According to critic Northrop Frye, “Tragic heroes are so much
the highest points in their
human landscape that they seem the inevitable conductors of the power about them, great
trees more likely to be struck by lightning than a clump of grass. Conductors may of course be
instruments as well as victims of the divisive lightning.” Select a novel or play in which a tragic
figure functions as an instrument of the suffering of others. Then write an essay in which you
explain how the suffering brought upon others by that figure contributes to the tragic vision of
the work as a whole.
human landscape that they seem the inevitable conductors of the power about them, great
trees more likely to be struck by lightning than a clump of grass. Conductors may of course be
instruments as well as victims of the divisive lightning.” Select a novel or play in which a tragic
figure functions as an instrument of the suffering of others. Then write an essay in which you
explain how the suffering brought upon others by that figure contributes to the tragic vision of
the work as a whole.
Many works that center around a tragic hero have a broader tragic vision that goes beyond the hero and involves the suffering of other characters in the play. William Shakespeare's Hamlet demonstrates this when the suffering of the tragic hero, Hamlet, has a ripple effect on the other characters, leading to a tragic, bloody ending with almost none of the main characters left alive and certainly none left unaffected.
Hamlet is not in a good situation from the beginning of the play, when he has to deal with his cold uncle who killed his father and soon after married mother. This, coupled with the pressure to avenge his father's death cause him to turn inward and become very depressed. Because of his status as a member of the royal family isolated in a castle in Elsinore, he lacks an identity. This lack of identity impairs his abilities to make moral decisions, which leads him to more internal suffering, thoughts of suicide, and eventually his tragic death. In his wake he leaves a pile of dead bodies and tortured minds, all afflicted in some way by his suffering.
Hamlet's suffering causes not only the deaths of most of the other characters, but also lots of moral pain, to the point of almost insanity for some. Claudius's guilt over killing his brother is intensified by Hamlet's desperate attempt to figure out what path he should take by putting on the play. The audience sees how upset he is over his actions and even might sympathize with him to some degree, making his death at the end (caused by Hamlet) and subsequently the work as a whole more tragic, because he is not a completely evil person. Laertes and Ophelia are hurt by their father's death (also a result of Hamlet's inner torture), which, along with Hamlet's rejection and the possibility that she's carrying his baby, causes Ophelia so much pain that she goes insane and commits suicide. Laertes, crippled by the death of his father and sister, resorts to immoral behavior and kills Hamlet and inadvertently. His admission and sorrow for his wrongdoing as he is dying gives him some degree of redemption and makes his death add to the tragic image of the work as a whole. Gertrude also gets caught up in the slaughter and ends up giving up her life for her son. Her devotion to her son despite his behavior ends in her death and also adds to the tragic vision as a whole because her very death is in a way redemption, making the audience sympathize with her more.
Polonius, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern, although they don't suffer morally that much from Hamlet, add to the body count, and increase the wake of suffering Hamlet leaves behind him. The deaths of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, ordered by Hamlet, seem especially senseless and magnify the extent of the impact Hamlet's tragic circumstances on himself on those around him.
Hamlet's tragic circumstances due to his difficult past and lack of identity have a ripple effect, wiping out most of the other characters mentally and physically. The only main character still alive at the end of the story is Horatio, and he has to live the rest of his life replaying the memory of the death of his best friend and others whom he knew well.
I think in your very first paragraph you should start it with "In William Shakespeare's Hamlet..." then mention your first sentence. Also, you should include what you're going to be talking about later on throughout your paper. You did a good job of including the meaning behind it, which should be the very last sentence in your thesis paragraph. In your third paragraph you say, "[Claudius is] not a completely evil person" Could you explain this further? Because I think he is a terrible person. He killed his brother for selfish reasons, married the queen for the sole purpose of becoming king, and then plotted to kill his nephew-son. I think he is the definition of evil. But hey, with some convincing I could be persuaded.
ReplyDeleteHi Stacey, I see what you mean about how I should have explained my statement on Claudius not being completely evil. My thoughts are that although he commits lots of selfish, terrible acts, I would completely disagree that he is "The definition of evil." He shows lots of remorse for his actions, especially in the prayer scene. He begs forgiveness and seems almost tortured by his guilt. I don't think a truly evil person would be capable of remorse. Also, when he hears that Young Fortinbras is preparing to attack and try to get the land his father lost back, he contacts his uncle about it, who orders Fortinbras to stop. He could have prepared to go to war, but he chooses the least violent solution he can, showing that he does care about the lives of the people of Denmark. Also, although he puts himself first, he does show true affection for Gertrude throughout the play, and at least tries to stop her from drinking the poison. I think that he definitely has a few redeeming qualities (most concrete would be the remorse) that make him not completely/pure evil. This pattern of having characters that are not black and white good or evil can be seen in several other of Shakespeare's works, such as Macbeth and Othello.
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