Assignment : Paper –v (B)

                              Topic : Translation of a short story from    

                                                English to Gujarati

                              Name: Patel Payal G.

                              M.A Part – I (sem – I)

                              Roll no: 32

                              Batch: 2010-11

                              Submitted to: Dr. Dilip Barad

                                          Department of English

                                          Bhavnagar  University.

  Translation of a short story from SL to TL

     Title of the original story – “Mother and Son”

     Source language – English

     Writer – R.K.Narayan

     Target language – Gujarati

     Title of the short story in TL – “hdy pirvtRn”

    

    

               “hdy pirvtRn”                                                       

                

                   ratnu wojn caltu htu. ramu Jya su2I AD2u qavanu puru n kre Tya su2I tenI mata rah jotI htI, Ane p0I te`IAe lGnna iv8ynI rjuAat krI. ramuAe fKt Ae3lo j jvab AaPyo “tme frI4I Aa vat krva ma>go 0o” Tyare te guSsa krta roma>ck v2u lagto hto, Ane te`InI tena mngmta mudaAo rju krtI htI;ke te`Ina wa{nI 0okrI cOd v8R4I ]prnI 4{ cUkI htI Ane deqave p` sarI htI Ane teno wa{ pu*k5 dhej AapvanI tEyarI krto hto. ramunI ma 6rDI 4{ rhI htI, Ane te 6rkamma4I invUt 4va {C0tI htI. tee`InI gme te 9`e mrI xke 0e te4I ramu ne rso{ ko` bnavI Aapxe, tenu @yan kon raqxe ? Ane sO4I mhTvnI Ane tkrar vgrnI dlIl : Aek ma`snu nsIb lGn4I bdlay 0e. fsl je ha4e h5 pkDyu 0e tena pr nhI p` je ha4e 6Do pkDyo 0e tena pr Aa2ar raqe 0e. vhelI sa>Je ramunI maAe nKkI kyRu htu ke jote frI4I na paDxe A4va jo lGnna ]Lleq 4I ]dasInta p/dixRt krxe to te`InI tene tena nsIb pr 0oDI dexe. te 3/en nIce pDtu mUkvanu ivcarxe Ae phela te`InI tena +vnnI babtoma> v2u dqlgIrI krvanu b>2 krxe. matanu hdy 6`u b2u 2rave 0e p` matane p` potanI lag`IAonI sIma ho{ xke 0e. jo ramu {C0e to te`Ine qux xKyo hot kar`ke te`InI fKt Aek mata htI. te`IAe daqVyu hot ke tena4I wul 4{ g{ 0e. jote te`Ina lag`Ina cukada pr j{ rHyo hto to te`InI Aevu btavva j{ rhI htI ke te`InI kevI Alg bnI xkI 0e.

                                     6`I b2I tEyarIAo sa4e te`IAe lGnno iv8y rjU kyoR hto, Ane sa4e jordar kar`onI v8aR p` krI. pr>tu ramu Ae b2u baju pr mukI dI2u Ane xa>it4I te`Ina wa{nI idkrIna deqav pr boLyo. p0I te`IAe kHyu “ Aa 0eLlI var hu Aana ivxe bolI rhI 0u hve p0I h utne Aeklo 0oDI d{x. jo hutne ic>tama> jo{x to p` Kyarey tne ic>tanu kar` nhI pu0u. tu smje 0e ?

                                 “ha” ramu Ae ma4u 2u`aVyu. te co4I vqt teno m@yS4 l{ xkto n hto. te mhInana covIs ruipyanI p` nokrI me5vI xkyo n hto, Ane tenI mata AhI tena lGn ivxe ic>tatur 4{ rhI htI. te`e h>mexa Aevu mhesUs kyuR htu ke Jyare te lGn krxe Tyare te ‘rI+ya’ sa4e krxe ke jene te`e be 4I t/` var hINdI fILmoma jo{ htI. +vn xiKt vgrnu Ane nkamu htu, Ane ramu Aava tbKkama +vto hto. kaymI gmgInta Ane htaxana +vnma +vto hto. te tena smyno bgaD krto  A4va sUto A4va tena va>cn rumma jUna smacarpt/o vac>to.

