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Summary 'At the heart of the tragic experience is an overwhelming sense of shame.'
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A comparative analysis of Arthur Miller's 'Death of a Salesman' and John Keats' AQA selected texts.
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'At the heart of the tragic experience is an overwhelming sense of shame.'In the tragedy genre, it can be understood that shame is used as being responsible for the suffering of
the characters, as their inability to achieve or be the person they desire, enables them to be tormented
by their dreams and idealistics. Despite how tragedy has evolved with time, shame nevertheless
remains as being the worst characteristic of human nature: something which is evident when
considering the works of John Keats and Arthur Miller - as it is the shame of their characters which
fundamentally alienate their hubris and encourage the occurrence of their hamartia.
In Death of a Salesman, the tragic decline of Willy Loman is attributable to the shame he endures as a
response to his inability to achieve the American Dream which society has corrupted him to believe
he is entitled to, due to his supposed “personal attraction” to which he falsely believes generates
success. The shame which Willy Loman experiences is characterised by Miller as being
metaphorically suffocating, and projected through the emphasis of capitalism which seemingly haunts
the elderly man whose “small, fragile home” is threatened by the presence of “angular shapes”, which
although are uninviting, nevertheless represent success. Although the exterior of the house is unable to
conceal the social status of the family, it’s interior nevertheless appears to embody capitalism with the
ownership of a hastings’ refrigerator and a silver trophy above the bed of Linda and Willy which
connote ideas of success, however as Miller tragically reveals, these merely exaggerate the shame of
Loman who although own the refrigerator with the “biggest ads” cannot afford to maintain its
operation, and although possesses a trophy, did not earn it himself. Miller creates an ironic foil
between Willy and his home as although the audience can physically see their vulnerability, internally,
their unwillingness to face their shame alienates them into attempting to convince themselves they are
something which they are not, demonstrating how hubris enables the decline of man.
In Isabella; or, the Pot of Basil, the reader similarly sees the shame which Lorenzo holds regarding his
social position which places limitations of the development of his love with Isabella, as although
unified by “love laws”, his “stifle voice” which is a product of his inferiority, restricts him from
confessing his love to Isabella sooner; something which would have prevented their suffering of love
sickness with “dreary [nights] of love and misery.” Despite their natural romance embodying fate as
they symbolically complete one another (“her full shape would all his seeing fill”), it is his social
status which disrupts natural order, something which he is shamelessly aware of as he initially
attempts to reject his feelings by not acting upon them. When considering Keats’ poem, it can be
understood that shame promotes suffering as it alienates humanity from acting upon natural emotions
such as love. However, even more tragically, suggestively the shame of Lorenzo had the power to
prevent the occurrence of his hamartia, as if he had listened to such shame, Isabella’s brother would
not have had reasoning to kill him; by defying his humanity in ignoring his shame, Lorenzo had to
endure physical suffering.
Contrastingly, it can be suggested that in Eve of St Agnes, the lack of shame which the characters
endure ultimately promotes the poem’s tragedy as it places no restrictions on the committing of mortal
sinning. Such lack of shame is evident when considering the treatment of the Beadsman who although
remains pure from the corruption of capitalism due to his religious devotion, is nevertheless
mistreated by the family as he prays for their sins whilst enduring the “bitter chill” of winter whilst
juxtaposingly, they enjoy the luxury and “glow” of the celebration in the warmth. Despite how
symbolically he is saving the family from sin, they show no shame for their alienation of him,
allowing his vulnerability to be further emphasised as “his weak spirit falls.” Similarly, Angela also
also adapts the role as a tragic-villain as a result of Porphyro’s lack of shame in breaking his vow to
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