away fighting at Troy, his wife Clytaemnestra begins a love affair with Aegisthus, Agamemnon’s cousin. This relationship also produces a child. When Agamemnon returns home, his death is prophesized by Cassandra, Agamemnon’s slave, but no one believes her due to a curse placed upon her by Apollo. Again, the spectacle is suppressed in the play, but it is still present. When Agamemnon is killed by Cly within the palace, we only hear Agamemnon cry out in anguish and pain. Cassandra, however, is never heard and we as the audience do not know that she has died until Cly drags the bodies outside of the palace for all to see. However, the spectacle is now no longer suppressed. It is in the open for all to see which distinguishes spectacle as a genre convention rather than a genre rule.

            Finally, Eugene O’Neill’s Mourning Becomes Electra uses the Electra conflict as the framework for his play. In the play, Lavinia loves her father Brigadier-General Ezra Mannon and repeatedly has verbal conflicts with her mother Christine. Therefore, the daughter loves and longs for her father. When asked by Brant if she (Lavinia) loves her father more than her mother she calmly says “Yes” (p 278). The play also leads to the downfall of the tragic hero, Ezra Mannon. After he returns home from war, he is killed by his wife Christine because she falls in love with Brant when she gives him a pill that will kill him rather than heal his heart condition.  Unlike the other plays noted before, the spectacle of Christine killing Ezra is not suppressed but is actually out in the open for all to see furthering the notion of genre conventions.

            All of these works described have the elements present that make Tragedy the greatest genre. They all have somewhat similar story lines, and the plot, characters, and spectacles as noted by Aristotle are all present in the plays. The plot usually revolves around the Oedipal/Electra complex, the main character is almost always a character of high status, and the usage of spectacle is always present although it may be suppressed much of the time. Before studying works of Tragedy, I did not realize that the tragic character is usually someone of high status or that the spectacle was usually suppressed. In fact, I thought the opposite of both of these were present in tragic plays. However, I also believe that these are two important factors that could help one to overcome the fear of reading tragic plays. Yes, the plays are tragic, but the usage of high status characters and the suppression of spectacle leave much room for imagination on the part of the audience whereas many movies of today hold nothing back and deal with the common man leaving little or no room for imagination. Therefore, the somewhat ironic statement of “the greatness of tragedy” does ring true after considering the elements that contribute to its greatness.  [JG]