                                    te hve tenI jmvanI be#k pr be#o Ane ivcarva laGyo. Tyare tenI mataAe tene Aek 9` ma3e joyo Ane kHyu “ hu tara cherane i2Kkaru 0u, hu Ae drekne i2Kkaru 0u ke je tara kovayela cheranI same bese. Aek St/I je mat/ ds idvs phela iv2va 4{ 0e te tne v2u mohk lage 0e.

“ Aa b2a p/karnI vato tu Ae3la ma3e kre 0o kar`ke me tara wa{nI 0okrI sa4e lGn krvanI na paDI 0e.” te`e jvab AaPyo.

“ mne xu pDI 0e ? te`I qreqr nsIbva5I 0e Ane saro pit me5vxe” ramunI mata tene tenI iqNnta, ]dasInta ne kar`e i2KkartI htI. Aa Ae iqNn njr htI ke jena kar`e te lokoma> i2KkaratI. te AsHy htu. te 4oDI imnI3 su2I bolI Ane ramuAe pU0yu “ tu Kyare cup 4vanI 0o?”

                                   “maru +vn puru 4vanI tEyarIma 0e.” mataAe kHyu “ bhu j jLdI tu mne phelI Ane 0eLlI var cup jo{x. Aa3lo A2Iro n 4a ke tu mne cup 4va khe 0e, hve Aa j Aavvanu bakI htu?”

   “saru” hu tne mat/ Ae3lu j khu 0u ke mne qava ma3e 4oDo smy Aap.

   “Are ha’ Ae tarI pase jLdI hovu jo{Ae mara dIkra. Jyare hu jtI rhIx Tyare tarI pase pu*k5 smy hxe mara dIkra.

                                    ramuAe k{ jvab n AaPyo. te`e xa>it4I tenu wojn lI2u. “hu fKt tarI pase Ae3lu {C0u 0u ke Jyare tu jmto hoy Tyare tu jra manvI jevo lage.” te`IAe kHyu.

  “Jyare ma`s jmto hoy Tyare Aa kevI rIte xKy 0e ?” ramuAe pU0yu.

   “xu khe 0o ?” mata icLla{. “ jotu bhu naraj 0o. bIja ma`sonI jem kam kr.pEsa fe>kI d{ne tare jenI jrur 0e tenI ma>g`I kr. Jyare tu grIb hoy Tyare hukm4I ma>g`I n krvI jo{Ae.”

                              Jyare tenu jmvanu puru 4yu Tyarbad ramu seNDl pherva laGyo. “ Kya j{ rHyo 0e?” mata Ae pU0yu

  “bhar ja] 0u”, te`e to0Da{4I jvab AaPyo Ane Ajar xerIne 0oDIne bhar caLyo gyo.

                               te`InI idvsnI frj pUrI 4{ g{ htI. te`IAe woyt5Iyu saf kyuR, vas`o 2oya Ane tene lakDana kba3ma> sarI AevI hro5ma> go#Vya.zaDune qU`ama> mUKyu Ane rsoDanI barI b>2 krI.

                               fans l{ne Ane rsoDanu bar`u b>2 krIne te Aag5na rumma> AavI.te`InI tena dIkranI bejvabdarI pr ro8e wra[. teno dIkro Alg j Ane bejvabdar hto. AhI te te4I h4e5IAo woyt5Iyu saf krI krIne 6sI rhI htI. xa ma3e te`I gulam 0e?

                                  te`IAe lakDanu Aek qoqu bhar ka!yu Ane mo>!ama>  liv>g, {laycI Ane soparIno 3UkDo mUKyo Ane tene caVya p0I te`IAe +vn sa4e 4oDI xa>it AnuwvI. p0I te`e Aag5Iyo mayaR vgr drvajo b>2 kyoR Ane AaDI pDI.

