To Be a Great Tragedy

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A person or thing that makes trouble is a second factor that leads to tragedy. Besides heroes, in the great tragedy there is always one or more characters who has a great influence over the hero by suggesting something for the hero to do, spreading gossips, and telling the truth to the hero. There are three different characters, Ghost in Hamlet, Iago in Othello, and Thea Elvsted in Hedda Gabbler, who have a great power on changing the hero’s mind, thoughts, decisions and finally leads him/her to the end of his/her life.

The first secondary character or things is ghost which is the spirit of the King Hamlet. Batthenhouse writes in the book Shakespearean Tragedy, the spirit of King Hamelt has been called the “linchpin” of the tragedy. It is true because ghost of Hamlet’s father’s revisiting of Denmark causes “play’s revenge actions is launched.” In addition, Ghost’s command is “crucial to any interpretation of the play” (237). Before the Ghost of Hamlet’s father visits Hamlet, Hamlet is deeply hurt by his father’s death and his mother’s remarriage with his uncle. Charlton writes in his book “His father has died from natural causes. But this death and, still more, his mother’s remarriage, have reduced Hamlet’s ideal universe to chaos. His rich and exquisitely sensitive nature, the observed of all observers, has suffered a shock which starts it reeling” (91). When the Ghost of the king visits Hamlet, the Ghost tells Hamlet the exact story that might happened in the beginning of the play which is murdering of his father. Immediately, he is aware of the wickedness of his uncle and trust what the Ghost’s said; however, he does not trust the entire story. Charlton adds in his book that Hamlet does not have any evidence about murdering of his father but he always felt that “his uncle was villain and now the tale of the murder provides him with particular confirmation” (87). After that the Ghost asks him to revenge and he accepts entirely the tale of uncle’s villainy which provides by the Ghost. Charlton says that “he contempt upon himself”:

‘Swounds, I should take it: for it cannot be

But I am pigeon-liver’d and lack gall

To make oppression bitter, or ere this

I should have fatted all the region kites

With this slave’s offal…. (qtd. in Charlton 88)

Because of the Ghost and “the tales of his uncle’s villainy”, he invents “a purpose for the play which already planned for the morrow” (88). If he does not know about the tale, he does not consider revenging for his father whether it is true or not. The Ghost’s revisiting provides an opportunity to lead the play to the climax by showing how he reacts about the tale and how to deal with his inner confliction.

Iago is the second character who has a great power on changing the hero Othello’s mind. Iago is Othello’s ancient captain and hoped for promotion, but he works revenge on Othello and Cassio because Othello chooses Cassio for his right-handed man. His reason for villainy describes by Coleridge in the book Shakespeare’s Tragedies: An introduction, as “the motive-hunting of motiveless malignity” (qtd. in Mehl 61). Mehl continues in his book that Iago is the kind of character that destroys a human being through “insinuating speech” and with “such a wealth of stylistic nuance” (68). He has a transcendent talent to estrange all characters in this play by his speech. Everybody believes that he is an honest man especially Othello believes that he is such an honest man that he can depends on. Mehl says that Othello’s “unsuspicious trust” in Iago causes Iago to build his strategy upon Othello (68). Iago has a talent not only in a speech to make people to believe that he is an honest man but also he has a perfect ability to understand “his opposite form a cold distance at any moment” and he carefully notice “the effect of his slanders”:

The Moor already changes with my poison:

Dangerous conceits are in their natures poisons,

Which at the first are scarce found to distaste

But, with a little act upon the blood,

Burn like the mines of sulphur…. (qtd. in Mehl 68)

Loosing confidence and trust is like a poison to Othello and it changing the whole world that around him by making “all the familiar heroic” worthless and military ideals. At the climax of play, Othello welcomes “Iago’s ‘love’ with ‘acceptace bounteous’ (III.3.47I)” and finally divorces himself faithful wife Desdemona. Iago concludes with his “concluding statement, ‘I am your own for ever’ (III.3.48o)” (69). His dishonest actions and speeches lead the play of the climax by changing main characters’ mind especially hero Othello’s which finally courts a death of his wife and himself.

This is not only happens in the Shakespeare’s plays but also can find in other plays including Hedda Gabbler. In the book Hedda Gabbler, Thea Elvsted, who is Hedda’s old schoolmate, changes her thoughts and deeds at last. She doesn’t act or speak intentionally on purpose to make Hedda jealous, but her actions and speeches totally make her to blinds by jealousy. At the beginning of the play Hedda Gabler, when Hedda asks about lessons that Lovborg, who is Hedda’s former lover, gives to Thea Elvsted she said:

Mrs. Elvsted. No, not exactly lessons. But he talked to me—talked about such an infinity of things. And then came the lovely, happy time when I began to share in his work—when he allowed me to help him!.... (Hedda Gabler 18)

Mrs. Elvasted tells true feeling toward Lovborg and Hedda feels upset when she hears about her love to Lovborg. When she hears about Mrs. Elvasted story, Hedda makes a plan to destroy her former lover Lovborg. Finally, she has Lovborg’s the most important manuscript that he lost by drinking too much alcohol and she revenges it through language of great fear:

Hedda(throws one of the quires into the fire and whispers to herself). Now I am burning your child. Thea!—Burning it, curly-locks! (Throwing one or two more quires into the stove.) Your child and Eilert Lovborg’s. (Throws the rest in.) I am burning—I am burning your child….(Hedda Gabler 59)

It shows that her honest actions and speeches cause Hedda to destroy her inner thought and lover Lovborg and herself.

The final key element of a