Stages of Tragedy in Literature

Jiang Huang
Dr. Roebuck
English 15
16th April 2020
Tragedy
Introduction
Tragedy is a drama based on human suffering and revealing social conditions. The world is unfair; people will wait to see someone suffer or be in worse life conditions only to make fun of them. Life is a tragedy when seen in close-up but a comedy in the long-run. Therefore, Tragedy in art is usually hidden under comics, and this makes the contrast much stronger. Tragedy is essential in literature because it is used to bring the attention and emotions of the audience into the scene. Eldridge notes that Tragedy arouses the catharsis of feelings of pity and fear in his article “How Can Tragedy Matter For Us?” It leaves the audience feeling relieved and renewed, with increased knowledge about gods and the cultures of different people.
Stages of Tragedy in Literature
Building up of Tragedy in literature has got five stages, according to Booker's article, "Tragedy (1): The Five Stages.” The first stage is the Anticipation stage, where things are happening for the good of the hero, and the future is promising. The hero is determined and focused. This is followed by the Dream stage, where the hero becomes committed to his course of action, and for a while, things go improbably well. The hero is winning gratification he had dreamed of. Things are running smoothly for him (Booker 156). Frustration stage comes, and things begin to go wrong gradually. The hero cannot find peace with those around him. A ‘monstrous figure’ may come up at this stage and pose threats to the hero. Nightmare stage follows, here, things are ultimately going out of control for the hero. Opposition and fate are closely following up on the hero. Finally,, is the Destruction stage; here, the hero is destroyed because of the forces that are against him or even as a result of his actions (Booker 156).
Example of Tragedy in Literature
William Shakespeare’s play, “Romeo and Juliet," is a tragedy. The two young lovers, Romeo and Juliet, meet and fall for each other. Unfortunately, there have been existing disputes between their families, and the two families have not been in terms. This depicts things that may not go well for Romeo. One of Juliet’s cousin, Tybalt, kills Mercutio, Romeo’s friend. In turn, Romeo kills Tybalt as reveng...