In the genre of literature, the word tragedy can be loosely applied to mean any serious and dignified drama that gives a description of the conflict that is existent between the protagonist (seen as the hero in this situation) and a superior force (god, fate, chance or society) and which reaches a sorrowful conclusion that evokes pity or fear from the audience. It is an imitation of an act that is grave, complete and of a certain enormity wherewith, it uses certain emotional techniques in order to arouse incidents of fear and pity from its audience. According to this generic definition, tragedy is thus based on the concept of a possibility that a person can be destroyed precisely by his attempts to be good, or at least better than other people around him, though not exactly perfect. This creates a dramatic irony in the fact that a person’s attempts to be good eventually destroy him. It depicts the ever existent conflict between innate human goodness and the realities of the world. Though not necessarily intended to make people sad, tragic literature has the capability to arouse pity and/or fear from their audiences as they try to recognize with the situations of the protagonist and the cruel realities that surround him. In some instances, it is also intended to inspire admiration and appreciation for the character, and by extension to ourselves, as they try to overcome these realities. Even when the hero falls, there is the existence of glory in his or her misfortunes and the joy that only such virtues can install.
According to Socrates’ concept of tragedy, it is “an imitation [mimesis] of an action that is serious and also, as having magnitude, complete in itself…with incidents arousing pity and fear, wherewith to accomplish its catharsis of such emotions. In relation to this definition, the term imitation does not necessarily imply an act on the stage alone as Socrates’ recognizes the existence of other artworks, such as dance, painting and songs that could be equally used to depict tragedies. By magnitude, he does not necessarily imply the greatness of the subject matter but rather, an adequate time allowance of the production. Though there have been debates about his definition of the word “catharsis,” it has been widely defined as a form of cleansing of the pity and fear that the audience might have as they observe the actions on the stage and relate them to their own situations (Brown 56). As this cleansing takes place, the depiction of the tragedies relieves any potentially harmful emotions that may be present in the audience, leaving them better people than they were before the experience.
King Richard has a beautiful beginning by showing Henry reproaching the Duke of Norfolk over the death of another Duke, Gloucester, and the smaller brother to King Richard. However it is not clear that King Richard did not kill Gloucester, nor does it reveal that he was the man behind the murder. It also never shows that in any way Richard participated in the prevention of his death. He moved forward and tried to settle the dispute, King Richard gave the men freedom over the dispute and finally throw out their argument and made a judgment that banished Mowbray for lie and sending Bolingbroke for five years. More tragedy is foreseen, and surely it comes to pass. Henry’s father soon passes, which was majorly caused by the sorrow brought the expelling of his son. This gives Richard a time that he does not waste at all and immediately enters into the business of seizing the late Dukes domain, takes up the money to go into a fight with the Irish. Another tragedy is yet to happen. There is a clear indication that the misfortunes are never ending and life of happiness in this community never seems to last for long. One bad thing always follows another leading to a mourning conclusion.
At this point Henry has surreptitiously made his return, only to find that the aristocracy of England is so distant with sharing in the joy of Duke of York at the same time as he is fighting the Irish. Then what follows is Richard come back from Ireland to find not only the expelling of Bolingbroke “The ripest fruit first falls, and so doth he; His time is spent, our pilgrimage must be” (The Tragedy of King Richard the Second (King Richard at II, i)) but in addition that the entire lands he had captured from Bolingbrokes father he had reclaimed then in a lie using Henrys name. Sooner than later he discovered that his is a planed strategy though very shallow “Small showers last long, but sudden storms are short” (Gaunt at II, i) where he had gone to the extent of killing his preferred sir John Bushy, earl of Wiltshire and John Green. Now that Richard has so much on his hands the other Dukes of Aumerle and of York’s Son volunteer to give him assistance in his cause.
This is done in order to allow the audience, human beings with many imperfections, to identify with the character. It thus allows the audience to see in the hero someone who is essentially like them, albeit with the elevated societal position. The downfall of the hero is thus depicted as part of his own fault, the consequences of free will, not of accident or some malignant and overriding destiny. In this case, the downfall of the hero is brought about by his or her errors in judgment, primarily contributed by their imperfections (Brown 56). Nonetheless, the hero’s misfortunes are not in every respect deserved and his or her punishment far exceeds the crime committed. The fall is then eventually depicted as not an all together loss as the hero gains awareness and self-knowledge on his or her imperfections and as thus, tries to correct them. Though solemnly emotional, Socrates argues that a tragedy should be capable of “cleansing” the audience of their personal fears and pity, leaving them better people than they initially were.
