LITR 4533 Tragedy UHCL 2010 final exam samples

LITR 4533 TRAGEDY
Final Exam Samples 2010

Essays & Excerpts for Part B:
Special Topics

Allison Evans

July 9, 2010

*For Part B of the final exam I am choosing to do two separate essays. I have separated them in this word document by their titles.

Character Internalization

Aristotle believed that the plot of a tragedy was its soul because, tragedy is the “imitation of an action” and this action is the plot. He then believed that the characters of a tragedy came second to this action in terms of what made the work of art great. This raises several questions about the effectiveness of the internal struggle that is seen within the characters of a tragedy. Could the tragedy be the same without this internal struggle? Would the audience feel as connected to the characters without it? (Aristotle’s Poetics).

The internal struggle of the characters in a tragedy often makes them more humanized. They are neither completely good, nor completely horrible; they are just like everyone else in the world who struggles at times to do the right thing. This humanization that the characters have allows the audience to connect with them and to sympathize with the situation of the characters. Without these features the audience would not be so concerned about the outcome of the character’s decision and issue that is at hand. Without these emotions, from the audience being able to relate to the character, the action that attributes to the characters downfall would be seen as a sad occurrence and not tragic.

An example of how a character’s internal struggle creates a sense of connection between the character and the audience can be seen in Antigone. Antigone was a young woman who was faced with the tough decision of going against the rules of the state, or fulfilling her family duties in the regards to the burial of her brother. The state issued that her brother was a traitor and as such should not receive the privilege of a proper burial, but as customs of the time were, without a proper burial he would not pass gently into the spiritual realm. Antigone chose to act regarding her family duties instead of the states laws, and as such had to deal with the less than welcomed consequences.

Without insight into the character’s struggle to do right by her family, the audience would not develop the feelings of pity for Antigone. Instead of seeing a young woman struggling to do what she deemed right, they would have seen a young woman going against the rules of the State, and being a traitor herself for doing so. This feeling of pity remains an important factor of tragedy and according to Aristotle creates the “perfect” tragedy, “ [A perfect tragedy should] imitate actions which excite pity and fear, this being the distinctive mark of tragic imitation” (Aristotle’s Poetics).

Another reason that the internalization of a characters motives and thoughts demand importance in tragedies is due to the way these details thicken the plot. Without this internal struggle many of the works of literature would appear cut and dry to the audience. This uncomplication of actions and motives would demand sides of black and white in regards to the conflict instead of shades of grey.

Overall, the internalization of characters in tragedies plays a major role in connecting the audience to the work of art, and evoking deep and conflicted feelings within themselves. This stirring of feelings within the audience is what makes the work of art great and memorable. Without this defining characteristic, tragedies could not be seen in the same light.

Spectacle and Sublime

The sublime is the indescribable, the “wow” factor that occurs when a character remains speechless after a certain event. Sublime can also be seen as the mixture of something beautiful with something dangerous. Examples of this can be seen all throughout the genre of tragedy as we often find beauty in danger. Along with using the sublime, tragedies also often use spectacles.

A spectacle is a scene within a work of art that has visual appeal. It is often not regarded as taking much talent to create and often relates itself to gore or violence. The most common example of a spectacle would be slasher movies where the entire thing is nothing but blood and guts with some poor acting mixed in. The focus is not on the plot itself, but on the visual that is being received by the audience.

According to Jennifer Clay, “the repression of spectacle in Tragedy …, is a convention and not a rule” (Clay 2008). Often in tragedies you will have several different types of spectacles that can occur on and off the stage. Those that are occurring offstage are referred to as being repressed. An example of a spectacle being repressed can be seen near the end of the play, Oedipus. At this point, Oedipus has lost his wife, and has removed his own eyes; however the audience sees nothing, and is instead informed of this violent action by another character through speech. The lack of visuals given to the audience is what allows this to be repressed and according to Aristotle, the use of a spectacle on the stage takes away from the poetics of the play. However repressed this spectacle may be, the audience may have felt the sublime after this action. The harshness with which Oedipus punished himself seemingly could have left the audience with a loss of words at the thought of executing such an act on themselves.

Spectacle and Sublime can often intertwine during scenes as previously stated. They can also be present independent of one another throughout the genre of tragedy. However they are combined or separated, the two have a unique way of influencing the audience to feel a certain way in a work of art and due to this ability to evoke emotion in an audience are irreplaceable in the genre of tragedy.