                                  “ramu Kya gyo hxe?” te`Ine ic>ta 4va lagI. te`IAe c3a{ne va5I Ane bhar Ao3la pr tene felavIne sUtI. te qlel phocaDta ivcarone dUr raqva ma3e te potanI jat sa4e 7I ramnu nam ]Ccarva lagI, “sItaram, ram...” p>rtu te Aja`ta j boltI b>2 4{ g{. te`IAe ivcayuR ke bhar jta phela ramuAe xu kHyu htu? “hu bhar fKt frva ja] 0u. ma, ic>ta n kr, hu jLdI pa0o AavIx.” Naa Aevu n htu.Aa 0okro potana kayoR ivxe xa ma3e Aa3lo rhSymy hto? te AyoGy Ane guSse krnaru htu. p>rtu te`IAe tenI jatne kHyu; te`IAe potanI kDvI Ane w>ykr +w4I Kyarey sarI mavjt daqvI n4I. Aema ko{ x>kane S4an n4I ke wojn vqte te`IAe 6UUUUUUUU`aSpd vtRn AacyuR htu. Aa b2ane kar`e tenu +vn qrab bnI gyu htu; Aa vl`,guSso t4a stt bolvu. te`IAe Ae p` mhesUs kyuR ke jo te`InI tena pit same Ao0u bolI hot to kdac te 4oDa v8oR v2u +vI xKya hot... ramuAe qava ivxe Aevu j k{>>k kHyu htu. kal4I te`InI v2u xakwa+no smavex krIne saru ra>2xe. ibcaro 0okro...

                                        te`InI sU{ g{. Kya>k zalrno Avaj s>w5ayo, Ane te`I jagI g{. Aek vaGyo? te`IAe bUm lgavI “ramu, ramu”

                                      te`IAe tenI sa4e xu kyuR 0e Aevu te @yanma levanI ih>mt n krI xkI.tbKkavare te`Ine laGyu ke wojn smyna tena xBdo tene AaTmhTya trf dorI gya hta. te be#I 4{ Ane rDva lagI. Jyare te`IAe tenI Aa>qo b>2 krI to te`IAe tena dIkranI lax ‘kukanhalI’ 3>akIma trtI jo{. teno nIk5I gyelo x3R Ane tenI 2otI tena xrIrne co>3I gya hta. teno chero Ao5qI n xkay tevo bnI gyo hto. tena seNDlma>nu Aek 3>akIna pgi4Ae pDyu htu. te`e jor4I cIs paDI Ane Ao3la pr4I kUdI Ane jUna Ag/har xerIma> la>be su2I doDI. te veran htu. vIj5Ino p/kax AhI-thI lbk zbk 4to hto. Tya4I dUr Aek 6oDagaDI deqatI htI. 6oDacalknu gIt xa>itne wedtu htu. ratna Ai2karIna isso3Ino Avaj tena kane A4Dayo Ane te`IAe doDvanu b>2 kyuR.te`IAe mhesus kyuR ke 0ev3e Aa b2u tenI kLpna ho{ xke. te na3k jova gyo hxe je qreqr svarna t/` vaGya phela b>2 4tu n4I. ‘kukanhalI’ 3a>kInu ict/ je tena mnma> varevare Aavtu htu tene rokva ma3e te`I trtj 7I ramnu nam ]Ccarva lagI.

                                   te`Ine Aaramivho`I rat htI. te drek Alg Alg zalr sa4e jagtI. svar su2Ima> 0 var zalr vagI, tenI Aa>qoma4I Aa>suAo pDva laGya. te ‘kukanhalI’ 3a>kI pase jva lagI, rStama> du2va5o wa[ 2Ime 2Ime caltI gayo sa4e psar 4yo, MyuinispalI3Ina sfa{ kamdaro temna la>ba savr`a sa4e VySt hta. Aek ke be sa[klo tenI bajuma>4I psar 4{.

                                   te 3a>kI pase phocI, te pa`Ima> jovanI Aek var p` ih>mt n krI xkI. te`IAe tene Aek beNc pr sUtelo joyo. Aek 9` ma3e tene nva{ 4{ ke Aa tenI lax ho{ xke. te`IAe tene ]Tsah4I bolaVyo, p0I te rDta rDta bolI “ ramu” Jyare te`e te`InI trf joyu Tyare te`e pu*k5 rahtno &vas AnuwVyo.

  te be#o 4yo, tenI Aa>qo co5I, “ ma, tme AhI xa ma3e AaVya 0o?”

  “sUva ma3enu xu S45 0e.”

  “Are, hu AhI j sU{ gyo hto,” te`e kHyu.

