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Example research essay topic: Aristotelian Tragedy Tragic Hero - 2,834 words

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The comparison of Hamlet and Macbeth with Aristotelian Tragedy In my essay I will investigate tragedy as a genre of tragedy and illustrate the characterising features of tragedy with the help of the works - Hamlet and Macbeth written by Shakespeare. In order to show the developments of tragedy of Shakespeare's time, I will compare and contrast Hamlet and Macbeth with the theory of tragedy written by Aristotle in his Poetics. I will explore the Greek view on tragedy and confront it with the accomplishments in this area of the sixteenth century. Thus, first, I will set the biographical background of Shakespeare and then I will examine how Aristotelian views on plot, his requirements of complete and noble action were reflected in Macbeth and Hamlet; the innovations of Shakespeare in the language, character mixing, and the role of women in his tragedies. Also I will define the following terms: tragedy, Nemesis, Hubris, Hamartia, Anagnorisis. Finally, I will summarize what I have found out and list all the similar and different features of Shakespearean and Aristotelian tragedy once more.

The birthday of William Shakespeare is celebrated on April 23, though due to the parish register of Holy Trinity Church in Stratford, it may be found out that the great dramatist was baptized on April 26. The father of William, John, was a burgess. In 1585 Shakespeare's father was chosen an alderman and in 1568 he occupied a position of bailiff. [ 1 ]. Johns wife, Mary Arden, of Wilmcote, Warwickshire, was born in one ancient family and was the heiress to some amount of its land. There, in Stratford, Shakespeare attended a grammar school and his education most probably consisted of learning to read, speak and write Latin and studying the works of some classical poets, historians and moralist. William Shakespeare did not continue his education in University, and instead, when he was 18 years old he married to Anne Hathaway.

Afterwards, in 1583 Shakespeare's daughter, named Susanna, was baptized at the Stratford church. Two years later, Anne gave a birth to twins - Hamlet and Judith, who, due to the church records, were baptized on February 2, 1585. The first references to Shakespeare appeared only after the period of eight years. The literary world of London first mentioned Shakespeare's name in a pamphlet created by a dramatist, Robert Greene: There is an upstart crow, beautified with our feathers, that with his Tygers heart what in a Players hide supposes he is as well able to bombast out a blank verse as the best of you; and, being an absolute Johannes Factotum, is in his own conceit the only Shake-scene in a country. (Life (from Shakespeare, William), Encyclopaedia Britannica Library, 2004) It is evident, that this pamphlet aims at insulting Shakespeare, and showing him as the object of the authors sarcasm. However, later a preface with an apology to Shakespeare was published in the book Greene's, groats-worth of witte, bought with a million of Repentance, 1592, where the author of the apology testified to Williams literary worth. This event also indicates that Shakespeare was successful in making important friends among nobility which consequently, stimulated his popularity in London literary circles.

Being a successful writer, Shakespeare preceded with his career in the theatre. From 1594 he was a registered a member of the Lord Chamberlain's Company of players. Shakespeare was a dramatist for the theatre the Globe and soon after, the company prospered. Shakespeare himself benefited from his collaboration with the theatre, because, as the critics noted he had a chance to become a full-time professional man of his own theatre, sharing in a cooperative enterprise and intimately concerned with the financial success of the plays he wrote. (Life (from Shakespeare, William), Encyclopaedia Britannica Library, 2004) Finally, critics estimated that for the period of 20 years, Shakespeare devoted himself to art, he had written more than a million words of poetic drama of the highest quality. (Life (from Shakespeare, William), Encyclopaedia Britannica Library, 2004) One of the literary accomplishments of William Shakespeare lies in his development of English tragedy.

Shakespeare did not create this genre initially, but it is important that he contributed to some of its Renaissance [ 2 ] modifications. In general, tragedy is one of the oldest forms of drama. (Tragedy, Encyclopaedia). Mel Gordon, B. A. , M. A. , Ph.

D. identifies tragedy as dramatic genre that presents the heroic or moral struggle of an individual, culminating in his or her ultimate defeat. (Mel Gordon, Online Encyclopaedia, 2005) Tragedy was derived from religious and poetic traditions of Ancient Greece. The roots of tragedy are traced to the dithyrambs, in other words the chants and dances, which honoured Greek god Dionysus, later Romans called him Bacchus. The Wikipedia describes the ancient origins of tragedy in the following way: These drunken, ecstatic performances were said to have been created by the satyrs, half-goat beings who surrounded Dionysus in his revelry, and the Greek words tags meaning "goat" and avidin "to sing" were combined in the word tragoidia, "goat-songs, " from which the word "tragedy" is derived. (Tragedy, the Wikipedia, 2005). One of the most influential theorists of tragedy was Aristotle.

