LITR 4370 TRAGEDY Final Exam Samples 2017 (final exam assignment) Model Answers to Part 2. Complete Learning about Tragedy Essay

Part 2. Complete "Learning about Tragedy" Essay

Kimberly Bronson

Three Genres to a Better Understanding

          Tragedy is commonly misunderstood in many ways. It can be difficult to get a firm grasp of exactly what tragedy is, so to help understand it better, it is compared to other genres such as comedy or romance. There are certainly some similarities between these genres, but their differences shed light on the characteristics of tragedy that would otherwise be hard to see or understand. It helps to think of these three genres—tragedy, romance, and comedy—as partners rather than opposites, as they work together to define each other and make more sense when looked at as parts of a whole rather than three separate genres.

The narrative genre of comedy, per the Genres course site, typically begins with a problem, often a mistaken identity or misunderstanding of some degree. The consequences in comedies are never lasting or permanent, which is the angle for hilarity. For example, in Lysistrata, it would not be comical if the men in the play remained pained by their sexual desires, but since they agreed to the women’s terms, their suffering ends and the audience gets a chuckle. It is common for comedies to end with a resolution or at least the feeling of one such as this. Another good example of this is Shakespeare’s comedy, Much Ado About Nothing. Claudio publicly shames his wife-to-be, Hero, based on a rumor planted by Don Pedro about her chastity. In the end, however, we see that this action has no consequences when the pair ends up marrying. The play ends with (almost) everyone happily dancing, like the ending of Lysistrata. The pattern between these two plays is not merely coincidental, but a common element found in comedies.

Tragedy, like comedy and romance, also begins with a problem. The difference in these narrative genres is the characters revolved around the problem. As detailed on the course site, many issues in tragedies often evolve from an error in man, but there is not a distinction between “good” and “bad” characters, but both intertwined within the tragic hero. An example of this is in Agamemnon, where he sacrificed his daughter, which to many is an unforgivable crime. But once the reader realizes that this while this was an “evil” choice, the only other option was just as bad and possibly even worse. In contrast, comedy notoriously has lower characters that are easy to laugh at and the problem that begins the story is typically one of mistaken identity. As per the course site, the problems that begin comedies are often less significant than the problems that begin tragedies. The issues that a comedy is revolved around are to create light entertainment for the audience rather than to cause an emotional response or to “shake the audience” (White).  Further, romance narratives often begin with some type of separation between characters and a quest to reunite them is usually followed. Characters in romances are also motivated by the idea of transcendence.

A typical story that stays true to one of these genres may show every characteristic of that genre, but when stories begin to merge with other genres, the audience will find it difficult to determine the main genre prevalent. This difficulty is also because some classic tragedies have a high amount of melodrama that, to a modern audience, may seem comical. An example of this would be when we hear Agamemnon yell “I am slain” after Clytemnestra murders him. Another example of melodrama is in Mourning Becomes Electra. The death of Ezra Mannon is plagued with a nearly comical level of dramatics, as he points to Christine and hints at her guilt before he dies.  The difference is the level of excess, and determining at which point it becomes a spectacle.

In Hamlet, tragedy and comedy walk together to offer a perfectly balanced play. Tragedy takes the front seat, however. Hamlet has come to truly understand the circumstances that led to his father’s death and regardless of whether he truly loses his mind or leads us to believe he has, he gets his revenge. A tragedy narrative “consists of an attempt to discover the truth” (course sites: Intro to Genres), which Hamlet has achieved after speaking with the ghost and is now seeking to restore justice. In The Birth of Tragedy, Nietzsche claims that both the Dionysiac man and Hamlet “have truly seen the essence of things, they have understood, and action repels them; for their action can change nothing in the eternal essence of things, they consider it ludicrous or shameful that they should be expected to restore order to the chaotic world” (39). Instead of restoring order, Hamlet wants to restore justice and get his revenge by any means necessary. The comedic elements present in Hamlet consist of dark humor that doesn’t necessarily result in roaring laughter, but makes the audience feel tempted to laugh. The gravedigging scene is the best example of this, since corpses are surrounding the “lowly” characters that “lighten the tragic stress” (Literary Articles) throughout the play. The scene is also located in the “most suspenseful moment of the play,” (Literary Articles) which makes its light-heartedness a valuable addition to the otherwise grim production. This example is a great demonstration of how genres can come together to make the story more enjoyable for the audience.

A play that captures romance, comedy, and tragedy is Desire Under the Elms by O’Neill. This story is an adaptation of Hippolytos in which a man marries a young woman, Abbie, who falls in love with his youngest son, Eben. The tragic elements of the play are overwhelming, such as Abbie killing her newborn baby that she allegedly conceived with Eben. There are, however, romantic elements as well. The ending consists of Abbie and Eben being taken away by the sheriff, but as Eben says, they will share whatever punishment they face together. This transcendence leaves the audience with a hint of romance since the punishment of the characters will be softened by the fact that they aren’t alone. The comedy in this play is subtle but still worth mentioning. Eben’s half-brothers, Peter and Simeon, present themselves as low characters that are compared to animals quite a few times. Their banter is light-hearted and nonsensical. Their presence in the play is brief, much like the grave diggers in Hamlet. O’Neill gives just enough of their nonsense to prepare the viewer for what is ahead. This play is a great example of a modernized tragedy in that it effectively captures other genres.