  “cal 6re”, te`IAe kHyu. te`I calva lagI Ane te te`Ine AnusyoR. te`IAe tenee pgi4ya nIce jta joyo. “Kya j{ rHyo 0e?”. “mo!u 2ova ma3e” ramuAe jvab AaPyo

     te`IAe teno ha4 pkDyo Ane x>ka4I kHyu, “ na, pa`InI n+k nHI ja.”

     te`e te`Inu paln kyuR, joke te jra tenI x>ka ivxe mU>zayo hto.

                      AStu

·                      About this story:

                 

                               This story is about one mother and her son who live together in one house but because of her bitter nature and behavior there is no harmony between them. As usual she is worried about her son’s marriage and she wants his son to get married with her brother’s daughter. But he is not ready to marry.

                               But one day a sudden change comes to her. And she realizes how cruel she is becoming with her son. Though the title of this story is “Mother and Son” I have given it as “hdy pirvtRn” Which I found appropriate to this story.

                                                        

·                      My experience with this Story :

                           

                             When I was translating this story from SLT, first I faced the problem was about some meanings of particular words whether they are appropriate to their context or not. So, first of all I needed English- Gujarati dictionary to find out the proper meanings of the words.

                           Another thing was that I had to read the whole story more than three times to understand the whole situation and the real sense of the story. So that I can preserve the real meanings of the words.                  

                          Then it was impossible for me to translate the lines word by word. So, I tried to translate the lines be meaning wise. Then I did not know how to write the story into Gujarati in the same manners or with some change. So, I translated it with my capacity of understanding.

                           

                                    The end

                                           

                             Thank You

Assignment : Paper IV

Topic : Gulliver’s Travels as an allegory

Name: Patel payal G

Roll no - 32

M.A.Part –I (SEM-I)

Batch: 2010-11

Submitted to: Miss Ruchira Dudhrejia

Department of English

Bhavnagar University.

Gulliver’s Travels as an allegory

                                                During Eighteenth Century satirical works were more popular which are political and social allegories. For example, John Dryden’s “Absalom and Achitophel” is a political allegory, Alexander Pope’s “The Rape of the Lock” is a social allegory and satire. Similarly, Jonathan Swift’s “Gulliver’s Travels” is also a political allegory and social satire.

                                                          “An allegory is a literary genre in prose or verse which is structured in such a way that its meaning could be read on two levels – a primary or literal level, and a secondary and more complex level. An allegory is defined as a narrative in which the characters, plot, setting and occasion, while making sense in themselves also, signify a second layer of meaning where they point at another set of people, events and setting either from the writer’s social milieu or recent historical event. It is a figurative mode of representation where ideas are conveyed through symbolism and Metaphor. Swift uses satire to highlight the allegorical elements in his tale and thus the allegory functions as an excellent vehicle of criticism of the English Government and its activities. The allegory and the satire; in a sense are interwoven inextricably and deftly.”

-      ‘Gulliver’s Travels’

                                                           To some extent we are familiar with Eighteenth century politics of England. So, we can put Swift’s “Gulliver’s Travels” in the column of political or historical allegory; because the characters and actions are based on historical or political personages and events. This text contains symbolic references to actual people and events in eighteenth century England. In short, characters and actions in the text represent people and events of real life.

                                                            It is at once a delightful, fantastic story of adventure for children, a political allegory, and a serious satire on human nature, on controversies and on the manners and morals of the age.

                                                            In Gulliver’s first travel to Lilliput, he deals with the experiences in the land of the little people. Who are no more than six inches tall. Tiny people symbolize satire on small mindedness of people also meanness and narrow mind. Their size signifies that their motives, acts and humanity are in the same dwarfish.

                                                          Swift also criticizes the religious beliefs of the Lilliputians and England in the first story. In Lilliput, ministers were chosen strictly on agility or their ability to walk or stick jumping. They were able to maintain their rank of minister as long as they could keep these defeating these tasks.

