Nature and function of Tragedy

 

Nature and function of Tragedy

Definition: 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 affecting the proper purgation-catharsis of these and similar emotions.”

• The definition is compact. Every word of it is pregnant with meaning. Each word from it can be elaborated into a separate essay.

• All art is representation (imitation) of life, but none can represent life in its totality. Therefore, an artist has to be selective in representation.

• He must aim at representing or imitating an aspect of life or a fragment of life.

• Action comprises all human activities including deeds, thoughts and feelings. (so, soliloquies, chorus etc is also Action)

• The writer of ‘tragedy’ seeks to imitate the serious side of life just as a writer of ‘comedy’ seeks to imitate only the shallow and superficial side.

• The tragic section presented on the stage in a drama should be complete or self contained with a beginning, middle and an end. A beginning is that before which the audience or the reader does not need to be told anything to understand the story. If something more is required to understand the story than the beginning gives, it is unsatisfactory. From it follow the middle. In their turn the events from the middle lead to the end. Thus the story becomes a compact & self sufficient one. It must not leave the impression that even after the end the action continues, or that before the action starts certain things remain to be known.

• It must have a close-knit unit with nothing that is superfluous or unnecessary. Every episode, every character and a dialogue in the play must carry step by step the action that is set into motion to its logical dénouement. It must give the impression of wholeness at the end.

• The play must have, then, a definite magnitude, a proper size or a reasonable length such that the mind may comprehend fully. That is to say that it must have only the necessary duration, not longer than about three hours, or shorter than that. Longer duration may tire our patience and shorter ones make effective representation impossible. Besides, a drama continuing for hours – indefinitely may fail to keep the various parts of it together into unity and wholeness in the spectator’s mind. The reasonable duration enables the spectator to view the drama as a whole, to remember its various episodes and to maintain interest.

• The language employed here should be duly embellished and beautified with various artistic ornaments (rhythm, harmony, song) and figures of speech. The language of our daily affairs is not useful here because tragedy has to present a heightened picture of life’s serious side, and that is possible only if elevated language of poetry is used. According to need, the writer makes use of songs, poetry, poetic dialogue, simple conversation etc is various parts of the play.

• Its manner of imitation should be action, not narration as in epic, for it is meant to be a dramatic representation, not a mere story-telling.

• Then, for the function/aim of tragedy is to shake up in the soul the impulses of pity and fear, to achieve what he calls Catharsis. The emotions of pity and fear find a full and free out-let in tragedy. Their excess is purged and we are lifted out of our selves and emerged nobler than before.

Tips to remember the answer: 

In this answer, you have to explain following points in small paragraphs:

Imitation

Action

Serious

Complete

Certain magnitude

Medium: Language: ornamental

How? Manner: dramatic action not narration

Function: Catharsis.

Quotations

 

1. “Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower”. -Steve Jobs.

This is a leadership quote that is repeated over and over again in the business world, since being unique and having a strong personality makes you different from the rest. Innovation is about vision and it’s about creativity.  Innovators don’t solve problems everyone else is trying to solve.  Innovators create solutions for problems that don’t yet exist. Innovators lead through actions and results.

2. "Get a good idea and stay with it…until it's done right." - Walt Disney 

Get a good idea and stay with it. Dog it, and work at it Genius is nothing but a greater aptitude for patience. Success is doing what you want to do. Here's the blueprint for turning that idea of yours into the Next Big Thing. You have to stay with the idea long enough for it to come into fruition. You have to work on it with passion and with the belief that it will come true.

3. “To travel is to live” -Hans Christian Andersen

For any endeavour, or accomplishment, big or small, one must take action. Having an idea or merely thinking about it is not enough. It brings curiosity and the urge to investigate the experience of being alive. When we travel we get out of the old and settled habits. Travel is a freedom that gives you new insight and opportunities to grow more.

4. “The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.” -Saint Augustine

Travel is an opportunity to read the world.  On each page, you might find a new taste, flavour, scent, vision or sound that will make your world a richer place. On each page, you might meet new people, form new relationships, find and discover new languages. Of course, you will enjoy some ‘pages’ more than others – but even the parts you don’t enjoy at the time may have a profound effect on you later in life.

