Raymond, IEP, 16
The Tragedy of Tess
Raymond Yu
Mr. de Groof
05/14/2015
Tragedy has been a significant genre in literature throughout history. From Greek tragedies to Shakespearean tragedies, this particular genre excels in evoking human emotions. Tess of the d'Urbervilles, written by Thomas Hardy, should be considered as a tragedy. Considering the numerous hardship and various conflicts that Tess Durbeyfield, the protagonist of this novel has been through, Tess of the d'Urbervilles conforms with both Aristotle's and Hardy him self's definition of tragedy.
Aristotle defined tragedy as "an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude; in 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; with incidents arousing pity and fear, wherewith to accomplish itskatharsis(purification) of such emotions". Although in this quote, Aristotle is defining tragedies in poetry, this definition would also fit in other categories as well.
Tess of the d'Urbervilles fits this definition in many aspects. First of all, Tess of the d'Urbervilles is an imitation. In this quote, imitation is the attempt to capture the essence of reality (Dr. Wheeler). The world of Tess is a fictional one based on the 19th century England. Even though the characters are made up by Hardy, the characters contains personalities that are often seen in the real world. For example, Alec a typical spoiled son that has a wealthy father. He is lustful and has a bad temper. He never takes his own words and only thinks for his own benefit. Also, this novel showed the role of social class and the corruption of religion in the society at that time. During the Victorian Age, the ideas of social class are changing - wealth and power became more important than the name of the family and blood line. This trend is shown in the contrast between the d'Urbervilles and the Strokes. The d'Urbervilles is a noble family. However, since the d'Urbervilles has no land and wealth anymore, the name meant nothing and the family members were no different than peasants. In comparison, the Strokes has no glorious history. They became wealthy through trading and bought lands and houses. And because of their wealth, the Strokes was considered to have a higher social class. Ironically, they took the name of d'Urbervilles and "replaced" them. Additionally, this novel also showed the fact that people during the Victorian Age often use religious for their own advantages. The fact that Angel's parents wanted Angel to marry a faithful woman demonstrated the fact that religion still has its place during that time. However, many people, such as Alec, believed in religion only for their own good. Alec became a preacher because he wanted to show others he has turned good. However, as soon as a temptation appeared, he immediately abandoned his belief. Tess of the d'Urbervilles "imitated" the Victorian England society and reflected the people at that time.
Secondly, Tess of the d'Urbervilles is definitely a complete novel with a well developed story plot - The protagonist had transformed through different stages of the novel while she encountered the antagonist and fought through 2obstacles in life. The seriousness might be debatable at the time of its publication because the novel challenged many sexual issues, but this novel is certainly considered as a serious one in the modern world.
In addition, this novel successfully aroused pity and fear in the readers. In many parts of the story, such as the part which Tess tried to remain unnoticed in the farm because she was ashamed of her being raped by Alex, the readers would pity Tess. On the other hand, the readers would feel fear after acknowledging the death of Alec and Tess. In the final chapter, Hardy wrote "'Justice' was done". This sentence not only points to the death of Tess, but also means that other character got what they deserved. This includes the death of Alec and the fulfillment of Tess's goal - give her family and Angel a better life. "Justice was done" reminded the reader that everyone will eventually get what they deserved and the sinful will never escape the punishments.
Tess the D'Urbervilles also fits Hardy's definition of Tragedy. Hardy once explained that "The best tragedy–highest tragedy in short–is that of the worthy encompassed by the inevitable. The tragedies of immoral and worthless people are not of the best". Tess is definitely a "worthy" character. She has a high moral value and is a responsible and practical women. For instance, when both his family were celebrating about them coming from a noble family, the first question she asked was "Will it do us any good?(P.14)" This showed that Tess is practical and cares for the living of her family. However, like every other tragic characters, she also has a tragic flaw. She is prideful, obedient and lacks determination. All these character traits, both good and bad led to her inevitable misfortunes. For example, she could have left Alec's place when she found out he was harassing her. However, her pride and responsibility stopped her from returning home because she hadn't make enough money. This led to her being raped by Alec and all her suffering afterwards.
Tess of the d'Urbervilles is certainly a tragedy. It fits both Aristotle's and Hardy's definition of tragedy. This novel is an imitation of the Victorian England society and aroused pity and fear in the reader. Moreover, Tess is a respectable character that faced inevitable misfortunes caused by her character traits.
Bibliography
Aristotle's Definition of Tragedy. Dr. Wheeler. <https://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/documents/Aristotle_Tragedy.pdf>.
"Outline of Aristotle's Theory of Tragedy."Outline of Aristotle's Theory of Tragedy. Barbara F. McManus
<http://www2.cnr.edu/home/bmcmanus/poetics.html>.
"Victorian Social History: Sitemap."Victorian Social History: Sitemap. The Victorian Web, 21 Jan. 2015.
<http://www.victorianweb.org/history/sochistov.html>.