He included critical interpretation of tragedy and requirements of its composition into his work named Poetics. According to David L. Simpson, the following definition of tragedy can be derived from Aristotelian remarks and commentary: Tragedy depicts the downfall of a basically good person through some fatal error or mis judgement, producing suffering and insight on the part of the protagonist and arousing pity and fear on the part of the audience. (David L. Simpson, 1998). The same critic, Simpson, holds in his article Comedy and Tragedy (1998) that such definition implies these principles and requirements of Aristotelian tragedy: A true tragedy should evoke pity and fear on the part of the audience. (Simpson, 1998) Aristotle stated that such emotions as fear and pity are the natural responses of humans to seeing pain and suffering. Here Aristotle underlined this kind of suffering that any time can happen with anybody.

Consequently, the arousing pity and fear purify men and result in their catharsis. The tragic hero must be essentially admirable and good. (Simpson, 1998) Aristotle pointed out that a fall of a villain or a scoundrel would evoke applause rather than pity. Audiences feel compassion if a good person goes down, and they cheer when they see a downfall of a bad guy. Usually, the anxiety and grief will be greater, if the person is nobler and more admirable. In a true tragedy, the hero's demise must come as a result of some personal error or decision. (Simpson, 1998) In other words, the tragedy must be the product of some action or fatal choice and the tragic hero must always be responsible for his own doom.

Thus, according to Aristotle, there shouldnt be any innocent victim in a tragedy, and a tragic downfall can not be purely a matter of bad luck or blind accident. Additionally, Aristotelian theory of tragedy comprises a number of critical terms, developed by Aristotle, in order to deal with a true tragedy. This list of terms includes the following: Anagnorisis ("tragic recognition or insight"): a moment of understanding in the mind of the tragic hero when he suddenly realizes the inevitability of fate and comprehends the web he entangled himself in; Hamartia ("tragic error"): the protagonists fatal mistake or error, which finally leads to the catastrophe at the end of the tragedy. Hubris ("violent transgression"): it is an overstepping of ethical boundaries or cultural codes, or just a kind of insolent daring, of the over-aspiring or tragic hero; Nemesis ("retribution"): the cosmic payback or inevitable punishment for hubris; Peripateia ("plot reversal"): it is a crucial act of protagonist that changes his situation from apparently secure to vulnerable.

Equally important is the plot of a tragedy. Aristotle said that the plot is 'the soul of tragedy' and thus it must be an imitation of a complete and noble action. In Macbeth and Hamlet, Shakespeare provides such complete action that consists of a beginning, the middle part and the end. These sections must meet the criterion of their respective placement: "The separate parts into which tragedy is divided are: Prologue, Episode, Exodus, Choric songs, this last being divided into Parodos and Stasimon.

The prologue is that entire part of a tragedy which precedes the Parodos of the Chorus. The Episode is that entire part of a tragedy which is between complete choric songs. The Exodus is that entire part of a tragedy which has no choric song after it. Of the Choric part the Parodos is the first undivided utterance of the Chorus. " (Aristotle, "Poetics"). Shakespeare follows this arrangement and divides Macbeth and Hamlet into 5 parts: Prologue, Episode, Exodus, Parodos and Stasimon. Though Macbeth, unlike other plays of Shakespeare, does not include Choric songs.

This feature still follows Aristotle's component of a plot and in this way it does not diminish the value of Macbeth as a tragedy in the Aristotelian sense. According to Aristotle, the ideal arrangement of actions in a plot is the following sequence: Exposition, Inciting Action, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, and Denouement. Macbeth and Hamlet follow this sequence and introduce a new question every moment. The last, a very important, feature is called a dramatic tension and it keeps the interest of the audience all the time. In order to make the action of Macbeth and Hamlet complete, the tragedies must have activating circumstances, a disclosure, and a reversal of action. In Macbeth, the activating circumstances are the witches.

When Macbeth and Banqou meet them, the witches predict the futures of the two men and this adds supernatural powers to the play. The aim of introducing witches into the story is to demonstrate the forces of fate. Eventually, the predictions of these hags cause the destruction of Macbeth. Their prophesies are tempting Macbeth. Although, the witches do not give him direct instructions what to do, their predictions stimulate his ambitions and desires for kingship and finally he committed the murderous acts, which led to his downfall. In the disclosure, the audience realizes the new things, which help to put the pieces of the play together.

Thus, Lady Macbeth said to her husband: "What need we fear who knows it, when none can call our power to account?" (lines 40 - 42) and "I tell you yet again, Banqou's buried" (lines 66 - 67). Consequently, the hubris of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth becomes evident and the audience understands that their Nemesis is coming soon. The reversal of action takes place when Macduff kills Macbeth. This act enables the conclusion that Macbeth ends his life just in the way he took the lives of other people: through deception and murder. Macbeth was punished for his evil acts and it was his ambition that killed him.

This fatal circle of events testifies to the fact that the action in the tragedy is complete. In Hamlet the activating circumstance is the ghost of Hamlets father, who appears to inform Hamlet that he was poisoned by Claudius. The ghost asks Hamlet to revenge his death. Like in Macbeth, the interference of supernatural forces causes suffering and further destruction of the protagonist.

Hamlet is weak and indecisive in his revenge. It is his Hamartia, that he lacks strong will and can not choose between acting as a prince or as Hamlet. The disclosure comes when Hamlet arranges the performance telling the story very similar to that of his fathers death and showing the guilt of Claudius. The reversal of action occurs when Hamlet is killed in the duel with Laertes.