5. "Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." – Ralph Waldo Emerson

You shouldn’t be following the others and do just as they have been doing. Instead, you should be the trendsetter yourself. Do not go where the path would lead. People will walk on the paths that have already been shown by others before. It is important to realise your own worth and gain confidence in your abilities so that you can walk on the path that hasn’t been explored before. You should be more focused on discovering new things and put your unique ideas into action. 

6. "Man is what he eats." -Ludwig Feuerbach

If we look into the deeper meaning of the quotation, we would find that we are just flesh and blood and bones and nothing else. So, there are two aspects to the saying – Physical and Spiritual. Physically, it implies that if a person wants to be healthy and happy, they must eat a balanced diet. We require nutritious food, vitamins and minerals for healthy skin, teeth, etc. Spiritually, Feuerbach believed that He didn't think that there was anything beyond the material world: no God and no soul. But here's what he missed: the food that we eat is God's gift and blessing. We are what we eat alright, but our eating binds us to our creator through his gifts.

7. "Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise." - Benjamin Franklin

Early rising is a good and healthy habit. A person who sleeps in time and rises early in the morning will have a healthy body and wise mind, and he will be more successful in his career. It is generally said that Health is the real wealth and a person who gets up early certainly has a better start in his day’s work than another who sleeps late. A person who rises early in the morning makes wise decisions in his life.

8. "One's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things." - Henry Miller

Travelling gives you life experience and perspective that you can not gain through anything else, it takes your reality and warps it. Travelling makes you realise just how little you know but at the same time shows you a side of yourself you probably never knew was there at all. The adventures are really only just beginning but these are the valuable lessons that we have to learn. Henry Miller's quote tells us that by having one place as a destination we could be missing the bigger picture. That to be able to find peace you must be at peace with yourself first.

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Direct and Indirect Narration

 

Assignment 

4. (B) Turn the following into Indirect narration of speech: (one out of two) page No. 21

Unit 1

(1) Ben said. "I am going swimming, I am. Do you wish you could go with me? Or would you rather work?" Tom said, "What do you mean? Work?" "That is work."

• Ben told that he was going swimming, he was. Did they wish they could go with him. Or would they rather work. Tom replied that what did he mean. Work, that was work.

(2) "Oh. Tom. let me try. Only a little. I will be careful Tom. I will give you part of my apple."

"No. Ben, I am afraid

• MC Ben suggested to Tom that let him try only a little. He would be careful. He would be given a part of his apple. Tom replied that he was afraid.

Unit 3 and 4

(1) An official from the MC said. "We've done our part. We passed the orders properly. It's not our job to police the streets."

• An official from MC said that they had done their part by passing the orders properly. He added that it was not their job to police the streets.

(2) "People here do not abide by the rules. These same people would never run a traffic signal abroad. but here they need constant supervision, which is impossible..." said a traffic police officer.

• A traffic police officer said that people there did not abide by the rules. He added that those same people would never run a traffic signal abroad, and needed constant supervision here which was impossible.

(3) A passing student told this reporter. "The authorities charge too much for parking. Who will pay 25 bucks for only 15 - 20 minutes? If you just want to guzzle a tomato soup and have a quick bite at the tikki corner, you shouldn't have to pay so much."

• A passing student told this reporter that the authorities charged too much for parking. He also asked him who would pay 25 bucks for only 15 - 20 minutes parking, to guzzle a tomato soup and have a quick bite at the tikki corner.

(4) "Our task was to determine whether these unidentified objects were celestial or terrestrial." astronomer. Tushar Prabhu, told the newspaper.

• Astronomer Tushar Prabhu told the newspaper that their task was to determine whether those unidentified objects were celestial or terrestrial. 

Appendix 

(1) The waiting man took out a fine watch, covered with small jewels. "Three minutes before ten," he said."It was ten that night when we said goodbye here at the restaurant door."

• The waiting man took out a fine watch covered with small jewels. It was three minutes before ten said the man. It was ten that night when they said goodbye at the restaurant door.

(2) "It gave me everything I asked for. You've changed

Jimmy. I never thought you were so tall."

"Oh. I grew a little after I was twenty

"Are you doing well in New York. Jimmy?

"Well enough. I work for the city Come on. Bob, We'll go to a place I know, and have a good long talk about old times."

• He told Jimmy that he gave him everything that he asked for. He has changed. He never thought he was so tall. He grew a little after he was twenty. Were they done well in New York. Bob replied that he worked for the city. They would go to a place he knows and had a good long talk about old times. 

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