Tragedy Themes in Literature Essay Example

to accept the challenge despite his apprehension. As a Protestant educated at Wittenberg, Martin Luther's university, he is prohibited from seeking vengeance since retribution is reserved for God, not humanity (Barnaby, p.1334). As the play progresses, Hamlet finds it difficult to fulfill his vengeful duty.

Hamlet faces obstacles from two directions. He needs to ascertain the Ghost's true identity, determining whether it is his deceased father or a malevolent being from the supernatural realm. Additionally, he requires concrete evidence to substantiate Claudius's status as a wicked and murderous individual in human form. To uncover the truth about Claudius's guilt before taking revenge, Hamlet intends to pretend madness in hopes that this strategy will force Claudius to confess his wrongdoing or prove his innocence. However, instead of admitting anything, Claudius arranges for Hamlet to be sent to England as part of a scheme designed to have him killed. Furthermore, Hamlet plans the inclusion of a scene known as the "mouse-trap" within a theatrical performance.

The protagonist of the play, Hamlet, requests the acting group to perform a scene portraying the regicide of Claudius killing his brother and Hamlet's father, Old King Hamlet, just as Hamlet imagines it. Ultimately, Hamlet's tragic flaw, his indecisiveness regarding the Ghost and revenge, leads him and several others (including his mother, Polonius, Laertes, and Ophelia) to their untimely deaths. While it is true that Hamlet hesitates, his flaw goes beyond indecision. Apart from hesitating, Hamlet is fated to bring about his own destruction. When he exclaims, "Oh evil hatred that I was destined to make right," Hamlet acknowledges that he is fated to carry out the act and suffer its tragic consequences. As

many have stated, one of Hamlet's tragic flaws is his hesitation.

The renowned film adaptation of Hamlet featuring Laurence Olivier begins with a voice-over proclaiming, "This is the tale of an indecisive man." (Stritmatter, p.514-517) Furthermore, this character is tormented by hubris, the sin of regarding oneself as exceptional. Let us consider Hamlet at the moment when he has a golden opportunity to slay Claudius inside a church, soon after obtaining the evidence needed to prove Claudius' guilt. He possesses the power to take action and if it is indeed the right course of action, he ought to act. However, he chooses not to do so. Why? Hamlet's motive is to ensure that Claudius' soul suffers in damnation. In that very instant, Hamlet seals his own destiny.

Hamlet's fatal flaw is his threefold nature: hesitation, fate, and arrogance. He takes on the role of God, which only leads to his own destruction. His famous soliloquy on the meaning of life showcases his uncertainty as he ponders whether to seek revenge for his father's death. This hesitation stems from fear, causing him to miss multiple opportunities for action. An example of this is when he impulsively kills Polonius while hiding behind a curtain.

The text suggests that Willy Loman is intended to be seen as an anti-hero, representing the countless American men who become obsolete in the eyes of their employers as they grow old. While Willy Loman may seem insignificant on his own, when considering the millions who came before him and will come after him, his fate becomes tragic due to the sheer number of workers facing similar circumstances. This indicates that Arthur Miller intended for Willy

to symbolize workers under capitalism. (Douthit, p.439)

They start off burdened with hopes, aspirations, and energy when they are young, but most of them end up like Willy - exhausted, frustrated, defeated, thrown, scorned by their own children, still trying to pay off their debts, still wondering what went wrong with their plans. If Willy Loman is considered a type rather than an individual, then his tragic flaw is his belief in the American dream. Like many other men, he was unable to achieve his dreams of success, so he projected his dreams onto his son Biff. However, Biff was beginning to see the reality and the deceit involved in the system.

If Biff's confusion were to become widespread, a change would occur in the framework. The distinction between Death of a Salesman and ancient Greek tragedies appears to be that the heroes of the old tragedies were strong, dynamic individuals, while the protagonist of Death of a Salesman symbolizes countless ordinary people (Liu, p.74). In my opinion, the answer is no. A tragic hero is tragic because he possesses all the elements of greatness. He has the potential to be something magnificent, beautiful, and significant. However, due to his own shortcomings, all that greatness turns into horror. In this case, Willy does not possess any elements of greatness.

He is a tragic figure who desires to achieve great things but has never been able to. According to Aristotle, a tragic hero should have a decisive moment. However, Willy never experiences the transition from success to failure because he doesn't know how to succeed at all. While he possesses a fatal flaw in his lack of awareness and

vanity, he never has a moment of realization where he understands that his flaw has caused his life to unravel. Even until the very end, Willy believes that he has been unjustly treated by the world and that he is merely a powerless pawn in determining his own destiny (Douthit,p.440). Personally, I do not see Willy as a tragic hero at all.

Despite not perceiving him as woeful, he is a man with aspirations of grandeur who passionately desired greater success. He also longed to be genuinely adored and highly respected, envisioning himself as more renowned and adulated than his current status.

He longed for recognition and admiration from his job, so he fabricated this false image of himself. I sympathized with Willy, truly. He struggled with so much and lacked the tools to cope with those struggles, so the only way out was to end his life, which is never a good choice. The tragedies Hamlet, Oedipus the King, and Death of a Salesman have remarkably different plots and characters; however, each play shares common elements in its resolution. The events in the plays' endings stem from a tragic flaw possessed by the protagonist in each play. The downfall of each protagonist is caused by their inability to effectively deal with their tragic flaw.

The plays Hamlet, Oedipus the King, and Death of a Salesman all share similarities in various aspects. These similarities include elements of the plot, the impact of different characters on the tragic hero's downfall, and the expression of important themes through character dialogue. It is notable that all three protagonists - Hamlet, Oedipus, and Villa - possess a tragic flaw that ultimately leads

to their demise. Villa is portrayed as a hesitant hero who carefully weighs his choices rather than acting impulsively. However, when he lacks time for contemplation, he acts recklessly (Frater, p.545). For instance, in Act III scene iii, he had an opportunity to kill Claudius but did not seize it. Likewise,Oedipus' fatal flaw was his excessive pride or hubris.

He had faith in his perfection and therefore maintained the false belief of his trustworthiness. Willy Loman was haunted by his obsession with the fleeting promises of the American Dream.

Work Cited

• Fredriksen, Stale. "Tragedy, utopia and medical progress." Journal of medical ethics 32.8 (2006): 450-453.
• Stritmatter, Roger. "The influence of a Genevan note from Romans 7: 19 on Shakespeare's Sonnet 151." Notes and Queries 44.4 (1997): 514-517.
• Douthit, Lue Morgan. "Essays on Aristotle's Poetics." Theatre Journal 46.3 (1994): 438-440.
• Liu, Joan YW, et al. "Neuropathology of 16p13. 11 deletion in epilepsy." PloS one 7.4 (2012): e34813.
• Frater, John L., et al. "Surgical pathologic findings of extratemporal-based intractable epilepsy: a study of 133 consecutive resections." Archives of pathology & laboratory medicine 124.4 (2000): 545-549.
• Barnaby, Andrew.

"Derek Wood's article, titled 'Exiled from Light: Divine Law, Morality and Violence in Milton's Samson Agonistes,' was published in Renaissance Quarterly in 2003 and spans from page 1341 to page 1343."