Tragedy

Tragedy is a literary device signifying a story or drama that presents an admirable or courageous character that confronts powerful forces inside and/or outside of themselves. 

These characters do so with a dignity that reveals the nature of human spirit in the face of failure, defeat, and even death. 

In a tragedy, a protagonist is undone or brought to ruin by a critical character flaw or by the cruelty of fate. 

Literary tragedies recount a tragic hero’s downfall in that the protagonist typically begins in “high” position or esteem and ends “low,” in despair, ruin, or destruction

There is some dispute over the origins of the term “tragedy.” Generally it is understood that the word comes from the the Classical Greek word trag(o)-aoidiā, meaning “goat song.” 

There are a few different reasons posited for what role the goat played in the first iterations of tragedy. 

Some say that a goat was given as a prize to whomever sang the best tragic song in a competition, while others argue that a goat was sacrificed while choral dancing occurred. 

Yet one more possible etymological root is from the Greek work trygodia, meaning “ode of the grape harvest,” as these events may have occurred during that harvest.

Aristotle defines tragedy as "the imitation of an action, serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude, in a language beautified in different parts with different kinds of embellishment, through action and not narration, and through scenes of pity and fear bringing about the 'catharsis' of these emotions."

There are six constituent parts of a tragedy : plot, character, thought, diction, song and spectacle. 

However, plot is the most important part because it involves action.

• It is the soul of tragedy. Tragedies can be classified into two main categories: Classical tragedy and the Romantic tragedy.

The first tragedy in English was 'Gorboduc'. It was written by Norton and Sackville in 1561. It is a classical tragedy.

• Webster's 'Duchess of Malfi' (1614) is a romantic tragedy.

One of the most famous classical tragedies is Oedipus Rex. This Greek drama by Sophocles presents the dramatic story of Oedipus who, unknowingly, kills his father and marries his mother. 

Oedipus Rex meets all criteria for tragedy as a literary device. Oedipus is considered admirable due to his noble birth. His tragic flaw is his pride, demonstrated in denying the will of the gods and attempting to change his destiny by fleeing Corinth. 

Oedipus’s continued pride, and refusal to acknowledge the truth of his circumstances until it is too late, leads to his downfall and remorse. Oedipus blinds and exiles himself.

There are some important terms related to a tragedy

Catharsis

The death of a tragic hero cleans the harder passions by arousing the feelings of pity and fear and leaves the reader or the spectator in a state of 'calm of mind, all passions spent'.

Hamartia

It is a tragic flow or fatal flow in the character of the hero and it leads to his doom and death.

Peripeteia

Peripeteia means a sudden change in the fortune of the hero from good to bad or from high to low.

Catastrophe

The end of the tragedy is called catastrophe. The hero or heroine or both meet their end at this point.

Recognition

When a tragic hero remains in a state of deception or illusion for long, it is called recognition.

Poetic Justice

It is giving of reward or punishment in proportion to one's virtuous or evil deeds.

Soliloquy

The secret thoughts or scheme in the mind of a character are known to the audience through a soliloquy. It is a dramatic device which may be called as 'loud thinking'

Tragedy MCQ