Tragedy as a Plot

The Tragedy Plot: A Journey Through Downfall

The Tragedy plot explores how a flawed protagonist’s struggle with fate, both external and internal, leads to their downfall. This plot is almost always paired with a downfall journey arc for the protagonist. The protagonist’s positive traits play a crucial role in shaping the tragic story, but their corruption results in harmful actions. They do not recognize their evil deeds, instead holding the belief that they are set apart from others and maintaining the notion of being right. The protagonist often starts with noble aspirations, but their good qualities are corrupted by their ego, leading to immoral behaviour. Despite their belief in their righteousness, their actions have devastating consequences. Tragedy evokes empathy and fear, highlighting our shared humanity and vulnerability. Through the portrayal of a character’s downfall, tragedy reminds us to be cautious of the impact of situational forces on our character.

Shaped by Their Situation

In the Tragedy plot, it is crucial to establish a believable protagonist whose behaviours are clearly rooted in their situation. The protagonist’s imagined self differs from their actual self due to their social context, which greatly affects their behaviour and mental functioning. Their situation ultimately causes their tragic actions, not their inherent traits or personality. The protagonist’s beliefs and expectations about their current circumstances shape how they perceive their situation, leading to the creation of self-fulfilling prophecies.

The Protagonist’s Inner Conflict

At the start of the Tragedy plot, the protagonist is always embedded in a social network. They are connected to other characters through bonds of loyalty, friendship, family, and/or marriage. The protagonist is typically depicted as incomplete or unsatisfied, with their thoughts focused on the future and a longing for something extraordinary. This sense of incompleteness stems from their current situation, which offers no comfort or satisfaction and demands transformation.

The protagonist is often characterised by internal conflict and a divided self. They hide their dark impulses and actions behind a façade of respectability. However, the pull towards satisfying their unfulfilled desires becomes irresistible. The tension between their light and dark sides reaches a breaking point, leading to their eventual downfall. The temptation that fuels their dark desires becomes an obsessive force until they ultimately succumb, and the conflict within themselves reaches a climax.

A New Course Driven by Desire

The protagonist’s journey begins with an inciting incident that sets them on a new course. An object of desire or action (their Want) presents itself and becomes the focus of their energy. A call draws them out of their unsatisfying state and into a life-altering adventure, where they are driven by their ego-centric desires. This makes them perceive their Want as more important than others’ concerns, isolating them from reality and those around them.

A Dangerous Path

The key distinction between Tragedy and other types of stories lies in the summons that draws the protagonist onto this self-centred journey. The call to action in Tragedy is often a temptation rather than a righteous cause. This is because the call appeals to the protagonist’s Want, leading them towards an overwhelming obsession that violates their moral or ethical values.

The protagonist is tempted to act selfishly, putting their desires above others and breaking ties of loyalty, love, and friendship. The temptation is a promise of release from their restrictive life, but it is ultimately a dangerous path that leads to their downfall. Ultimately, they end up alone and cut off from society. This process is essential to Tragedy, as the protagonist becomes increasingly isolated, often through violent actions that result in the deaths of other characters.

In contrast to what happens in other stories, when a tragic protagonist is faced with temptation, there is often hesitation and internal conflict before they succumb. Unlike in other stories, where the protagonist fully commits to the adventure, in Tragedy, the protagonist’s commitment is not clear or resolute. This internal struggle reveals their reluctance to make the irreversible decision that another part of their personality desires.

Initial Success and the Illusion of Control

Once the protagonist has fully committed to their course of action, they initially experience success. They achieve the gratification they desire and feel as though they are getting away with breaking the rules. At first, they dominate the world and other characters, taking control and seemingly getting away with their actions as those around them remain unaware.

The Protagonist's Growing Desperation

However, the protagonist’s journey in Tragedy is marked by a sense of uncertainty and unease. Despite feeling a rush of excitement about breaking away from their initial situation, they know that their path won’t lead to a happy ending. Their actions are driven by a longing for security, but this sense of security remains illusory, constantly just out of reach as they struggle towards a seemingly unattainable goal.

The Tragic Course Unfolds

The protagonist, driven by temptation, begins to experience a series of setbacks. Their initial excitement gives way to frustration as things don’t unfold as planned. The protagonist’s tragic course lacks resolution for two reasons:

• Overlooking factors: They focus excessively on one desire (their Want) and neglect to consider the broader context of their actions, leading to unforeseen consequences. Their single-minded focus disconnects them from reality.

• Falling into fantasy: Their obsession with fulfilling one desire overrides their judgement, causing them to sink deeper into a state of illusion. With each false step, they struggle to regain control, becoming more estranged from reality until it ultimately demands accountability. This progression is evident in their changing relationships with other characters.

  
  

Society Turns Against the Protagonist

Almost unnoticed, things start to go awry. The protagonist can’t find stable footing and starts to feel frustrated. To solidify their situation, they may feel compelled to engage in more heinous acts, which only further trap them in their course of action. The truth of their actions draws attention from others, and those around them start to align against them. Society as a whole begins to turn against the protagonist, destabilising their previous belief in their own superiority.

A menacing figure may emerge, adding to their mounting sense of danger and despair. The forces of opposition and destiny are closing in, leaving the protagonist with a growing sense of threat.

The Protagonist's Downfall and the Restoration of Order

Finally, the protagonist’s actions lead to the destruction of their relationships, leaving them isolated. Instead of the disparate parts of their personality coming together in the end, as in other stories, the protagonist is divided within themselves, from their allies and loved ones, and from society, which has united to bring about their downfall.

Through either the forces they have provoked or a final act of violence resulting in their death, their life ends violently, and they are destroyed. The conflict reaches its tragic conclusion with the individual’s demise, which restores the disrupted order of the world and re-establishes the dominance of moral forces.

In conclusion, the Tragedy plot serves as a powerful reminder of the complexities of human nature. It illustrates how our desires can lead us astray and the importance of self-awareness. The journey of the tragic protagonist is a cautionary tale, urging us to reflect on our actions and their consequences.