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The Appeal of Tragedies

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The Appeal of Tragedies 投稿類別:英文寫作類 篇名: The Appeal of Tragedies 作者: 程悅之。台北私立復興實驗高中。高二和班 (Cheng, Josephine. Taipei Fuhsing Private School. Class Eleven Ho) 指導老師: John Calhoun 老師 The Appeal of Tragedies I. Introduction: Contrary to popular belief, people seem to prize depressing works of art more than light- hearted or empowering ones. From the earliest Greek tragedies of myth and misfortune, to the Shakespearean plays of Victorian England, to the bitter tales of unfortunate 20th century heroes, tragedy has, throughout history, represented the peak of human literature. No other genre has collected as many renown titles which have stood the test of time, no other genre has been portrayed as often in other mediums of art, and no other genre has been taught in classrooms and lecture halls as frequently as the tragedy. Yet the explanation for humanity’s love of heartbreaking literature remains obscure, since there appears to be no apparent reason for anyone to burden themselves with the bleak circumstance of tragic heroes or the sorrow of failure. To read any book, script, play, or poem – is to experience life through another’s eyes. To enjoy what the characters enjoy, to anger when they anger, to cry when they cry, to become another person in all but name. A reader would suffer emotionally when the tragic character does too, though through the written word and not in reality, but no less tangible or genuine. However, people not only pay no heed to the emotional anguish we may inflict on ourselves, but also yearn for the most depressing style of literature there is – tragedy. Readers are entranced by main characters with coveted dreams or hard won success. A hero’s determination not only serves as a beacon of light in a society where most dreams fade over time, but also inspire readers to take personal action for their own dreams as well. When heroes suffer, and are tormented with failure, readers are also repulsed by the despair that tear these characters apart, upset by the abrupt death of a dream – only to swallow their sorrow and come back for more. The question remains as to why tragedies continue to appeal to individuals, especially when these stories depict failure and depression. By comparing the central characters in various books and plays representative of three prominent periods throughout the history of literature - Ancient Greek, Shakespearean, and 20th century – this study would be able to draw similarities between the characteristics of these tragic heroes and define how each aspect makes tragedies appealing to readers. II. Thesis: To understand the overall appeal of tragedies, a reader must first understand its tragic hero, as the plot unfolds around the main character and is propelled by his or her actions. In this study, tragic heroes are defined as characters, who have a dream or goal in mind, who take action to reach their vision, yet in the end either face failure as their achievements fall short of reality or succeed but at extreme personal cost. Based on various websites listing the top tragedies of three periods famous for their production of literature, including Ancient Greece, the Victorian Age, and 20th 1 The Appeal of Tragedies century, six tragedies in total were chosen for the comparison, with two tragedies selected for each period. Graph 1: Comparison of tragedies Tragic Characteristics Their life dreams or Reality/ End result Hero present goals Antigone Antigone - Fiercely loyal to To bury her dead Antigone remains By: Sophocles Polyneices and brother Polyneices, loyal to the last and Eteocles despite the threat of hangs herself in - Rebellious and disobeying King outrage against stubborn Creon’s order being kept from - Hamartia: loyalty against it and facing burying Polynieces. certain death. She dies and fails to complete her goal. Oedipus Rex Oedipus - Determined to do To bring the Oedipus succeeds By: Sophocles the right thing murderer of former in finding the - Proud King Laius to murderer and - Acts in the best justice in order to meting out justice, interests of his stop the plague but at the cost of people which was ravaging blinding himself - Hamartia: Thebes. and becoming a determination/ shamed beggar on anger/ pride the streets. Romeo and Juliet - Childish and naive To marry Romeo Both lovers end up Juliet at first, but becomes and live with him dead with no hope By: independent and happily ever after. of ever living Shakespeare determined Literally. together in - Intelligent and marriage as they witty had dreamed. Suffer from both death and failure. 