When Hamlet dies, he manages to stab his enemy Claudius with the poisoned sword and in this way to complete his revenge. As to the nobility of the tragedy, it should be noted that Macbeth was written during the Elizabethan era, when ambition was highly regarded. Ambition was an admirable quality of the nobility of that time. Macbeth in the play is called as "brave Macbeth" and "noble Macbeth." All in all, the personalities of Macbeth and Hamlet suit Aristotelian expectations of a protagonist in a tragedy. For example, in the beginning of the story, Macbeth is described as a good man.

Act I scene ii shows that his courage is highly praised. Macbeth's exploits moved Duncan and admired by the soldiers. Every tragic hero, according to Aristotle, must undergo a change of his fortune from prosperity (either material or emotional) to adversity. The tragic fall of the hero comes as deserved retribution from hamartia. The tragedy Hamlet demonstrates the distinctive mark of tragic imitation, as required by Aristotle. It contains a sequence of actions that excite fear and pity of the audience.

Thus, the character of ghost brings fear in the first scene: one of the soldiers as if predicting the appearance of ghost describes his emotional state: tis bitter cold, And I am sick at heart. (Hamlet, p. 25); also later Horatio says about the ghost that it harrows me with fear and wonder. (Hamlet, p. 25). These feelings are easily transferred to the audience. The feeling of pity is also expressed many times in the tragedy. King: Though yet of Hamlet our dear brothers death/ The memory be green: and that it us befitted/ to bear our hearts in grief, and our whole Kingdom/ to be contracted in one brow of woe (Hamlet, p. 31) Nevertheless, Shakespeare's tragedies do not completely follow the requirements posed in Aristotelian Poetics. For example, Shakespeare often mixes low-life characters with his noble ones - kings and princes. More than that, Shakespeare's representatives of lower social levels incorporate wit and bawdy turning the situation into comedy rather than keeping a heightened tone.

To illustrate this I will cite the speech of the soldiers from Hamlet: Barnardo: Whos there? Francisco: Nay answer me. Stand and unfold yourself. Then Barnardo recommends: tis now struck twelve, get thee to bed Francisco. (Hamlet, p. 25) Also, Shakespeare used irony in his plays. This contradicts the requirements of language in Aristotelian tragedy. For example, when Macbeth hears of the death of his wife, he shows grief and despair though his words are full of irony.

He says that life became meaningless for him: "It is a tale/ Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury/ Signifying nothing" (Act V, scene v, lines 26 - 28), but the whole play evidences the opposite. Not less important is the role of women in Shakespeare's tragedies. Shakespeare tends to equalize men and women in his plays. For instance, women bear the same emotional burden as men. In Hamlet, Hamlets suffer and mourning of his fathers death are set on the background of the grief and further madness of Ophelia. In Macbeth, Lady Macbeth persuades her husband to believe the predictions and carry out the assassination for the sake of kingship.

Also, it is interesting, that in Macbeth the forces of fate are embodied in females (witches), whereas in Hamlet they are shown with the help of a male person (the ghost of Hamlets father). So, I may conclude that the weight given to women in Shakespeare's tragedies are his innovations (in comparison with Aristotelian tragedy) and are the signs of future feminism in literature and theatre. Summing up, I have found out that Shakespeare followed the requirements of Aristotelian tragedy in many aspects. Thus, Macbeth and Hamlet have complete actions, which are provided with activating circumstances, a disclosure, and a reversal of action. They also have the sequence of action in plot, as Aristotle demanded.

The nobility of these tragedies is shown through the nobility of their protagonists and the nobility of their intentions (for example, I disclosed the intention of Macbeth). Hamlet excites fear and pity of the audience. But there are Shakespearean innovations in Macbeth and Hamlet that contradict the point of view of Aristotle. For example, Shakespeare mixes low-life characters with his noble ones, uses irony in his plays, and tends to equalize men and women. End notes: [ 1 ] Bailiff this position corresponds to the position of mayor in Stratford. [ 2 ] Renaissance it is the period in European civilization immediately following the Middle Ages, conventionally held to have been characterized by a surge of interest in classical learning and values. (Renaissance, Encyclopedia Britannica, Britannica Inc. 2004) Bibliography: Aristotle. Poetics.

Translated by S. H. Butcher. Network Resources of Classics. May 4, 2005, from < web > David L. Simpson, Comedy and Tragedy, The School for New Learning, DePaul University, 1998, May 4, 2005,
depaul. edu/~simpson / those /comic-tragic. ht ml> Mel Gordon, "Tragedy, " Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia, 2005, May 4, 2005, < web > Life (from Shakespeare, William), Encyclopedia Britannica, Britannica Inc. 2004 Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Macbeth. Harvard Classics, Vol. 46, Part 4, May 4, 2005, < web > Shakespeare, William. Hamlet.

Penguin Popular Classics: England, Clays Ltd, 1994 Tragedy, Wikipedia, Wikimedia. May 1, 2005, May 4, 2005, < web >


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