Nandakumar

Comparative Analysis of Oedipus and Thomas Becket in the Light of the Aristotelian Concept of Tragic Hero In Aristotle's 'Poetics', we first come across an elaborate discussion on tragedy, the tragic hero and the traits the hero must have in order to qualify for the same. As Aristotle suggests in Poetics, “The change of fortune presented must not be the spectacle of a virtuous man brought from prosperity to adversity” (Aristotle, 1) becomes the defining structure of the making of an ideal tragic hero. Aristotle establishes the concept of the tragic hero by taking into consideration that “the fundamental aim of the poet is not to teach about these matters (the Greek notions of fate in human life), but to construct a tragedy which shall completely fulfill its proper function.” (Aristotle, 1) According to Aristotle, everything exists in nature to move towards an ultimate ideal goal. But the supreme goal of existence is happiness which he emphasizes on before going on to define tragedy. The emotions that are releases and the purifying effect of the Cathartic action is linked to this happiness. But here, one must also consider the phenomenon of Catharsis in order to understand Aristotle's ideal. The happiness, in accordance to what Aristotle had discovered during the careful observation throughout his existence, does not results primarily from the rewards of fortune although instead from a balanced and all-inclusive vision that is intellectual and sees life progressively and has the capability to distinguish every action from the result it has attained. With the help of such a vision, a wise individual (a man) can preserve an equilibrium among his impulses that are natural and firmly but consistently direct his will along with his emotions towards an end of the highest order which is approved by reason. The highest form of happiness comes from exercising virtue. All these virtues, the highest being political good (political good leads to justice) finally progresses towards a state of equilibrium. There are categories in hierarchy of being- man is higher than woman, woman is higher than the enslaved and so on and these stand as conventions that must be accepted. Aristotle says that Tragedians try to create some sort of deviation from the disturbance in the state, but later they have to go back to the existing state. Now, an important aspect of the Poetics comes out from here, which is to evoke the audience's reaction in the channels of pity and fear which result in the purgation of those feelings that Catharsis provides thus restoring the equilibrium in nature. This brings us to the question about why Aristotle considers Oedipus as the ideal tragic hero. In order to answer this one must be familiar with the tragic flaws that make the tragic hero that Aristotle points out in Poetics. In Tragedy, you remain in a phase of darkness that even the hero resides in and this darkness in inscrutable. Some kind of malignant streak in nature gets reflected in human actions. The rational attitude of philosophy tends towards getting rid of tragedy. Tragedy also needs an element of mystery. An ideal character is one who is able to find the happiness that Aristotle talks about but a “tragic hero is a man who fails to attain that happiness and fails in such a way that his career excites, not blame, but fear and pity in the highest degree” (Barstow, 2). In Aristotle’s Poetics, the tragic hero is depicted as the just and good eminently but not fully under reason's guidance that is true but fails through because of some major mistake or flaw in character more willingly than through depravity or vice. Moreover, the fall of the hero may be striking as possible, and he has got to be just like Oedipus from a well-known family, which is also, or high renown and prosperity. When we discuss Oedipus's character, we see that, despite natural greatness or soul, the character is in lone way that is very vital aspect, an exact polar opposite of Aristotle's idyllic man. He lacks in clear visualization, which makes him examine every facet of an issue with “unclouded eyes” (Barstow, 3). Furthermore, he lacks wisdom that is always under the mastery of his visions. Oedipus is only able to see one part of an issue completely and more often than not he sees it in the wrong light and he does not stop to act on it with the half-truth that he has gained. His vice thus, is not deliberate and his intentions are well-meant and his emotions and generosity stirs up in the audience, deepest sympathy. Therefore, one can conclude that in accordance to Aristotle's definition of the ideal tragic hero, Oedipus's beginning is based on deviating further and further from perfect happiness. In T.S. Eliot's play, 'Murder in The Cathedral, Thomas Becket is a tragic hero for mainly two reasons. One being his friendship with Henry II who makes a vital comment, “will anyone rid me of this priest?” (Eliot, 24) in the midst of his guards who take him seriously which makes them assassinate him ultimately. The second reason becomes an accordance with Aristotle's definition of a tragic hero. Becket is the highest-ranking church official in England and he took his duties quite seriously. He stood up to Henry when he tried to break the law of the church, stood by his friends and fellow churchmen but failed to stand up for himself. Therein, lies his tragic flaw. He was clever, generous and even righteous but believed that “God's will would be done with regard to his own fate.” (Amy-lepore, 1) Also, there exists a reading that Eliot modeled the assassination of Becket keeping in mind the concept of Greek ritual killing. We know that the word tragedy comes from the word “tragos” which translates to “goat” in English. Ritual killing involves the killing of a goat for the appeasement of the gods and goddesses and Becket becomes the same and thus emerges as a classic tragic character. Becket is a Christ-figure, a savior of mankind who is first murdered and then declared a saint. Becket is pre-ordained that he is to be a Martyr. In this respect, it is clear that he is chosen by God. But Becket remains unaware of this and he does not even want it. But when he is encountered by the Fourth Tempter, Becket's intentions become clear and we realize that he wishes to be a martyr in a very small place of his mind. If this is his “hamartia”, then Becket becomes a classic example of Aristotelian tragic hero. Works Cited Amy-lepore. How is Thomas Becket the tragic hero in Murder in the Cathedral?. Enotes. Web. 6 Oct. 2015. Aristotle. Poetics. Trans. S. H. Butcher. The Internet Classics Archive. Web Atomic and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 13 Sept. 2007. Web. 6 Oct. 2015. Barstow, Marjorie. Oedipus Rex as the Ideal Tragic Hero of Aristotle. The Classical Weekly. Vol. 6. No. 1. (Oct. 5, 1912). pp. 2-4. JSTOR. Web. 6 Oct. 2015. Eliot, T.S. Murder In The Cathedral. New York: Harper Collins. 1998. Print.