Tragic Hero

Siddharth G. Desai

Roll no. - 12

SEM - I

Paper no. - 3

Year - 2010-11

Topic: - Tragic Hero

                             

                   Submitted to Dr. Dilip Barad

Department of English,

Bhavnagar University.

                         

                      Before we see more about “Tragic Hero”, let’s see first what is Tragedy? Tragedy is a kind of drama which represents of serious and important actions which turn out disastrous for the chief character.

                      Aristotle defined “Tragedy” as “Tragedy, then, is an imitation of an action that is serious, complete and of a certain magnitude: in the language embellished with each kind of artistic ornament, the several kinds being found in separate parts of the play: in the form of action, not of narrative: through pity and fear effecting the proper purgation-catharsis of these and similar emotions.”

                    In this definition, the word “catharsis” and “purgation” or “purification”-both are accepted. But there is a different interpretation of this word. Here, it is, “one recent critic, however interprets Aristotle’s “catharsis” as applying not to an effect on the audience, but to an element within the play itself: it signifies, he claims, the purgation of the guilt attached to the hero’s tragic act through the demonstration by the course of the drama that the hero performed this act without knowledge of its nature.

                                - M. H. ABRAMS - LITERARY TERMS

                     Aristotle asserts that tragedy can be divided into six parts. He has given this theory of tragedy. Let’s see the six parts of tragedy.

v Plot (Fable/Mythos):-

             

Plot is the “first Principle” and “the Soul of tragedy.” Aristotle defines Plot as…

“The arrangement of the incident.”

i.e., not the story itself but the way the incidents are presented to the audience, the structure of the play. According to Aristotle, in tragedies, the result depends on a tightly constructed cause-and-effect chain of actions. The plot should have the following qualities.

1.     The plot must be “complete”, having “unity of action.”

2.     Similarly, the plot should be exclude the irrational or at least keep it “outside the scope of the tragedy”, i.e., reported rather than dramatized.

3.     The plot must be “of a certain magnitude” both quantitatively
(length, complexity) and qualitatively (“seriousness” and universal significance). Aristotle argues that more incidents and themes increase the value and richness of the play.

4.     The plot may be either simple or complex, although complex is better. Simple plots have only a “change of fortune” (catastrophe). Complex plots have both “reversal of intention” (Peripeteia) and “recognition” (anagnorsis) connected with the catastrophe.

v  Character (Ethos):-

              Character has the second place in importance. In a perfect tragedy, character will support plot. The protagonist should be renowned and prosperous, so his change of fortune can be from good to bad. This change should be about as the result, not of vice, but of some great error or frailty in a character.

               Here, Aristotle uses “Hamartia” which is often translated as “tragic flaw”. The protagonist has only one flaw in him which brings about his own downfall. Character in tragedy should have the following qualities:

1.     “Good or fine.” Aristotle says, “Even a woman may be good, and also a slave to be an inferior being, and the slave quite worthless.

2.     “true to type” e.g. valour is appropriate for a warrior but not for a woman.

3.     “ true to life”(realistic)

4.     “consistency” (true to themselves). Once a character’s personality and motivations are established these should continue through the play.

5.     “necessary or probable”

6.     “true to life and yet more beautiful.”

v Thought(Dianoia):-

             Thought is third in importance. Thought is the intellectual want in a tragedy. It is expressed trough the speech of character. Tragic dramatist presents his views on life through the mouth of a tragic character. Sometimes, speeches are as significant as character. Dramatist’s aim is compressed in a thought. Thus, Aristotle says little about thought.

v Diction(Lexis):-

             Diction is the forth. Aristotle particularly interested in metaphor. He says, “But the greatest thing by far is to have a command or metaphor.”Thus, Aristotle makes the essential difference between the language of verse and ordinary prose speech. He says, “The poetic expression should be clear without being a common place. It is Diction which distinguishes a good writer from the ordinary writer.” Diction is also connected with word, sounds, their harmony and music. Through Diction, dialogues are presented on the stage. Sometimes, the Diction of a good dramatist makes the tragic drama Sublime.

