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

Katie Morin

2/20/2017

Tragedy: A Learning Process

          Admittedly, before having enrolled in this course, my knowledge of tragedy was rather limited. I primarily associated the term “tragedy” with Shakespeare’s Hamlet because it is one of my favorite works of literature in general, regardless of the genre it falls under. To be rather blunt, I have, up until now, always associated tragedies with death. After all, what is more tragic than death itself? However, over the course of the semester, my knowledge on the subject has increased significantly, and I feel as if I have garnered a deeper understanding of tragedy as a whole, in addition to its relationship to other narrative genres, specifically comedy and romance.

What makes the tragedy genre so interesting is that it is probably one of the most unpopular genres, at least present-day, yet it is still so relatable because it is reflective of human nature. Personally, this concept is one of the most fascinating aspects of tragedy—either people love to hate it or perhaps hate that they love it. This could be attributed to the fact that tragedy is raw and exposes the faults of humanity. It shows the good and the bad, regardless of how unhappy or uncomfortable audience members may become. In tragedy, actions do have very real consequences, and these consequences are rarely temporary.

In contrast, comedy, although relatable at times, manages to convey similar issues and conflicts seen in works of tragedy, but in a way that minimizes the blow, making it easier to swallow. According to Aristotle’s Poetics, “Comedy is . . . an imitation of characters of a lower type . . . .  It consists in some defect or ugliness which is not painful or destructive.  To take an obvious example, the comic mask is ugly and distorted, but does not imply pain” (V). This is indicative of comedy’s tendency to make light of even serious situations. Characters may have struggles or conflict, but there are no real consequences, pain, or otherwise long-lasting effects from these situations—there is nearly always a happy conclusion where everyone walks away joyous and unscathed. Regardless of how dire a situation may appear, everything still seems to come to a happy resolution somehow.

          Characterization is also something that varies amongst each of the three genres. So far, learning about the various types of characterizations has been one of the most interesting aspects of this course. In comedies, characters are often very superficial, and because of this lack of depth, rarely see a great deal of growth as the narrative progresses. In works of comedy, certain characters seem to exist only to serve as comedic relief. This is seen in O’Neill’s Desire Under the Elms, where the main character’s brothers are described as being “known” by cows, pigs, and chickens, whom they refer to as their “brothers” (17). This type of grotesque, dark humor and characterization is common amongst works of comedy, where much like Aristotle states, “characters of a lower type” are often mocked and ridiculed.

Characters in the romance genre, are typically seen as only “good guys” or “bad guys,” and not a mixture of the two. In tragedies, however, characters are not seen solely as good or bad, but often a combination of both, as it is not uncommon for characters to “transform” throughout their trials. This duality of characterization is reflective of human nature, and this could be a reason why tragedy is a bitter pill for some to swallow, as characters and their motivations/struggles have the tendency to “hit close to home.”

          An example of this mixed characterization can be seen in Aeschylus’s Agamemnon. The story’s protagonist, Agamemnon, is forced to decide between sacrificing his daughter, Iphigenia, or remain at a standstill and unable to sail to Troy and lead his men to victory. Much to the audience’s horror, Agamemnon ultimately agrees to the sacrifice of his daughter, therefore painting him as somewhat of a villainous character. However, later on he appears to be remorseful and seems to acknowledge the horrible act he has committed, and he regains some of his humanity. Although what he has done is awful and unforgivable, it is difficult to not feel some level of sympathy for him as he struggles with his decision.

Surprisingly enough, one can also see mixed-characterization when analyzing Agamemnon’s wife, Clytaemnestra, the one who orchestrated his murder. She is deceptive, unfaithful, and betrays her own husband. Naturally one would paint her as a villain. However, one must also take into account her grief at losing her daughter, Iphigenia. Can a mother avenging her daughter’s murder be seen as truly evil? To an extent it is nearly impossible not to sympathize with Clytaemnestra. Both Agamemnon and Clytaemnestra can be seen as good or bad depending on one’s perspective, and this mixed characterization contributes to the Oresteia’s classification as a tragedy.

          Further distinctions between the tragedy, comedy, and romance genres can be made when analyzing their respective treatments of spectacle. Spectacle, according to our course website, “is an old-fashioned word for a concept that, in different words, lives today in popular speech—e.g., ‘special effects,’ ‘costume design,’ ‘stunts,’ and ‘computer graphics.’” The lack of spectacle is common amongst tragedies, where murders or otherwise graphic scenes are performed off-stage. In tragedies, spectacles are concealed and hidden away from the audience, leaving much to the imagination. However, in comedies, spectacles are often performed in plain view of the audience. For instance, in the play Lysistrata, which focuses primarily on sex (or rather the lack thereof), there is a great deal of verbal innuendo, but also spectacles in the forms of nudity, obscene gestures, and vulgar bodily functions. While these scenes might have a place in works of comedy, they are less likely to be seen in tragedies, where the storylines are of greater importance than visual aids.

