Blanche DuBois – Tragic Heroine?
What do we mean by ‘tragic heroine?’
TRADITIONAL APPROACH TO TRAGEDY:
} Aristotle in his Poetics suggested that a tragic hero/heroine’s misfortune is not brought about "by vice and depravity but by some error of judgment.”
} Aristotle insisted that the tragic hero/heroine of classical and epic tragedies should be noble; typically kings/lords/aristocracy.
HOWEVER:
} In modern tragedies the tragic hero/ine rather than falling calamitously from a high position, appears to be an ordinary, average person.
} Arthur Miller ‘Tragedy and the Common Man:’ (1949)
“ I believe that the common man is as apt a subject for tragedy in its highest sense as kings were.”
Modern domestic tragic hero/ine:
} Traditional sense of catharsis not necessary;
} Resilient; they suffer but display bravery in the face of enormous odds that are often against them.
} Suffers greatly and is often unable to change what is happening;
} Often in modern domestic tragedies the central characters are considered to be more anti-heroes/heroines.
What is an anti-heroine?
} A character who does not fit the normal model of heroism.
} Human characters? Fragile? Vulnerable?
What is a tragic victim?
} Typically the character in a tragedy that elicits the most sympathy from the audience.
} Arguably Blanche is simply that, a victim of her circumstance who is often preyed upon by others.
So to what extent is Blanche a tragic heroine? Does she boast tendencies synonymous with an anti-heroine or tragic victim?
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