                                                          The political parties of the English Government are represented by the conservative ‘High Heels’  who depict the ‘Tories’ , and the progressive ‘Low Heels’, or ‘Whigs’. As per their names, the distinguishing mark of the parties is the height of their heels within these two parties, Swift criticizes the English political parties and the prince of Wales. Swift also mocks the religion  that was going on in England, through the use of the war between Lilliput and its nearest neighbor, Blefuscu, Swift’s use of the terms ‘High Heels’ and ‘Low Heels’  to compare the meaningless battles of the  Whigs and Tories, such as the height of Heels.

·      Highly  Superstitious Nature of Lilliput :

“They worry their dead with their head directly downwards because they hold an opinion that after eleven thousand moons, they are all to rise again.”

                                                     “Gulliver’s account of the annoyance of the Emperor of Lilliput on extinguishing fire is Swift’s satirical wheel of describing Queen Anne’s annoyance for himself. By representing conflict between Big Endians and Little Endians Swift ridiculous the conflict between Roman Catholic and Protestants.

In his second visit to Brobdingnag, Swift satirizes the physical grossness of the human body. Here, he was tiny person and the people were giant. It shows their over ambitious nature and also man’s love for power. We find here “All is well” mentality to the people.

                                                       His voyage shows us the filthy mental and physical characteristics of man. Gulliver’s first owner in Brobdingnag represents the selfishness of man. He is constantly displayed in public, abused for the profit of the owner. There is a satire on human talents and human limitations. Gulliver gives us his reaction to the ugliness of human body, when Gulliver gives an account of the life in his own country, the trade, the horse, the conflicts, politics, and the religion. Then king of Brobdingnag remarks that the history of Gulliver’s country seems to be a serious of conspiracies, murders, revolutions, rebels, banishment etc. He condemns use of gun powder and the books written on the act of governor. Mocking human race of which Gulliver is an agent, the royal person says, about human being.

                                                    Gulliver ends up in a miniature box which is picked up by a giant eagle and dropped into the ocean. This signals his departure from Brobdingnag and the beginning of his voyage to Laputa.

Gulliver’s third voyage, to the floating island of Laputa is one of the whole books. There were scientists and philosophers who have not any practical knowledge. Therefore, there is satire on human intellect mind, science and philosophies as well as scientists want to extract sun beans out of the cucumbers. They try to convert human excrement into food. In this voyage Swift criticizes the Royal Society of England in which he says is composed of useless philosophies, inventions, and scientists. The floating island signifies that the inhabitants are composed of the same airy constitution as the environment. The flying island itself expresses not only the desertion on the common earth of reality but their conversion of the universe to a mechanism and of living to a mechanical process.

                                                 The scholars and the philosophers of Laputa were so concerned with theoretical abstractions that the practical aspects of everybody living were completely over locked. Laputa is an allegorical representation of the development with regard to science in the contrary. The experiments in the Academy of Legato and those practiced in the lands below such as building a house from its roof downwards and the modern methods of cultivation only leave the general populace miserable and the country ruined. This does not, however, stop the scientist from continuing with their experiments.

                                                   As a political allegory of European civilization, Swift presents the aspect of war and the European prosperity for destruction, particularly in the parallels that one can draw between Lilliput’s desire to enslave an already defeated Blefuscu and the strained relationship between England and France. He also indirectly criticizes the arrogance of European impartialities who ‘civilized’ through brutality and oppression  while masking their chief motive which was greed patterns of war and destruction are woven into the allegorical motif here to explicate  the existing political situation that swift is satirizing.

                                                 Part -4 is a voyage to the country of the Houyhnhnms narrates the experiences of Gulliver in the land of the Houyhnhnms or horses, and the Yahoos. These horses are creatures governed solely by reason, free from any emotion or passions, while the Yahoos who physically resemble human beings are ruled purely by ‘animal instincts’. Houyhnhnms symbolizes an ideal stage of life whereas Yahoos suggest corrupt humankind and sexual perversion.

Here, there is a bitter and poignant satire on human morals and also satire on mankind through the description of Yahoos.

                                                      By contrast, the Houyhnhnms are noble who are governed by reason and heed and ordered life to be compelled by the Houyhnhnms be needed a pinching criticism on human beings. He tells that wars in European countries were sometimes due to the ambitions of kings and sometimes due to the corruption of the ministers. He gives an account of deadly weapons used for destructive purposes. Many people ruin themselves by drinking, gambling. Many people are guilty of murders, theft, robbery, forgery and rape.

