Tradition and Individual Talent by T. S. Eliot

Thomas Steams Eliot (1888-1965)

Hello, I am Emisha Ravani, writing this blog for the thinking activity of bridge course on T.S. Eliot's 'Teadition and Individual Talent'. Where i will discuss some questions like ,

- Your understanding of the views expressed by Eliot in this essay.

T.S Eliot's essay "Tradition and the Individual Talent" is very metaphysical in its concepts; definitions of his main points are only understood within the context of the quantum metaphysical realm. Some of the main points in T.S. Eliot's essay are tradition, isolation, knowledge, and catylyst.For Eliot, the term "tradition" is imbued with a special and complex character. It represents a "simultaneous order," by which Eliot means a historical timelessness – a fusion of past and present – and, at the same time, a sense of present temporality.
T.S. Eliot’s essay 'Tradition and Individual Talent' was first published as an anonymous piece in The Egoist, a London literary review, in September and December 1919 and subsequently included by Eliot in his first collection of essays, The Sacred Wood, published in 1920. That it continues to exert a genuine influence on thought regarding the interrelationship among literary classics, individual artists, and the nature of the creative imagination, is a comment on its value. In any case, Eliot was able to let loose in this comparatively short essay—it runs to little more than 3,000 words—packing virtually every sentence with pronouncements that, in any other context of presentation, might have required far more elaboration and persuasive defense.

-How would you like to explain Eliot's concept of Tradition? Do you agree with it?.
- Concept of Tradition
here he talks about the figures of past and literary tradition. ( historical timelessness)

Unity of time is expressed by Eliot in Burnt Norton also :
“Time present and time past
Are both perhaps present in time future
And time future contained in time past.”
In Dry Salvages, Eliot defines the sense of tradition in the following manner:
“The past experience revived in the meaning
Is not the experience of one life only
But of many generations,
Time the destroyer is time the preserver.”
Eliot says that no poet or artist of any kind has his full meaning and significance done. His importance, his appreciation is the appreciation of his kinship with the poets and artists of the past generations. You cannot value him alone, you must set him, for contrast and comparison, among the poets and writers of the past. This, Eliot says, is a principle of aesthetic, and not merely of historical criticism. The necessity for the individual talent to conform to tradition is not one-sided; what happens when a new work of art is created is something that happens simultaneously to all the works of art which preceded it.’

"The whole of the literature of Europe from Homer"- T.S.Eliot

"Tradition is a matter of much wider significance. It cannot be inherited, and if you must obtain it by great labour."

According to T. S. Eliot, tradition is significant for the critic as well as for the creative writer. As he was the both poet and creative writer .Tradition does not mean a sense of inheritance from some past author or merely a sense of belongingness to the past. Tradition is a dynamic force. It does not mean standing still. Tradition is the historical sense and not the handing down, or following the ways of the ancients blindly. It cannot be inherited. It can only be obtained with great labour. It involves a historical sense which enables a poet to perceive not only the pastness of the past but also its presentness. In a nut shell T.S. Eliot insist hard work of the writer.

-Theory of Depersonalization
-Poet's sense of tradition and impersonality of poetry are complementary things.
- Novelty
It means that all the writers shuld keep in mind that all the new creations are already in the Tradition. They must follow their past writers to create novelty even. Nothing can be begin from the zero but everything has it's past. and it should be noted .
- Personal Emotions
Great works never express poet's personal emotions. Sucessful poetry always remain impersonal and independent , also he says that those poetries be immortal . Further it include into Literary Tradition.
T.S.Eliot has done the objection to HAMLET by Shakespeare, as he wrote the work ' Hamlet and his problems ' and there delt with the issue OBJECTIVE CORRELATIVE. We can compare T.S.Eliot with Sir Philip Sidney and S.T. Coleridge . As he was poet and literary critic both.
- Escape from Emotion
This essay is attack on ROMANTICISM perticulerly the idea the poen is poet's personal expression.



-What do you understand by Historical Sense? (Use these quotes to explain your understanding)
"The historical sense involves a perception, not only of the pastness of the past, but of its presence"
This historical sense, which is a sense of the timeless as well as of the temporal and of the timeless and of the temporal together, is what makes a writer traditional.

T.S. Eliot says that how historical sense should be connected to the modern works of art. Furthur he says that all the new writers should read and follow the old authors, and also they must include that tradition.

-What is the relationship between “tradition” and “the individual talent,” according to the poet T. S. Eliot?
Eliot advocates for the separation of art from artist and argues that tradition has less to do with imitation and more to do with understanding and expanding upon the intellectual and literary context in which one is writing.