According to Socrates’, the tragic hero is supposed to be a person of noble character, stature and repute, embodying this nobility and virtue as part of his or her inherent character. However, even with these virtues and nobility, the hero is not perfect. According to Socrates, the fall of a completely virtuous person would provoke moral outrage as it would be seen as an injustice to his or her virtuosity. In the same respect, a fall of a villainous person would be seen as an appropriate person for his or her actions and would thus not arouse any emotions of fear or pity. Thus, as Socrates puts it, the best type of a tragic hero exists “between these extremes… a person who is neither perfect in virtue and justice, nor one who falls into misfortune through vice and depravity, but rather, one who succumbs through some miscalculation” (Brown 48).
The main concept of great courage and valor is clearly depicted by the theme Greek legends and traditions. This went along through the in the Homer’s and perfectly portraying a tragic falling hero. In most of his familiarity in the occurrence of wars all the Achilles has over the time imitated unbeatable heroic qualities creating him strong untouchable name. This in return gives him the champion name and treatment making him the best of the Achaians. In this case Socrates profoundly demonstrates quite a few valiant characteristics in the work performed by Plato’s in the Trial and Death of Socrates. Though the Heroism characteristic and qualities to commit to his society are genuine he finally ends up as a fallen hero whose name was soon forgotten.It is soon verified that a combatant on lives his life in the pursuit and quest for tribute, reputation and glory only to die struggling to get all this things.
Achilies is then placed as a superman buta man that is purely dependent on the intelligence and his social standing in the society, and also his performance was based on the expectations of the society. He is seen to freely enjoy and recognize the heroic life that formed a pattern that consistent to his suffering and death. In the Greek legend there is no reference in to the afterlife, meaning winning the glory even if it means a tragic death will give meaning to their life. Into the Homeric Greeks culture Socrates heightens death as a tragedy that makes one loss all the good things and the titles. There is only one major thing that could have been worse than dying; this is dying without glory.
As much as Richard is tiring to “leave not a rack behind” (The Tragedy of King Richard the Second (Gaunt at I, iii)) unfortunately for Richard his army has fully split up upon them hearing the gossips and rumor, which is false that he is dead. As the common herd see that there is no army, mutiny the duke of York sooner joins the Bolingbroker’s revolution. This leads him to an uprising and realization of “sorrow concealed, like an oven stopped doth burns the heart to cinders” he cannot barely manage England; leading him to go into hiding into the unknown Flint Castle. As always, “Pride comes before a fall,” (The Tragedy of King Richard the Second (King Richard at II, i))and at this particular point King Richard does not have much of a choice other than to banish him like he did to others. The subjects of England are in problems since they are not enjoying peace as they should and this causes Bolingbroke to meet Richard in his hideout at the castle ‘sweet mercy is nobility’s true badge’(The Tragedy of King Richard the Second (Carlisle at III, ii)) forcing to upend his banishment order in order to resume peace. Richard is now put before the parliament and he has not much option other than to confess his many felonies against England and this ultimately results to him handing over the crown to Bolingbroke. Bolingbroke later takes up the rule becoming King Henry the IV.
Now that Richard has lost the thrown to Henry, but since “he who wants all losses all,” he is deported back to his native home in France. Aumerel the son of the Duke of York, whom has been a supporter of Richard from the time of his ruling, he makes a plot against Henry IV (Kennedy and Goia 78). He plans on poisoning him when they go to Oxford but, unfortunately, “what goes around comes around” (The Tragedy of King Richard the Second (Carlisle at III, ii)) and he is soon discovered and though he is shown mercy his perpetrator Richard the II is imprisoned at the Ponfret Castle. Though it could be in the wishes of King Henry the IV to have Richard killed, he wasn’t in a position to pass such a ruling. Soon, Sir Pierce of Exton have Richard Killed and this pushes King Henry the IV to denounce the killing and instead e s forced by the law to give a capital punishment to Exton’s accomplices. We are clearly left in a position where we see, from one misfortune of Richard II to the other, “Death will have his day” (The Tragedy of King Richard the Second (King Richard at III, ii)) nothing ends well for him all he gets after is a six foot yard under the ground.
Works Cited
Brown, Sterling. The Reader’s Companion to World Literature. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster, 2002.
Kennedy, X.J., and Gioia, Dana. Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama (10th ed.). New York, NY: Longman, 2007.