                                                       Swift’s purpose is to attribute to horses certain qualities which would normally be expected in human beings but which actually lacking in them. Through this voyage he explains the customs practiced in England, including the wearing cloths by humans, the government of the people, the loyal system and the uses of money as instruments of purchase.

He quotes;

“Upon the whole, I never beheld in all my travels so disagreeable and animal, or one against which I naturally conceived so strong an antipathy.”

                                              -[Swift, Text 215]

                                                    Swift portrays the Yahoos as savage animals with human characteristics, which is the biggest mockery of mankind in the whole book. The Yahoos were so greedy, that they would fight over enough food to feed an entire army of fifty soldiers, just to keep it to themselves. They would poison their own bodies by sucking a root, similar to alcohol to reach a high. The female population of the passing by males gives the impression of a woman hiding her face behind a fan.

                                                     The smell associated with the female Yahoos, is similar to man. By the time Gulliver is returned to England, he become a complete antisocial, who desires to become a Houyhnhnm gives the reader the impression that he is a pathetic man, who strives to become someone he can never be.

· Conclusion :

                                                 Through Gulliver, Jonathan Swift travels to four different countries, each representing a corrupt part of England Swift criticizes the corruption of these parts and focuses on the government, society, science, religion, and man. He has covered most of the subject through his writings. Not only does Swift criticize the custom of each country, he mocks the native man who has the inability to figure out the double meaning of things. Gulliver, being gullible himself, believes everything he is told, which symbolizes the irony of the English.

                                     The end

                                   Thank You

            Assignment : Paper – 3

         Topic : Tragic Hero

         Name :  Patel  Payal G.

      Roll no : 32

      M.A Part 1 (sem-1)

         Batch :  2010-11

         Submitted to : Dr. Dilip Barad

           Department of English

          Bhavnagar University.

                   

                               Tragic   Hero

     

·    What are the characteristics of Tragic Hero?

                                             According to Aristotle, in a good tragedy, character supports plot. The personal action of the characters are intricately involved with the action to such an extent that it leads to arouse Pity and Fear in the audience. The tragic- hero of the play should have all the characteristic of a good character. By good character, Aristotle means that they should be;

ü True to the self

ü True to type

ü True to life

 Probable and yet more beautiful than life

                                    

                                      The tragic hero is having all the characteristics mentioned above, has, in addition, a few more attribute. Aristotle observes : 

o  A good man – coming to bad end   

It is shocking and disturbs faith.

                                   Generally, we can not put any tragic hero into this column because it is impossible for any hero to be thoroughly good.

o  A bad man – coming to good end

Neither moving nor moral

                                     For example; in Henry Fielding’s novel ‘Tom Jones’, the character of Tom Jones is considered to be a bad man and he comes to the good end. He is a rather bad man but at the end of the novel he comes to the good end.

o  A bad man – coming to bad end

Moral but not moving

                                      There are also some bad characters that come to their bad ends. For example; in ‘The Merchant of Venice’ by ‘William Shakespeare’, the character of ‘Shylock’ is of a bad man and also comes to his gad end.

o  A rather good man – coming to bad end

Aristotle considers this situation as an ideal situation.

                                      There are many characters that are suitable for this column. For example ‘Oedipus’ (the king) in Greek play “Oedipus Rex” by Sophocles, is a rather good man, he is not thoroughly a good man but he is mixture of both and so he is rather good man who comes to his tragic end. Then we can put the characters of Macbeth, Othello, Hamlet etc in this column.

                                        There are some qualities which are common to both the heroes, simple and tragic hero.

First what is hero?

-     Who is better than common man

-     Brave and courageous

-     Helpful to others

-     No evil – virtue is there

-     Epitome of morality

-     Fighting spirit

-     Nobility – humbleness

-     Capable to see ‘good’

-     Intelligent

-     He is able to judge what is good and evil

                         So, tragic hero is also bound by some of these attributes including fatal flaw (Hamartia).

·     What is Hamartia ?