-Explain: "Some can absorb knowledge, the more tardy must sweat for it. Shakespeare acquired more essential history from Plutarch than most men could from the whole British Museum".
it is not desirable to confine knowledge to whatever can be put into a useful shape for examinations, drawing-rooms, or the still more pretentious modes of publicity. Some can absorb knowledge, the more tardy must sweat for it. Shakespeare acquired more essential history from Plutarch than most men could from the whole British Museum. What is to be insisted upon is that the poet must develop or procure the consciousness of the past and that he should continue to develop this consciousness throughout his career.

-Explain: "Honest criticism and sensitive appreciation is directed not upon the poet but upon the poetry"
There are many people who appreciate the expression of sincere emotion in verse, and there is a smaller number of people who can appreciate technical excellence. But very few know when there is an expression of significant emotion, emotion which has its life in the poem and not in the history of the poet.

-How would you like to explain Eliot's theory of depersonalization? You can explain with the help of chemical reaction in presence of catalyst agent, Platinum.
T.S.Eliot gives an example of chemical process to explain his theory of depersonalization to create Sulphur dioxide, platinum is used as a catalyst, but when it is prepared we do not see platinum any more in the solution. Similarly, to create poetry, poet's mind works as a catalyst but we do not see his mind in his poetry.

-Explain: " Poetry is not a turning loose of emotion, but an escape from emotion; it is not the expression of personality, but an escape from personality."
Eliot’s argument is a little more complicated than it first appears. It’s often assumed that Eliot is saying that, because poetic personality doesn’t matter, the poet’s self doesn’t matter either: poetry is impersonal in that it could come from anyone, if only they read the right books and set to work. But as the critic C. K. Stead argued in his brilliant The New Poetic: Yeats to Eliot , Eliot’s talk of escape from personality is not actually a call to escape from the self but a call to escape further into the self.

-Write two points on which one can write critique on 'T.S. Eliot as a critic'.
1.Old orthodoxies and erected new ones

2. insisting tradition more than trends

here this video will provide you the understanding of this essay by T.S.Eliot . 

Wordsworth's Preface to Lyrical Ballads

 Hello, I'm Emisha Ravani, writing this blog on WORDSWORTH'S PREFACE TO LYRICAL BALLADS. Which is thinking activity given by Dr. Dilip Barad. Where I will discuss about some of the question like,

1.what is your understanding of views expressed in Wordsworth's Preface?



"Preface to the Lyrical Ballads" by William Wordsworth is an epoch-making contribution to English literature. It is a landmark of literary criticism. Wordsworth has declared a break of the Neo-classical tradition in English poetry through this piece. He has discussed the characteristics of a poet, his functions and his dominions elaborately. 
Ordinary life is the best subject for poetry. Wordsworth uses common man's language.
Everyday language is best suited for poetry
Expression of feeling is more important than action or plot. 
"Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of emotion" that "takes its origin from emotion, recollected in tranquility." 
- William Wordsworth

2.What is the basic difference between the poetic creed of 'Classicism' and 'Romanticism'?

"The Solitary Reaper" is a poem about music: the song a Scottish girl sings as she cuts hay with a sickle. Though the poem's narrator cannot understand what the girl is actually singing about, the girl's song sticks with him, its melancholy beauty echoing in his head “long after” its sound has faded.
The Rape of the Lock was written by Alexander Pope and first published in 1712, then reworked and published again in 1714. The poem is a mock-epic that satirizes the upper-class in London at the time. The story focuses on the central character, Belinda, whose lock of hair is cut off at a social gathering.
The principle distinction between neoclassicism and romanticism is that neoclassicism focuses on objectivity, reason, and Intellect. While romanticism stresses on human creativity, nature, and emotions or feelings. The romanticism movement has influenced various topics, styles, and themes. 

Classicism - intellect
Romanticism - imagination
Classicism - restraint
Romanticism - freedom
Classicism - rely to the classist 
Romanticism - rely to the medivial figures

3.Why does Wordsworth say 'What' is poet? rather than Who is poet?

The language of a poet is not different from that of other men. Wordsworth says, " A poet is a man speaking to men. " Basically there is no difference among the poets and the common men. A poet can be different from other men not in kind but only in degree. He has a comprehensive soul, inner insight and a power to express which want in common men. His passions, thoughts, and feelings will be the general passions, thoughts and feelings of mankind. He thinks and feels in the spirit of human passions. Therefore, the poet's language cannot differ in any material degree from the language of all other men who feel vividly and see clearly.

4.What is poetic diction? Which sort of poetic diction is suggested by Wordsworth in his Preface?

