...In his essay “Tragedy and the Common Man” Arthur Miller attempts to redefine both the genre of tragedy and the tragic hero. According to Miller, a tragedy is defined as a man wrestling with how he defines himself in regards to his environment, and that above all, Miller believes that tragedies should be optimistic. Miller states that the “wound from which the inevitable events spiral is the wound of indignity… Tragedy, then, is the consequence of a man’s total compulsion to evaluate himself justly”. Miller is saying that all tragedies stem from an attack on the main characters dignity, and all tragedies are therefore a result of a man’s attempt to make sense of who he is after having been shamed. By using the word inevitable, Miller seems to...
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...Perceiving Tragedy A tragedy is considered to be an event causing great suffering, destruction, and distress. Arthur Miller's essay, 'Tragedy and the Common Man', contributes many different ideas on how he perceived tragedy. Trying to fulfil one's lives and personalities is usually how a tragic story happens. Hamlet tries to get revenge on Claudius when he find out what really happened to his father, starting his tragic story. He feels betrayed and is working hard to get his rightful position back. There is always the possibility that Hamlet is going to succeed in his mission. Tragedy is something that happens to everyone that is trying to fulfill themselves as a person, someone that is on a mission to get what they want. Hamlet starts with the plan of trying to get revenge on Claudius when he find out what the complete truth of what happened to his father. This is explained when he says, "As meditation or the thoughts of love, may sweep to my revenge." (Act 1, Scene 5, lines 30-31). He is a tragic hero, in which he goes on this mission of trying to get revenge for himself and his father, and ultimately succeeds, but then dies. He had a plan throughout the play, had many chances to fulfil the plan, but never went through with it. In Arthur Miller's essay, this is explained when he says "The tragic feeling is evoked in us when we are in the presence of a character who is ready to lay down his life, if need be, to secure one thing--his sense of personal dignity." (Miller, pg...
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...Arthur Miller wrote his essay titled “Tragedy and the Common Man” in 1949. This essay explains Miller’s definition of a tragic hero as well as why a common man has as much ability to be the hero of a tragedy as someone of nobility. The Crucible is a play written by Arthur Miller in 1953 that dramatizes the Salem witch trials of the late seventeenth century in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. In the play, the town of Salem falls into hysteria after Reverend Parris finds his daughter, niece, and their friends dancing in the woods with his slave Tituba. The young girls claim they have been bewitched by people in the town to avoid punishment, although, the punishment then comes for the accused regardless of their innocence. A vital character to the...
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...Hamlet Essay Tragedies commonly involve disasters, horrible mishaps and death. The great Greek philosopher Aristotle believed that a tragedy must have action which is pushed along by the character flaw of a “great” man. This idea of a “great” man or a person of high ranking being the protagonist in a tragedy is perpetuated in all of Shakespeare’s work. This leaves to speculate on the average person. The average person is not completely safe from the misery of tragedy. A supporting character is just as likely as any main character to experience tragedy. According to Arthur Miller, the “common” person is just as suitable for tragedy as any “great” person. The ideas of Aristotle and Miller contrast each other however both elements are noticeable in the play Hamlet. When a “great person” or the main character goes through a tragedy, it is rather evident. Ophelia and her father Polonius are considered “common” characters in the play that also experience great tragedy. In Miller’s essay, he outlines three main aspects that a “common” person would exhibit in a tragedy which makes their circumstances tragic. Firstly is the presence of a character that is ready to lay down their life to secure their personal sense of dignity. Next is the fear of being displaced and torn away from ones chosen image of their self. Lastly is being capable of victory. Ophelia and Polonius have chosen images of themselves and what their lives should be like and are willing to lay down their lives for their...