                  Aristotle observes;

-     Hamartia means

-     Error of Judgment

-     Ignorance

-     Tragic flaw- fatal flaw

-     Moral frailty

-     Misfortune

                                      Sometime to become too much good is also one kind of Hamatia. Another thing for Hamartia is that misfortune means something has to be destined. For example; Macbeth was not destined to become a king. Destiny also plays important role in the fall of hero. He is one who has all the above given attributes.

                                        These are the sheds of Hamartia which can be found in high and law magnitude indifferent kinds of tragic hero

                                                  Hamartia

                  Peripetia                                                   Anagnorisis

                (Both can be happened)

·      According to Aristotle; Tragic Hero is

-     Mixture of both good and evil

-     Better than we are

-     Has error of judgment

-     Arouse pity and fear

Aristotle says that the tragic hero will most effectively evoke both our pity and fear, if he is neither thoroughly good nor thoroughly bad but a mixture of both and also that tragic effect will be stronger if the hero is better than we are in the sense that he is if higher than ordinary moral world.

He should be a man of mixed character, neither blameless nor absolutely depraved. His misfortune should follow from some error or flow of character, short of moral taint. He must fall from the height of prosperity and glory.

                                                Aristotle says that the ideal tragic hero must be an intermediate kind of person, a man not prominently virtuous and just yet whose misfortune is brought upon him not by vice or depravity but by some error of judgment.

·    What is this Error of Judgment?

                               Aristotle uses here Hamartia often translated “tragic flaw”. A.C. Bradely has given his views about this term. Oedipus was hasty in temper, Macbeth was ambitious, Othello had pride and jealous. So, these things are not associated with tragic flaw or hamartia in Aristotle’s sense.

                                            The meaning of Hamartia is closer to ‘mistake’ than to ‘flaw’,  ‘a wrong step blindly taken’ , the missing of mark’’ and it is best interpreted in the context of what Aristotle has to say about “the law of Probability”

                                             Aristotle says that in the ideal tragedy the protagonist will mistakenly bring about his own downfall not because he is sinful or morally weak, but because he does not know enough. The role of the ‘hamartia’ in tragedy comes not from its moral status but from the inevitability of consequences.

                                                Butcher and Bywater, both agree that ‘hamartia’ is not a moral thing. This error of judgment may arise from 1. Ignorance of some material fact or circumstances. Hamartia is accompanied by moral imperfections (for example Oedipus and Macbeth). So, the peripetia is really one or more self- destructive actions taken in blindness, leading to results ‘diametrically’ opposed to those that were intended and the anagnorisis is the gaining of the essential knowledge that was previously lacking.

                                                  Butcher says that, Oedipus the king- including all three meanings of ‘hamartia’. Which in England can not be termed by a signal term Othello is the modern example, Oedipus in the ancient, are the two most conspicuous examples of ruin wrought by characters, noble but not without defects acting in the dark and, as it seemed, for the best.

                                                   In modern plays; Hamartia is practically removed from the hero and he becomes victim of circumstances, a mere puppet, the villain in Greek play was destiny, now its circumstances. The hero was powerful, he struggled but at the end of the day, death is inevitable. Modern heroes, dies several deaths- passive- not the doer of the action but receiver. The concept of heroic figures in tragedy has now become practically out of the ages. When men of noble birth and eminent positions were viewed as the representative figures of society. Today common man is representative of society and life. For example; in Arthur Miller’s play ‘’ Death of a Salesman’’, William (Willy) Loman is a protagonist as well as a tragic hero and also a modern hero. Also he comes to his tragic end because of his faults and especially because of circumstances. So, the definition of ‘Hamartia’ is now changed in modern tragedies.

                                                  As far as the characteristics of tragic hero is concerned, tragic hero arouses ‘Catharsis’ – Pity and Fear, these two emotions also.

                                                   Aristotle grounds his analysis the very structure and incidents of the play on the same principle; the plot; he says, which will most effectively evoke tragic pity and fear is one in which the events develop through complication to a Catastrophe.