Another example of modernized tragedy is in Phaedra, where unlike Hippolytos in which Phaedra’s desires are a consequence of disrespecting a god, the incestual desires are internalized in Phaedra. We are first introduced to Phaedra with these desires already affecting her. While this play is more modern in these terms, it does make it more difficult for the reader to relate to Phaedra. At the same time, however, this adds to the tragic element of creating a response within the audience and therefore makes it a more effective tragedy.

Unlike comedy or romance, tragedy is essentially timeless, as events that fall under the “tragic” category are things that will be considered tragic to audiences of any time. For example, in Hippolytos, there are elements of incest present that are undeniably and timelessly repulsive. Aphrodite feels disrespected by Hippolytos so she decides to curse his step-mother. Phaedra’s uncontrollable desire for her step-son is enough to make anyone cringe in discomfort, but the fact that it was a curse put upon her makes it slightly relatable for the audience.

Tragedy is not about making the right or wrong choice, but about making the best choice from two terrible options. Agamemnon chose his kingdom over his family but in his mind, was probably doing his best to choose both. Tragic heroes are rarely given options that have one sounding better than the other. Comedies and romances are less about choices to be made and more revolved around journeys or quests that are inherent and the protagonists are naturally drawn to them as if there were no other choice.

 In some tragedies, the truth seeks the tragic hero rather than the other way around. In Oedipus the King, Oedipus is faced with the truth thanks to Tiresias, but he is unwilling to accept it as such. It isn’t until the truth is impossible to ignore that he finally is willing to understand it. He does, however, have no hesitations when it comes to absorbing the consequences of his truth, which is another aspect of tragedy as outlined on the course website. Where comedies and romance narratives escape problems, tragedy faces them head on, even if it causes a great deal of discomfort for the audience. The play ends with Oedipus banished from the land that he once ruled because of his incestuous relationship with Jocasta. This is a typical way for a tragic narrative to end, but there are other conclusions that are equally true to tragedy.

Oedipus at Colonus contains the typical tragic death of the tragic hero but there also is an impression that there will be some level of transcendence which is a characteristic of romance narratives. The ending of Oedipus at Colonus, however, is one that does not symbolize unity like a comedy or romance narrative would be expected to. The blood curse that affected Thebes is now expected to be put to rest with Oedipus’ death but of course reading the next play in the series reveals that this is not the case. A comedy will consist of characters who make a spectacle of themselves, while tragedy will make a spectacle out of the characters and their actions. Instead of a low-comedic character making a fool of himself, Oedipus is made to look like a fool because of his identity and circumstances. The thunder making itself heard is taken as a dramatic sign that Oedipus will reach his fate. The death of a tragic hero wouldn’t be the same if it didn’t make a spectacle out of him.

Sometimes a tragic hero is not easily defined within a production. Unlike comedy or romance, tragedy has characters who do not necessarily fit a standard mold of “good” or “bad.” In contrast, comedy and romance typically have obvious good and bad characters. It is almost always easy to identify and relate to the protagonist and to condemn and be repelled by the antagonist. Tragedies are often more complex than this, and often have multiple characters that could fit as both antagonist and protagonist. For example, in Antigone, there is more than one possible choice for a tragic hero. Some would consider Creon as the play’s hero, although he has more flaws than one knows what to do with. He is evidently set on making his force known to all by demanding that anyone who touches Polynices’s body will be put to death. When Antigone challenges this, he has every intention of following through with his orders despite the circumstances. He can, however, be excused from some of this tyrannical behavior considering he is a new leader, and one who did not expect the position to begin with. Antigone is a stronger component for the tragic hero, in my opinion. She is faced with an extremely difficult choice, as many tragic heroes are. She must either silently grieve her brother’s death, knowing his body is left out in the open to rot and without any proper burial rights, or she must sacrifice her own life to honor her Polynices. Being the strong character that she is, she unapologetically goes against Creon’s desperate attempt to assert him power and honors her brother. She is willing to face the consequences without any attempt to conceal her actions. She is a strong image of a tragic heroine, and an empowering one at that.

Comedy, romance, and tragedy are all very different genres that are respected in their own ways. They are often looked at as opposites that have nothing to do with each other but when closely compared we can begin to understand each one more. There is a lot to learn about these genres, but the best chance we have of gaining this knowledge is by looking at them as partners.

Works Cited

"Significance of the Gravediggers' Scene in Shakespeare's Hamlet." Literary Articles, www.literary-articles.com/2009/12/various-functions-of-gravediggers-scene.html.

White, Craig. "Terms & Themes." Coursesite.uhcl.edu - /, coursesite.uhcl.edu/HSH/Whitec/terms/N/narrativegenre.htm.