2 The Appeal of Tragedies Hamlet Hamlet - Moody and To kill his uncle Succeeds in killing By: dramatic King Claudius and Claudius in the end, Shakespeare - Has a drawn-out avenge his father, but at the cost of revenge plan the previous king, himself, his mother who was murdered and many of the by Claudius. royal family dying as well. Of Mice and George - Sharp and witty To save up enough Is forced to kill Men - A deep and morale money and live on a Lennie, thus not By: John man who cares farm of their own. only killing the Steinbeck about those close to dream they had him, in this case together but also Lennie. leaving George friendless and lost in life. George not only loses his dream but also his one sole friend. The Great Gatsby - Hardworking and To regain Daisy as Gatsby fails to win Gatsby determined to make his lover once more. back Daisy’s heart, By: F. Scott a better life for and also brings Fitzgerald himself death upon himself - Naïvely believes in in the process. the success through hard work and discipline (Information source: Created by Author) Based on the information above, despite the different circumstances and personalities each tragic hero has, they all have one similarity – determination. These individuals have complete faith in their dreams, no matter if they realize the futility of their actions or the damage they have rendered on both themselves and others. For example, in The Great Gatsby, Gatsby spends years of his life building an alcohol empire, selling illegal liquor, and accumulating wealth in hopes that one day, he would be able to regain Daisy, his long-lost lover, by impressing her with his financial success and proving himself as a man worthy to lean on. However, Daisy has already been married 3 The Appeal of Tragedies to another man, Tom Buchanan, for over five years, a man who not only has more than enough wealth to rival Gatsby’s fortune, but also has cared for Daisy in his own distant yet affectionate way. The bond created between husband and wife has no place for a man like Gatsby, who attempts to recreate his relationship with Daisy by inviting her to midnight parties and afternoon escapades at his mansion, despite the fact that Daisy has long since moved on, and when forced to choose between the two men, would always turn back in the end to Tom. Yet, Gatsby refuses to compromise in any way, as if Daisy’s simple declaration of love now could erase the five-year gap before. Such simple faith toward his dream of Daisy leads Gatsby to his own demise, as he dies in wake of the conflict his relentless pursuit has stirred, paying “a high price for living too long with a single dream” (Fitzgerald, 1925). The undying belief character’s hinge on their dreams is not only evident when Gatsby dies trying to win back Daisy, but also when Antigone would rather hang herself than be denied the right to bury her dead brother. When George, though conscious of the great odds stacked against him, continues to labor day and night in hopes of purchasing a farm of his own. When countless tragic heroes spanning thousands of years of literature each strive to live up to their dreams, despite the obstacles posed before them, only to meet failure in the end, thus marking this naïve devotion as a trademark of tragedies. Unlike people actually living in reality, tragic heroes refuse to compromise or let go of their cause and will stop at nothing to achieve their dreams, no matter the cost. For example, compared to Juliet, a noble lady who actually lived during the early Renaissance would likely have denied her love for a rival lord and married as society dictated in bitter compliance. On the other hand, Juliet instead goes extreme lengths to seek a happy reunion with Romeo, only to drag both of them into death, with no chance of ever achieving the married life they had cherished together. Had Juliet kept their forbidden love… well, forbidden, the two might have lived, albeit deprived of their visions, but still possessing life to pursue other opportunities, as most people in reality do, instead of being forced to choose the ultimate path of self-limitation - suicide. In short, “Tragic heroes are failed pragmatists. Their ends are unrealistic and their means are impractical.” (Phillips, 2013). No matter what personality traits or different circumstances each individual character may possess, all tragic heroes hold one thing in common – utter devotion to their dreams, no matter the cost. The very belief which made Oedipus kill his father and marry his mother, or made Hamlet spark the royal family’s massacre, is also the very belief which inspires us to enjoy tragedy, as readers relive the naïve devotion they once had as children but now can only experience through the eyes of tragic heroes. Most people in real life lose their “innocence” with the wear and tear of time, as goals coveted in cozy darkness throughout childhood lose their luster and shine beneath the stark glaring lights of reality.
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