          Alternatively, among works belonging to the romance genre, spectacle is more varied. When taking into consideration spectacle as it relates to the romance genre as a whole, one might expect visual aids like fireworks and explosions, but in Racine’s Phaedra, the presence of spectacle is far more significant. Phaedra features more romance than Hippolytos, and indulges spectacle to a greater extent, perhaps to amplify the play’s transcendent conclusion, another characteristic of the romance genre. In Hippolytos, Phaedra, who is cursed by the goddess Aphrodite with romantic feelings for her own stepson, commits suicide off stage and out of view. In Racine’s adaptation, however, Phaedra poisons herself before the play’s conclusion and dies in plain view of the audience. This moment is significant for her character’s growth, though, as it not only serves as an act of redemption, where she absolves her stepson of guilt, but in death she is granted some semblance of transcendence, as she is finally able to separate herself from the torment she suffers in her life. 

The use of spectacle is seen again in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, in the gravedigger scene (V.i.). Here, we see the gravediggers acting incredibly morbid and seemingly cold by tossing skulls and speaking of death so nonchalantly. However, this level of spectacle is still relatively tame, especially when in comparison to the play’s final scene, which is of course, far more graphic and intense. According to the course’s website, “As tragedy modernizes, it relaxes somewhat its prohibition on spectacle, but in other modern tragedies spectacle is still carefully managed so as not to overwhelm the intellectual or spiritual aspects of the play.” I found this to be especially true when taking into account Phaedra’s suicide in Racine’s modernization, where this scene is added, but still treated relatively tastefully so as not to detract from the overall narrative. Although the usage of spectacle has become more common and graphic in modernizations, there is still a great deal of care taken so as not to detract from a play’s essence.

          Characteristically, tragedies are timeless, while works of comedy are typically short-lived and fleeting. Ultimately, this distinction boils down to tragedy’s focus on human nature, something that is virtually unchanging. Comedies, however, have the tendency to fixate on topics/issues relevant to a certain time period or place, which could be difficult for future audiences to relate to. According to our course’s site, “Since such everyday phenomena age rapidly and become old-fashioned or obsolete, comedy's attention to such realistic details makes most comedies age rapidly.” It goes on to state that although tragedy “is concerned with essential human problems,” it “sometimes seems isolated from everyday events (in classical tragedy, by being associated with noble families).” This distinction between genres only further contributes to the concept that comedy is generally a temporary “feel good” form of entertainment, whereas tragedy and its dealings with matters concerning human emotions and struggles is more timeless.

 These human emotions contribute to an ever-present theme seen in tragedies: familial conflict. This is very obvious in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, where the play’s protagonist is absolutely overcome with the urge to murder his uncle in order to avenge his father’s death. Caught in the middle of it all is Hamlet’s own mother, Gertrude, who is now married to his Uncle Claudius, his father’s killer. As stated on the course’s site, “Tragedy involves families who simultaneously love and hate each other as their fates are bound together,” and this is very much so seen in Hamlet. Hamlet is torn between avenging his father’s death and struggling to overcome his resentment of his mother, and the family’s conflict becomes so all-consuming that virtually everyone meets an untimely end by the play’s conclusion.

Sophocles’s Family of Oedipus plays not only depict more of the familial conflict that one might expect to see in a work of tragedy, but also touch on some other central themes of the genre: Oedipal conflict, fate, as well as the individual vs. authority. Oedipal conflict, although somewhat unpleasant to discuss, is a recurring theme seen throughout works of tragedy (and romantic tragedies such as Desire Under the Elms, where these feelings of attraction are reciprocated between mother and son). In Oedipus the King, the play’s protagonist discovers that he has not only murdered his father, but unintentionally married and had children with his own mother. Although Oedipus did not intend for any of this to happen, it was seemingly all out of his hands from the beginning—it was fate. Try as he might to avoid this outcome, the prophecies told to him years prior still came to fruition because it was the will of the gods. In Oedipus at Colonus, Oedipus finally stops fighting his fate, and instead accepts it, saying: “He lives not ill who lives withal content” (815). It is impossible to escape fate. Finally, in Antigone, the theme of authority vs. the individual, or civil disobedience, is also depicted. Set out to give her brother, Polynices, a proper burial, Antigone goes against the wishes of Creon, the King of Thebes. Antigone’s defiance of authority is, according to the course website, a decision to “obey” the “‘law of the state’ or ‘higher law,’” of which she chooses the latter.

In taking this course, I have come to realize that tragedy is so much more than just death. It is heart wrenching and raw, and evokes strong feelings of sympathy because the genre is so multifaceted and complex. Audience members cannot help but to ache for the characters enduring these conflicts because their trials are so relatable. Even when a character’s fate has been decided by the will of the gods, simply thinking about their state of helplessness made me ache and hurt alongside them. Tragedy’s relatability derives from feelings and emotions, not necessarily through exact situations and circumstances. Understanding this aspect of tragedy is so vital, because although characteristics of the genre are lost or replaced as it evolves, this sentiment still rings true. Comparing the genre to works of romance and comedy reveal not only the uniqueness of tragedy, but also how characteristics from multiple genres can be detected in any given work. I have garnered a newfound appreciation for each of the three primary genres we have studied, and not necessarily because I enjoyed each of them equally, but because I now understand that comedy, romance, and tragedy all manage to tackle similar ideas and issues but through different approaches in order to appeal to a greater audience base. Even though some of the content we have covered in class has been difficult and at times unpleasant, I can now see the beauty of tragedy and why it is worth experiencing.