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...TRAGEDY OF THE COMMONS AND THE PROBLEM OF ANARCHY IN THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY By: Ma. Hazel Joy M. Faco BA Political Science – 2 "Freedom in a common brings ruin to all." As proposed by Garrett Hardin, the “Tragedy of the Commons” is an inevitable result of the exploitation of a shared resource by rational and egoistic individuals who solely seek to maximize their own consumption. It is predicted that there will come a time when the supply of that resource will no longer be able to keep up with the rapidly growing demand. This is where the tragedy comes into the picture. This apathetic and nonchalant consumption will eventually lead to the irreversible depletion and degradation of that particular common resource. To avoid this ultimate tragedy, there is no technical solution that we can possibly adopt. No amount of science or technology can reverse this damage. The only way that we can possibly preclude this destruction is by undergoing a dramatic re-examination and transformation of our conscience and fundamental conceptions of ethics and morality. But the real question is this: Is that even possible? Hardin’s pessimistic parable is widely and almost universally accepted as an all-encompassing, catchall framework in explaining the ecological crisis that currently confronts commonly-held goods such as the earth’s atmosphere, fisheries, grasslands, water, forests, roads and even population growth. However, in this essay, I am going to analyze this tragedy by...
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...Environmental Science 09/11/15 Is “The Tragedy of the Commons” still relevant? The Tragedy of the Commons is an economic problem in which every person tries to benefit from a resource. “Commons” refers to resources that are shared, but not regulated, i.e. the atmosphere, oceans, rivers, etc. As the demand for the resource grows, and people overindulge in it, others are harmed because they do not receive enough. For example, if a village contains six families of four and one lake full of fish, if the villagers do not work together, then one family may get all of the fish while the others starve. The main focus of the Tragedy of the Commons is “supply and demand”, if the supply does not match the demand, then people go without. “The Tragedy of the Commons”, an article written by Garrett Hardin, focuses on the claim that there is no technical solution to some problems; a technical solution is one that requires “a change only in the techniques of the natural sciences, demanding little or nothing in the way of change in human values of ideas of morality.” (1243). Hardin calls upon Wiesner and York because they insisted that the solution to the problem, in this case, nuclear war, was not a technical solution. This article is still relevant today, even though the data is outdated. Hardin expresses his opinions using an example. “Picture a pasture open to all. It is expected that each herdsman will try to keep as many cattle as possible on the commons. Such an arrangement may work for...
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...Hamartia in Oedipus the King According to the Aristotelian characteristics of good tragedy, the tragic character should not fall due to either excessive virtue or excessive wickedness, but due to what Aristotle called hamartia. Hamartia may be interpreted as either a flaw in character or an error in judgement. Oedipus, the tragic character in Sophocles’ Oedipus the King, certainly makes several such mistakes; however, the pervasive pattern of his judgemental errors seems to indicate a basic character flaw that precipitates them. Oedipus’ character flaw is ego. This is made evident in the opening lines of the prologue when he states "Here I am myself--you all know me, the world knows my fame: I am Oedipus." (ll. 7-9) His conceit is the root cause of a number of related problems. Among these are recklessness, disrespect, and stubbornness. Oedipus displays an attitude of recklessness and disrespect throughout the play. When he makes his proclamation and no one confesses to the murder of Laius, Oedipus loses patience immediately and rushes into his curse. Later, he displays a short temper to Tiresias: "You, you scum of the earth . . . out with it, once and for all!," (ll. 381, 383) and "Enough! Such filth from him? Insufferable--what, still alive? Get out--faster, back where you came from--vanish!" (ll. 490-492) If an unwillingness to listen may be considered stubbornness, certainly Oedipus would take advice from no one who would tell him to drop the matter of his...
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...Hamlet is considered to be one of Shakespeare’s greatest plays. Many know that Hamlet is about revenge, but Hamlet is also a tragedy. Arthur Miller in “Tragedy and the Common Man” concludes that the tragic hero does not have to be the king or a noble, but can be anyone as simple as the common man. Whereas Aristotle believed that they tragic hero is someone “Great”, usually someone in high power or regard. In Arthur Miller’s essay he states that the “common man is as apt a subject for tragedy in its highest sense as kings were.” In a tragedy the tragic hero has a tragic flaw, which is his downfall. Arthur miller states, “ Only the passive, only those who accept their lot without active retaliation, are flawless. Most of us are in that category”(Miller 1) Most people are passive when faced with a challenge that goes against them, that is what makes them flawless, but in a tragedy the character does go against the challenge, that is what makes it a tragic flaw. In Hamlet we see that it is not only the tragedy of Prince Hamlet but of others such as, Polonius, Ophelia and Laertes, caused by their tragic flaw Polonius is the chief counselor of Claudius’s court he is a very conniving person. Like many of the other characters in Hamlet he also has a tragic flaw. In Hamlet Polonius’s tragic flaw is his inability to keep to himself, which ultimately leads to his demise. An example of this is Act 2 scene 1 when Polonius tells Reynaldo to spy on Laertes. “Before you visit him, to make inquire...