William Wordsworth says that personifications of abstract ideas are by no means a natural or regular part of the real language of men. He has also taken pains to avoid the use of what is called "poetic diction". He does it to bring the language of his poems near to the language of men. He has tried to express his ideas in language fitted to their respective importance. Wordsworth further says that metre is superadded. Metre adds the beauty to the poem. He wants to avoid figurative language in poems.
The poetic diction is the essay as suggested by Wordsworth applies the “real language of men”. He has selected it to communicate and connect it with the other men and common people. He further adds that the selection of the common language can add “vivid sensation” and “pleasure” to the readers as each and every poem has its own “purpose” to share and evoke “pleasure” to the readers.
In addition to this, the selection of such poetic diction to impart the “incidents and situations from common life”. It is only possible for Wordsworth to impart these poetic themes in the poem only with the “real language of men”. He even stated that it will add a “certain colouring of imagination” on the readers so to evoke the ” state of excitement” which the common people share in their everyday lives. The “real language of men” will enable the other men can relate “the manner in which we associate ideas in a state of excitement”.

5.What is poetry?

it is a spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings with emotions recollected in tranquility. Hence, first see and perceive you then recollect and restore them. Memorize and recollect. The scenery, landscape and the silence around with the pictures and images of their own tend to our feelings and emotions.

6.Discuss 'Daffodils - I wandered lonely as a cloud' with reference to Wordsworth's poetic creed. 

‘I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud’ is one of the best-loved poems of the fountainhead of romanticism William Wordsworth. This poem features how the spontaneous emotions of the poet’s heart sparked by the energetic dance of daffodils help him pen down this sweet little piece. On 15 April 1802, Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy came across a host of daffodils around Glencoyne Bay in the Lake District. This event was the inspiration behind the composition of Wordsworth’s lyric poem.
‘Daffodils’ or ‘I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud’ has been dissected methodically for illustrating the poet’s mood, the surrounding location, the allegorical meanings, and the beauty of nature in full motion. The poet’s love and proximity with nature have inspired and moved generations after generations of poetry lovers and young minds.

Dryden's Essay on dramatic poesy

DRYDEN'S DRAMATIC POESY

Hello, I'm Emisha Ravani, writing this blog on Dryden's Dramatic Poesy. Which is thinking activity given by Dr. Dilip Barad. Where I will discuss about some of the question like,

1. Your understanding of the views expressed by Dryden in this essay. 

Dr. Jonson called John Dryden as "The Father of English Criticism" because he is the first man after Aristotle(Greek critic) tries to give new definition to Criticism before that Sir Philip sidney who only elaborated what is said by Aristotle and he more renaissance man and his work on criticism is very little. So Dryden was the first English critic who formed a definition and also gave some prefaces and other critical writing.

" Consistant critic "

According to Samuel Johnson, he always says that Dryden is the figure who is the invented A new era of criticism. And he said that, 

" Learn to write well or not to write at all, A thing well said will be wit in all languages "
This work is published in 1668. And in this work is focusing on Drama. And he talked about that how criticism should be done by critics. He says that critic should know that, writers write according to their ages and they produced the various literary works by their own style of writing. 
For example we can see Shakespeare's plays, Edmund Spencer's Fairy Queen , Ben Jonson's Comedy of humour, Francis Bacon's essays have the effects of Elizabethan age as they have been exist at that time. And when we see Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Choucer, we can see that it has the impacts of Medivial England's historical and social background. 
This is the only formal critical work by Dryden. Dryden was influenced by the Greek and latin critics. Also he had influenced by Franch critics. He never insist to follow the rules to do criticism. 

Definition of play by Dryden

“A PLAY ought to be a just and lively image of human nature, representing its passions and humors, and the changes of fortune to which it is subject, for the delight and instruction of mankind.”

As for Jonson, to whose character I am now arrived, if we look upon him while he was himself (for his last plays were but his dotages), I think him the most learned and judicious writer which any theatre ever had. He was a most severe judge of himself as well as others. One cannot say he wanted wit, but rather that he was frugal of it. In his works you find little to retrench or alter. Wit, and language, and humour also in some measure, we had before him; but something of art was wanting to the drama till he came. He managed his strength to more advantage than any who preceded him. You seldom find him making love in any of his scenes, or endeavouring to move the passions; his genius was too sullen and saturnine to do it gracefully, especially when he knew he came after those who had performed both to such an height. Humour was his proper sphere; and in that he delighted most to represent mechanic people. He was deeply conversant in the Ancients, both Greek and Latin, and he borrowed boldly from them: there is scarce a poet or historian among the Roman authors of those times whom he has not translated in Sejanus and Catiline. But he has done his robberies so openly that one may see he fears not to be taxed by any law. He invades authors like a monarch, and what would be theft in other poets is only victory in him. With the spoils of these writers he so represents old Rome to us, in its rites, ceremonies, and customs, that if one of their poets had written either of his tragedies, we had seen less of it than in him. If there was any fault in his language, 'twas that he weaved it too closely and laboriously in his serious plays: perhaps, too, he did a little too much romanize our tongue, leaving the words which he translated almost as much Latin as he found them: wherein, though he learnedly followed the idiom of their language, he did not enough, comply with ours. If I would compare him with Shakespeare, I must acknowledge him the more correct poet, but Shakespeare the greater wit. Shakespeare was the Homertext annotation indicator, or father of our dramatic poets; Jonson was the Virgiltext annotation indicator, the pattern of elaborate writing; I admire him, but I love Shakespeare. To conclude of him, as he has given us the most correct plays, so in the precepts which he has laid down in his Discoveries, we have as many and profitable rules for perfecting the stage as any wherewith the French can furnish us.

