final exam assignment

LITR 4533 TRAGEDY  Final Exam Samples 2010 Essays & Excerpts on Part A: Overall Learning Experience

Instructor's note: Amy's essay is so jammed with ideas that her organization is overcrowded, but check the highlights linking the sublime and catharsis.

Amy Barnett

The Higher Importance of Tragedy

          The study of tragedy has fostered my desire to know more about literature and the ways to interpret and understand the formulations and themes involved. My basic knowledge includes the presence of a tragic hero who displays particular flaws that lead to a downfall with a resolution in the end. However, I have discovered a deeper understanding during the course’s closer study of tragedy. More specifically, the history of tragedy has built a stronger foundation for my learning experience. Also, when analyzing a variety of tragedies, I begin to see patterns and how a classic tragedy will generally begin, proceed, and end.

          My fundamental understanding of the tragic hero and tragic flaws has expanded immensely since the beginning of the course. One particularly new aspect to me is the tragic heroes’ flaws may lead to their demise but may not warrant death which is often the case. Hippolytus is arrogant and self righteous, but does he deserve to die? Hippolytus’ unhappy ending is meant for tragedy because the emotions of beauty and terror are the audience’s reaction, and by the end of these emotions, a purging of these emotions takes place according to Aristotle’s Poetics. I can testify to the sublime and purging of these emotions that Aristotle claims takes place in Hippolytus which is a mixture of confusion and wonder. I am learning knowledge results from our discussions where we most of the time agree or disagree until to the point of exhaustion. Aristotle feels to get the most out of tragedy we must exhaust a multitude of emotions, purging these feelings. Then, we are able to learn from Hippolytus the consequences of rash accusations as with Hippolytus’ father finding the truth when it is too late. Furthermore, through the reading and discussion of Hippolytus, we consider the forgiving nature of Hippolytus towards his father which causes his death to be even more tragic. The turmoil that tragedy puts us through is what makes it so pleasurable to watch and study. We are learning from questioning the qualities of the tragic hero and his or her flaws.

          When going through the mixed reactions towards tragedy, I have to re-identify tragedy as being that the story opens with a political or social problem which plays out, revealing the characters’ flaws that feed into the plot, and in the end, brings resolution but to the tragic heroes’ downfall. Eventually, the truth is revealed, forcing the characters to face the consequences that result. The audience reacts with mixed emotions of fear and pity, pleasure and pain, or beauty and terror. Oedipus’ denial to his true identity does not keep him from the consequences he must suffer in the end of the story, but the resolution is his realization that he must leave Thebes to purge the city of turmoil. The reaction to Oedipus gouging his eyes out is terrible, but the sublime is complete because he discovers his true identity.

          The history of tragedy builds a foundation for a more in-depth perspective in the makings of tragedies. To begin, I have learned that the classic tragedy was originally made for the Greek theater which was a religious practice dedicated to worship of the god Dionysus. An interesting aspect of the earliest tragedies was that the plays were written by only five dramatists. Furthermore, the plays were performed as trilogies which linked the plays together with an ongoing story. An example of these trilogies is Agamemnon, The Libation Bearers, and The Eumenides with a continuous flaw of chaotic justice or revenge and resolving with democratic justice. Through my discussion with the class, I was able to look past my first interpretation of Agamemnon’s tragic flaw which I felt was him murdering his daughter. However, after listening to others, I realize he was only doing what the gods wanted. The only flaw Agamemnon has is his father’s actions against Aegisthus’ father, Thyestes. Agamemnon is suffering from his family’s past mistakes. The tragedy Agamemnon begins the theme of revenge which is resolved by the end of Aeschylus’ trilogy, in The Eumenides where the long line of revenge is resolved by democratic justice. As the flaws of tragic heroes play out, I gain a deeper understanding of the themes and plots in tragedies.

          Another important element to the history of tragedy is Aristotle’s Poetics which gives well thought out descriptions of tragedy. Aristotle brings insight to how tragedy is an imitation of real life with the philosophy that humans are naturally imitative from the time of childhood; therefore, we imitate on instinct. I can interpret my imitative nature by thinking back on childhood and how we learned to interact with the social world. An illustration could be how we learned language which is usually taught by a parent or guardian. Aristotle claims that because we learn through imitation, it is also a source of pleasure which explains why tragedies are still read and viewed today. As mentioned before, Hippolytos ending with little trace of happiness, we gain knowledge from the mixture of emotions of beauty and terror which causes us pleasure.

          Analyzing the beginning, middle, and end of tragedies has fostered my knowledge in the importance of plot and character. A good example exists in Oedipus the King with introducing problems with the citizens in Thebes. The story proceeds with the plot thickening and the flaws of Oedipus’ character surfacing such as self pride and his over concern to find truth. The ending is what Aristotle refers to as a purging of emotions or catharsis. The idea of catharsis is new to me, and I find it overlapping in meaning with the sublime. The difference that I notice is sublime is a mix of pity and fear for the story or character while catharsis is the same feelings that have been exhausted until there is nothing more to feel. Also, I see the sublime as a lead into catharsis. A point in the tragedy I can compare is when Oedipus finds out his real identity being the sublime and the very end, after he gouges his eyes, being catharsis where all emotional reaction has been exhausted by the audience. I see Aristotle’s view that we must experience the sublime and catharsis to reach a level learning in tragedy. Tragedies require immense energy to look past the surface of the stories, but in the end we gain higher knowledge through the experience.