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...History of English Literature Overview Anglo-Saxon Literature (500-1100) The Angles and Saxon conquered what is now called England in the 5th and 6th centuries. Christian missionaries taught the English to write. Northumbria soon produced Caedmon and Bede. Heroic poetry of a Christian kind is the chief legacy of Old English literature, notably Beowulf and the Elegies. A considerable prose literature grew up after King Alfred. Middle English Literature (1100-1500) Literature in England in this period was not just in English and Latin but in French as well and developed in directions set largely in France. Epic and Elegy gave way to romance and Lyric. English writing revived fully in English after 1360 and flowered in the reign of Richard II (1372-99). It gained a literary standard in London English after 1425 and developed modern forms of verse, prose and of Drama. The conquest of England in 1066 by William of Normandy displaced English as medium of literature. The language of new rulers was French. Saxons dealing with the King had to learn French and French was the language of court and the law for three centuries. Four genres of Middle English are: i. 1. Fabliau 2. Lyric 3. Dream Allegory 4. Ballad Geoffrey Chaucer Chaucer is the best story teller and the narrative poet. Chaucer tells his stories in a most effective way. He has the knack of transforming an old tale into a new one in such a manner that its appeal increases manifold and its human...
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... Miller, “Tragedy and Common man” & Aristotle Poetics A tragic hero according Aristotle’s Poetics, is an ideal noble man with a flaw. Oedipus fits into the context of a flawed man, a man with given stature, and catharsis that propel him into a tragic hero. Oedipus as a tragic hero is caring concerned king whom the people trusted and loved. However, his impulsive temper caused him to make mistakes. On, the other, hand, Willie Lowman was a tragic hero as he was ready to lay down his love for the love of his family. Miller gives the flawed sense of a tragic hero in the sense of personal dignity that Lowman is willing to fulfill even in his death. The characteristics that Miller offers in terms catharsis and stature fits Lowman, he involved himself in a car accident so that his son Biff could use the insurance money to start a business and become a successful person in the society. This paper will discuss Willie Lowman, and Oedipus, as tragic heroes based on the stature, tragic flaw, and catharsis in their respective stories. A tragic hero according to Miller is a common person as opposed to the belief that a tragic hero must be a form of a king. He says, “we are often held to be below tragedy or tragedy below us……… that tragedy fits only for the highly placed… where this admission is not made in so many words it is often implied.” A tragic hero, therefore, is a common and both a highly placed person in the society. The belief that tragedy does not affect a common forces Miller...
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...ENG 209-001 Greek Theater Essay Medea by Euripedes and Lysistrata by Aristophanes are two different Greek plays in which the main characters are both strong females with goals to accomplish. Medea is a tragedy written about a woman driven by revenge. Lysistrata is a comedy about a woman who wants to take a stand. Greek tragedies and comedies usually did not have too much in common, besides the general moral background instilled in the people of that time period. Although tragedies always ended in death and comedies often ended in marriage or love, the two characters from opposite genres of theater share many of the same qualities. Both main characters, Medea and Lysistrata, are very strong, smart, determined women whose main goals are to be happy. When first reading Medea you might not think that her goal is to find happiness because it is masked by her want and need for revenge as well. Medea is a very sad story because many characters dead by the end of the play, as is typical in a tragedy. Medea murders Glauce and Creon and then her own two children so that her husband, Jason, must suffer their losses. She did so to get revenge on him for leaving her for the Princess. Medea was so determined to make Jason pay for what he had done to her that she had no restrictions on her actions. She murdered her children only to seek revenge on her ex-husband and to cause him suffering as he did to her. Medea would not be happy until Jason was seeing a consequence for is actions so...