·    Catharsis:

                                          The process of reading a novel or witnessing a tragedy is the process of Catharsis. Pity and Fear simultaneously rise in our heart. We feel pity for the hero who undergoes undeserved sufferings in tragedy and fear the terrible state of suffering into which the hero is trapped. We transcend the narrow sphere of our own existence and synthesize ourselves with the hero through the hero we become one with the humanity at large. This is what prof. Butcher argues in his famous essay on Catharsis. For example; when we witness ‘Samson Agonists’ staged we feel twin emotions of fear and pity seeing the sufferings of blinded, trapped and tortured Samson. Thus, Samson’s sufferings of whole humanity become our own. Similarly, Oedipus in Sophocles’ ‘Oedipus Rex’, moves us to pity because, since he is not an evil man, his misfortune is greater than he deserves; but he moves us also fear, because we recognize similar possibilities of error in our own to some extent. At the end we feel, what Milton calls;

                    “Calm of mind; all passions spent.”

Through the tragic hero we experience Catharsis as well as pity and fear and we feel relaxed because this catharsis also works as a medicine. For example; Catharsis is concerned with purification and purgation. Purification has religious connotation whereas purgation has medicine connotation. So, we become one with tragic hero and become relaxed from fear.

·    Hamlet as a tragic hero :

                                             First of all we can put Hamlet into the category of a rather good man – coming to bad end. Hamlet is a rather good man who also fits in the definition of tragic hero by Aristotle. He is the mixture of both, goodness and badness. His goodness is that he has morality and manners and badness is that he has done injustice to Ophelia without any of her faults. He speaks rude words to Ophelia, his mother and his uncle. Though he is not a mad man he pretends to be a mad man.

·    The element of Hamartia in the character of Hamlet :

                                       The only problem with Hamlet is that he can not take conclusion. He wants solution but his own thinking makes him more complicated, confused. His nature of delaying everything sends him to his tragic end. He thinks so much but never puts his principles into practice. So, it is his fatal- flaw. He can not judge Claudius whether he is the murderer of his father or not and for this he organizes a mouse- trap plan and through mouse- trap scene he comes to know that Claudius has killed his father. But to kill his uncle after getting the fact, he can not take any action, and delays the things. So, this is his hamartia. He can not judge his uncle as a murderer first, so it is his error of judgment.

·    Catharsis in Hamlet :

                                                Though Hamlet lives among the crowd, he is all alone, he feels loneliness and we feel pity from his state of mind. And when Hamlet fights with Laeters, during that situation we feel fear for Hamlet.

·        Doctor Faustus as a tragic hero :

                                                 We should put Faustus in the category of a bad man – coming to bad end. Because he wants to become a demi – God and wants to get extreme knowledge, wealth and power like God. We can put Faustus into the term tragic hero; he also has ‘hamartia’ and arouses catharsis. His excessive pride or hubris is his hamartia. He has done many sins from Seven Deadly Sins as Christian theology defines. He has Pride, Wrath, Gluttony of extreme knowledge, then Greed of power and wealth, and the most important thing about his error of judgment is that he can not choose the right path that which is good or which is bad for him.

·      Catharsis in Doctor Faustus :

                                                Only at the end of his life Faustus desires to repent and in the final scene, he cries out to Christ to redeem him. But it is too late for him to repent. We feel pity for Faustus that he is on the verge of death still he can not do anything even repentance also, and fear for his terrible state in last scene that Lucifer comes and drags his soul from his body. So, we have both that emotions of pity and fear, which arouses Catharsis.

·      Oedipus as a tragic hero :

                                                 In the case of Oedipus, not the circumstances but destiny plays very vital role. Oedipus is a rather good man who comes to his bad end. He is a mixture of both good and evil. Good thing is that as a king he is anxious about his people and becomes ready to get rid of Plague at any cost. He wants to do or die in order to save the life of his people. But evil thing is that his destiny has made him a sinner, he gets married with his mother and produces children also. One thing is also that he has hubris or pride and he is rude as well.

·        Catharsis in Oedipus :

                                                The element of Catharsis is there in the play. We feel pity for Oedipus from his very childhood when he was sent to be killed. He gets married with his mother but he is unknown from this fact. So, we feel pity for him and when God Apollo makes a prophesy we feel fear that now what will happen? So, this was about the elements of tragic hero.

·    Conclusion :

                                                  From all elements of tragic hero, we come to the conclusion that tragic hero shows that struggle is inevitable in existence. And we learn from tragic hero that never ends your struggle.

                    

                             The End

            

           

                            Thank You