(2016 final exam assignment) Sample Student Final Exam Essays 2016 Essay 3. Special Topics on Tragedy Special Topic # 7. Tragedy’s cultural and historical backgrounds

LITR 4370 Tragedy  Model Assignments

Rebecca Dyda

Tragedy’s cultural and historical backgrounds.

Tragedy is a genre that will always be around no matter what. Why? We as humans develop tragedy for ourselves, and our actions create an inevitable doom that is unpreventable. A tragedy is not only a Genre of literature, but it is also a component of the life of man. For instance, in modern day America, we see all kinds of Tragedies on the news, the Christina Grimmie shooting, the Orlando gay club shooting, the Sandy Hook shooting, and much more. Even though these Tragedies are upsetting and scary, they, unfortunately, are inevitable. As we look through some of the examples of tragedy in real life and in literature, we will be able to see just how inevitable tragic ends really are.

In order to discuss the culture and historical background of the tragedy genre, we must first ask what a Tragedy is. A tragedy is defined as an imitation, not of men, but of an action and of life, and life consists in action. Tragedy, therefore, is run by the plot, and the characters are the ones who reveal the true moral of the story (Tragedy Terms/Themes). The genre Tragedy was claimed by certain Dorians of the Peloponnese and has been seen again and again throughout our history. Tragedy has mostly been seen in major periods of history such as Classical Greece, Renaissance England, and Neo-Classical France (Tragedy Terms/Themes).

Tragedy first comes into play in classical Greece. Classical Greece is known to be the birth of modern society. Classical Greece is known to be the first civilization to practice engineering, science, architecture, democracy, courts, mathematics, philosophy, and drama. In the tragedies of modern Greece, we start to see these elements of society unfold in their plots. For instance, one of the first examples we come across in classical Greece is the Oresteia Trilogy. This story seems to be a good representation of a democratic government, and the court system. The story really seems to praise democracy, and is shown more directly in the conversation between Agamemnon, and the chorus regarding a general assembly. In this scene, he tells the chorus that they need to set up a general assembly, in order for them to all work together and focus on the problems of the city and the gods. It seems as though the Gods are being referred to as the “law”, and in order to make sure everything is right with the “law”, they must gather an assembly to work together to make sure this “law” is carried out properly.

We also see signs of democracy in Antigone as well. In Antigone, we find that Creon seems to want to take matters into his own hands, and wants everyone to do as he says. Creon seems to admire the practice of dictatorship, although, characters such as Antigone and Haimon seem to challenge this thought. Antigone claims that the gods, or possibly the “law”, know that her brother did nothing wrong and he should not be punished. Even Haimon challenges his father’s that he needs to listen to the people in order to be a good leader. While Creon doesn’t listen to either one of them and goes on with his plan of executing Antigone, he later loses everything, ultimately showing how his views of dictatorship are ultimately his downfall.

We also see references to the courts in Eumenides when Orestes is put on trial for the murder of his mother Clytemnestra. In this scene, the courts seem to display how much of a gamble they really are. For instance, when Athena claims that she herself would not convict Orestes for the crime due to the fact that she never had a mother, she also stated that it was not in her hands, it was instead up to the court. In the court scene, they all put their votes into a pot, shook it, and then tallied the votes up. This part of the court scene seems to show how much of a gamble courts really are. The end result did not end up being what was right or wrong, but instead a tally of votes. This in some ways seems to show the rockiness of the court system.

As Tragedy in Classical Greece was popular and seemed to debate the effectiveness of the new systems they were putting in order, the same idea was further explored in Renaissance England. In contrast of Classical Greece, Renaissance England is known for the discovery of New World (Columbus); the rebirth of Classical learning / humanism; printing press; modern astronomy (terms & themes). The concept of the tragic hero, democracy and courts is also further explored in the tales of this time, but we also see where colonialism, religion, and critical thinking start coming into play. For instance, in the play, Hamlet by William Shakespeare, the “tragic hero” in a democratic state is further explored. In the play, Hamlet is the “tragic hero” who sets out to seek vengeance for his father, who is believed to have been killed by Hamlet’s mother and uncle. Hamlet, like the other “tragic heroes” in Agamemnon, seals his fate due to his need for vengeance. This need for vengeance seems to be his ultimate downfall, which is a reoccurring theme in most Tragedies.

 Hamlet not only seems to portray many elements of Tragedy, but he also represents Renaissance England in many ways. Hamlet expresses a need to make the world right again through his vengeance, and ultimately seeks a “new world” so to speak, that has order again. Hamlet also expresses the rebirth of classical learning/humanism by being a skeptic and giving the people around him the benefit of the doubt. Hamlet humanizes each of the characters by wondering if they are guilty of the accusations that are against them. For instance, Hamlet seriously debates throughout the play whether or not Claudius has killed his father. He wants to believe the ghost is right, but he simply does not have any proof. The fact that Hamlet gave Claudius the benefit of the doubt humanizes Claudius, and he becomes less of a monster to the audience.  

This thought of humanism is later explored in the late 19c-early 20c Europe when we begin to go into modernism. Modern nations of Europe take current form, develop literature in national languages; imperial expansion to Developing World of Asia and Africa (terms & themes).  Modernization replaces or transforms traditions, collective identities, and past orientations with revolutionary activities such as doubt, inquiry, individualism, and future-orientation. In this time period, we start seeing writers such as Henrik Ibsen create their own spin on modernism. In his play A Doll House, modernism is displayed through the character Nora, who at the end of the play seems to express Heroic individualism. Nora displays this by leaving behind her normal female roles and begins to find herself as an independent woman. A Doll’s House displays only a little of modernization, however, it accurately displays how modernization completely changes traditions, and past orientations, and creates individualism for the people of this time.

Finally, after modernism is introduced in our literature, we make it into an even more modernized and growing period of tragedy otherwise known as the early-mid-20c USA. The two work from this era that we read in class was Desire under the Elms, and Mourning Becomes Electra by Eugene O’Neill. In the play Desire under the Elms (1924), we see Hippolytus, Phaedra, and Theseus, modernized with a more rural New England setting. However, now their names are Eben, Abbie, and Ephraim and their story takes place on a farm. The conflict is still the same, the stepmom (Abbie) seduces the son (Eben) of her husband (Ephraim). However, we find that in O’Neill’s story the stepmother’s ultimate downfall was the murder of her baby.

 In Mourning becomes Electra (1931), we find a more modernized version of the Oresteia Trilogy. Mourning becomes Electra like the Oresteia Trilogy is broken up into three parts, Homecoming, The Hunted, and The Haunted. Like in the Oresteia Trilogy, we find that the mother (Christine), like Clytemnestra, is unhappy in her marriage, and kills her husband Ezra (Agamemnon). We also find that the children, just like in the Oresteia Trilogy, seek revenge against their mother, for vengeance of their father. The last similarity that we find between the two trilogies is that order is somewhat restored at the end of the play. However, instead of a court scene being the ultimate restoration of justice, in Mourning becomes Electra, the characters seek justice against themselves, ultimately restoring order once again.

As we come to a close in this timeline, we see that Tragedy seems to repeat itself, and for a very good reason. Tragedy seems to open a door into the greatest eras of humankind, depicting the many problems we have faced throughout our history, and modernizing them. And as we have made it to modern day America, we find that tragedies such as these are an important part of our education, and also a huge influence on our more modern literature and films. Furthermore, Tragedy is also found in our human experiences, making it such a valuable resource. In conclusion, If there is one thing you can learn about Tragedy through this timeline it is that Tragedy is a huge part of our culture, and lives, and that is something we simply cannot ignore.