v Melody or Song:-

         Song or Melody is the fifth and is the musical element of the chorus. Aristotle argues that the chorus should be fully integrated into the play like an actor. It distinguished the tragedy from other kinds of poetry. Through song or music the dramatist makes his tragedy pleasant.

v Spectacle(Opsis):-

                  Spectacle is the last, for it is least connected with literature. Aristotle argues that superior poets rely on the inner structure of the play rather than spectacle to arouse pity and fear. Those who rely heavily on spectacle…

“Create a sense, not of the terrible, but only of the monstrous.”

Thus, in “The Poetics”, Aristotle has shown the effect of the stagecraft on the spectator. Except, above six parts of tragedy, these are other elements which are essential for tragedy; these are,

1.     Dramatic Unity

2.     Tragic Pleasure

3.     Catharsis

                   In tragedy, the tragic hero is main or the chief character with whom these six parts are connected. Because of the act of guilt, the hero has to suffer a lot. Specially, we can say, his “error of judgment” is responsible for his suffering. This “error of judgment” is called “Hamartia”. There is a kind of flaw what we can say “Tragic Flaw” is responsible for “error of judgment”. Tragic hero suffers from this “Tragic Flaw” in tragedy. And because of this “error of judgment” or “Tragic Flaw” or “Hamartia”, tragic hero makes a mistake in his life and he has to pay a great cost for this mistake. In other words, we can also say that this mistake leads him to this tragic end. With all concepts like, “error of judgment”, “Tragic Flaw” and “Hamartia”, there is a concept like, “hubris” which is one Greek common form of “Hamartia” and it is also connected with the tragic hero. It is also one responsible reason for the tragic hero’s down fall.

               

                In tragedy, the chief character i.e. tragic hero fails to follow the morality. On the base of the morality ground, the character fails to follow the path of morality of humanity. He fails to understand the value of morality. Then he chooses evil path and it invites disaster. His failure of understanding in the morality becomes curse for him.

             

               We feel pity and fear for tragic hero. Because of his “error of judgment” or “Tragic Flaw”, he fails to understand “What is good or bad?” According to Aristotle, the tragic hero ought to be neither overwhelmingly good nor overwhelming bad, rather intermediate much like us. We should try to show the better qualities in the hero. We have to understand that the hero suffers because of his deeds. We have to suffer if we fail to follow morality.

               In Literature, if we see some examples like, King Oedipus fails to follow the path of morality. He had to suffer because of his “hasty judgment or temper” this “hasty judgment or temper” became “error of judgments” for him. And this “error of judgment” led him to devastation. In case of Macbeth, we can say for his declination only one thing is responsible and that is his ‘Vaulting Ambition.’ Because of his ‘Vaulting Ambition’, he chose a wrong way to fulfill it and this thing led him to his tragic end. In case of Doctor Faustus, his lust for knowledge is responsible for his ruin. He chose a path of evil for fulfilling his desires.

             So these are some examples of tragic hero which show the failure of the understanding which becomes the error of his judgment.

             Let’s see what Aristotle has said abut tragic hero in his book “Poetics.” Aristotle has talked about the tragic hero in the fifteenth chapter of this book.

              According to Aristotle, the tragic hero is of good and appropriate character. That is, his motives, desires, ambitions etc., ought to be admirable to some extent and well suited to his station in life. He must be consistent in his behavior. Also Aristotle says that the hero must be realistic.

              In Greek Tragedies, we can see that the prince or king at the centre it means, they were the chief characters i.e. they were showed as the tragic heroes and their Destiny were their characters. But in now-a-days, the hero is changed. Today, the tragedy can be of a common man so we can say; Common man has taken place of tragic hero in the tragedy.

v Conclusion:-

                   

                           Tragic hero is a person whose deeds decide his future. His evil deeds become “error of judgment” for him. And this “error of judgment” invites destruction or declination. Thus, the tragic end of the tragic hero comes in tragedy.