1. Mr. Mehrotra ENG 3U0 Concepts of Tragedy

2. Mr. Mehrotra ENG 3U0 Aristotle Artistic imitation of an action Serious Complete in itself Great in magnitude Through arousing the emotions of pity and fear, catharsis is produced – which in Greek signifies “purgation” or “purification,” or both. Catharsis depends on the vicarious involvement of the audience with the hero. The character exhibits a tragic flaw

3. Mr. Mehrotra ENG 3U0 A.C. Bradley Tragedy is pre-eminently the story of one person The story leads up to and includes the death of the hero It is a tale of exceptional suffering and calamity which is contrasted with previous happiness The suffering and calamity are usually unexpected The character of the hero or protagonist has a fault or a tragic flaw which brings him to ruin. This produces in us a feeling of pity or sadness because of the waste of the good

4. Mr. Mehrotra ENG 3U0 On the Nature of Tragedy Tragedy arises when you are in the presence of a man who has missed accomplishing his joy; but the joy must be there, the promise of the right way of life must be there Otherwise pathos reigns, and an endless, meaningless, and essentially untrue picture of the man is created

5. Mr. Mehrotra ENG 3U0 In a word, tragedy is the most accurately balanced portrayal of the human being in their struggle for happiness That is why we revere our tragedies in the highest, because they most truly portray us And this is why tragedy must not be diminished through confusion with other modes for it is the most perfect means we have of showing us who and what we are, and what we must be or strive to become On the Nature of Tragedy

6. Mr. Mehrotra ENG 3U0 Essential Elements in Shakespearean Tragedy The death of the hero is a significant moment We identify with the hero and feel with him his sorrows, fears, and victories Through such identification complete empathy is established Regeneration or renewal follows catastrophy The ultimate power in the tragic world is moral order

7. Mr. Mehrotra ENG 3U0 Definition A tragedy is a play in which the protagonist, usually a man of noble character and rank faces a problem. A course of action is ruined by some tragic flaw in his own character and he sinks from a high position to a low one.

8. Mr. Mehrotra ENG 3U0 Tragedy Prerequisites 1. A character who can determine their own destiny to an extent. In other words, classically speaking, a noble, and a man. a) We cannot associate with him as an equal, but emotionally we are interested in him and admire him b) He has a great deal to lose in his fall c) The social and financial restrictions on his actions are less than on a person of lower estate d) Similarly, or more positively, he is more responsible for his actions than a lesser person

9. Mr. Mehrotra ENG 3U0 Tragedy Prerequisites e) He has the time, power, and energies to be fully committed to his cause and can follow his wishes to the brink of his resources. f) He pushes himself to his fate g) He is prepared to be quite beyond the ordinary, and thus he deals with, and can be an example of universal qualities such as truth, lies, love, lust, greed, envy, trust, loyalty, faith, honesty and so on

10. Mr. Mehrotra ENG 3U0 Tragedy Prerequisites 2. The tragic character is basically good but has his balance upset by a Tragic Flaw or Hamartia, usually Hubris – the sin of excessive pride a) This disharmony must be eradicated and the balance restored b) This corresponds simplistically to the oriental concept of Yin and Yang c) The balance is not firmly cemented, for social values are always in a state of flux d) Tragedy occurs only in instability, or an atmosphere of unrest and social crisis

11. Mr. Mehrotra ENG 3U0 Tragedy Prerequisites e) It concerns a clash of values, an upset of universal and personal harmony f) The value system has positive and negative values g) Usually a negative value – lust – triumphs over a higher value – love – and thus disgust and repulsion develop; this occurs either in that character, other characters, and/or the audience h) At times a good value may become over powerful, and create an imbalance – ambition i) The overbearing value is the hamartia of the character

12. Mr. Mehrotra ENG 3U0 Tragedy Prerequisites j) Part of the fascination in a tragedy comes from the struggle of the values, as one set of values must be overthrown k) By the conclusion the lesser values have been replaced by more positive ones; if the reverse occurs, the reaction of the audience is dismay or repulsion l) Thus the end of a tragedy dictates a cosmic reconciliation of the subject investigating he inner essences of life

13. Mr. Mehrotra ENG 3U0 Tragedy Prerequisites 3. The result of this action must be the evoking in the audience, pervading from the overall feeling of dignified sorrow, of feelings of pity and fear forming a Catharsis a) This catharsis is a purging of one’s emotions to cleanse oneself b) Pity is an impulse to approach, while terror is one towards retreat

14. Mr. Mehrotra ENG 3U0 Tragedy Prerequisites c) The play must join pity towards the person and terror towards the deed, to bring the audience vicariously to a closer awareness of and approach to Truth d) Thus this whole process is an educational scheme using both the emotions (Aristotle) and the brain (Plato) to evoke in the audience a positive response to universal values

15. Mr. Mehrotra ENG 3U0 Tragedy Prerequisites 4. Thus a working definition of tragedy is that it is the literary process that arouses both the emotional reaction of pity and fear, and the reasoned repulsion of logical thought to an imbalance of values, which in catharsis leads to a closer awareness of and positive response to universal values and concepts, thus concluding on an optimistic note about the eternal spirit of man.