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...career, reputation, power, etc. He is enlightened at the end of the story, meaning he realizes where he went wrong, he is humble, and he accepts the consequences . A tragic hero is a character in a work of fiction (often the protagonist) who commits an action or makes a mistake which eventually leads to his or her defeat. The idea of the tragic hero was created in ancient Greek tragedy and defined by Aristotle (and others). Usually, this includes the realization of the error (anagnorisis), which results in catharsis or epiphany. Aristotelian tragic hero Characteristics Aristotle once said that "A man doesn't become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall." An Aristotelian tragic hero must have four characteristics: Nobility (of a noble birth) or wisdom (by virtue of birth). Hamartia (translated as flaw, mistake, or error, not an Elizabethan tragic flaw). A reversal of fortune(peripetia) brought about because of the hero's Hamartia. The discovery or recognition that the reversal was brought about by the hero's own actions (anagnorisis). Other common traits Some other common traits characteristic of a tragic hero: Hero must suffer more than he deserves. Hero must be doomed from the start, but bear no responsibility for possessing his flaw. Hero must be...
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...Asdfadsfadsfasdfasdfasdfasdfasdfasdf The inspiration for environmental ethics was the first Earth Day in 1970 when environmentalists started urging philosophers who were involved with environmental groups to do something about environmental ethics. An intellectual climate had developed in the last few years of the 1960s in large part because of the publication of two papers in Science: Lynn White`s “The Historical Roots of our Ecological Crisis” (March 1967) and Garett Hardin`s "The Tragedy of the Commons" (December 1968). Most influential with regard to this kind of thinking, however, was an essay in Aldo Leopold`s A Sand County Almanac, "The Land Ethic," in which Leopold explicitly claimed that the roots of the ecological crisis were philosophical. Although originally published in 1949, Sand County Almanac became widely available in 1970 in a special Sierra Club/Ballantine edition, which included essays from a second book, Round River. Most academic activity in the 1970s was spent debating the Lynn White thesis and the tragedy of the commons. These debates were primarily historical, theological, and religious, not philosophical. Throughout most of the decade philosophers sat on the sidelines trying to determine what a field called environmental ethics might look like. The first philosophical conference was organized by William Blackstone at the University of Georgia in 1972. The proceedings were published as Philosophy and Environmental Crisis in 1974, which included Pete Gunter`s first paper on the...
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...In Barbara Lazear Ascher essay, “On Compassion” she ponders that compassion is something that must be learned by adversity, regarding the uncommon humanity of people. She conveys a lyrical tone toward her audience of a society of people in need, such as homeless people. Ascher purpose is to make people reflect on why they do certain things and to reinforce compassion within a society. She does this by adding a ton of imagery, historical information and religious symbolism to make the audience feel empathy and a strong connection. Throughout the essay, Ascher uses imagery to help tell a personal example where compassion is used. For example; “... lowers the shiny toe of his right shoe, watching the light reflect“(p 2)....
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...29.09.2012 ‘Tragedy is an imitation of an action’ is what Aristotle said about the theater genre, tragedy. I have been curious about the ‘imitation of an action’ part and asked myself question such as what could the’ imitation of an action’ as a phrase in this context of tragedy mean so, under the light of the emphasis our instructor put on the chapter ‘the definiton of tragedy’ in ‘Aristotle’s Poetics’ reading that we were assigned to read and since I wanted my question to be cleared and I also wanted to understand the foundation of tragedy and prepare myself, base knowledge wise, for readings that were to come, I started my reading with that particular chapter. Through the chapter I partially understood, through my own reading without anyone’s help, the combination of artistic beauty of changing the places of the words, harmonious rhythms of songs that provide an emballishment to the ongoing play on the stage and the crucial components such as ‘the soul of tragedy’ and another component as important as the plot that I am not too confident about whether I absorbed its meaning and relation with other parts of a tragedy, that element is thought. I think through the chapter I found an answer to my question of what is imitation of an action, let me expand my question for beter understanding and my own answer through the information I gained through my reading . I think my question of what imitation of an action is pretty straightforward to understand, in literal base I know...
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