As we have seen Dryden admired Ben Jonson and William Shakespeare. 
Next those four were discuss about their opinion where in, 
Crites has rules in three unities, time, place and action. 
Eugenius says that we don't restricted ourselves by dull emotions like ancient. 
Lisideius again said that French are best. He says that Tragedy does not represent human nature. It's imitation of serious or complete action. This definition is very different from Aristotle's definition. 
At last they four discuss about Rhyme. 
Where Crites says that, in dramas blank verses should be there rather than rhymes. 
So as a response to that Neander ( Dryden) says that in a series plays there might have high characters so rhymes should be there. 

He talks about the four things here, 

1.( Crites) :- Speakes for the ancient dramatits

2.( Eugenius):- for the english literature for the "LAST AGE "

3. ( Lisideivs) :- speaks for the French

4.( Neander) :- speaks for England and liberty

Here Dryden says these four speakers supporting their arguments. Let's see how they four are putting their views. 

Crites : crites supported ancient Greek and Roman authors and he says that old and ancient works are better than the modern works. 

Eugenius: he talks about old and ancient work's faults and he praise the modern works. Further he says that old drama had not acts and all, LAST AGE of drama is the best. 

Lisideius: he argue that French drama is the best, where they don't mix up the genres like tragedy and comedy though it's seperate. We can see it in Renaissance dramas. 

Neander: here Dryden has put himself as Neander. He speaks like he answering Lisideius. He talks about english drama's liberty. Shakespeare and Jonson's tradition is the best. 

1) Do you find any difference between Aristotle's definition of Tragedy and Dryden's definition of Play?

“Tragedy,” says Aristotle, “is an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude…through pity and fear effecting the proper purgation (catharsis)of these emotions.” Ambiguous means may be employed, Aristotle maintains in contrast to Plato, to a virtuous and purifying end.

Dryden defines Drama as: “Just and lively image of human nature, representing its passions and humours, and the. changes of fortune to which it is subject, for the. delight and instruction of mankind.”

These both definitions are very different from each other like one is saying that it's imitation of series of actions. And another is saying that tragedy represents human nature. 

2) If you are supposed to give your personal predilection, would you be on the side of the Ancient or the Modern? Please give reasons.

By my interpretation, I would like to say that both the sides are appreciated. Because it's not everytime the modern took the ideas from the ancient and tries to imitate it but sometimes many new interpretations can be introduced by them to the ancient works. So we would say that if ancients have ideas then moderns have the power to present it in new ways. 

3) Do you think that the arguments presented in favour of the French plays and against English plays are appropriate? (Say for example, Death should not be performed as it is neither 'just' not 'liely' image, displaying duel fight with blunted swords, thousands of soldiers marching represented as five on stage, mingling of mirth and serious, multiple plots etc.)

Whichever arguments are presented in the favour of English plays. In the work it says that old Or ancient works didn't have acts and all the rules.and says that also modern dramas are best.The plots of French plays are barren while English ones are copious to further the same action. The English plays have numbers of plots with the main plot and audience is important because of that in English plays, there are all types of themes.

4) What would be your preference so far as poetic or prosaic dialogues are concerned in the play? 

I would like to preference poetry rather than prose though it's a little bit hard to understand sometimes. And prose are more reliable for illiterate people because it easy to understand if it's easy level of language. But poetry has unique charms to itself so it's poetry I like to preference. 

The video where Pro.Dahiya ,VC of Kurukshetr University ,is explaining very well this text.where he talks about it in veey detail.

Aristotle's Poetics

Hello, I am Emisha Ravani, writing this blog for the thinking activity givan by Pro. DilipBarad in Bridge Course:Aristotle's Poetics.Where we shell answer the questions like:

1. What is your understanding about Aristotle's Poetics ?

2.With reference to the literary texts you have studied B.A. programme, write brief note on the texts which followed Aristotelian literary tradition. (i.e. his concept of tragedy, catharsis, tragic hero with hamartia etc) 

3. With reference to the literary texts you have studied during B.A. programme , write breif note on the texts which did not follow Aristotelian literary tredition. ( i.e. his concept of tragedy, catharsis, tragic hero with hamartia etc.)

4. have you studied any tragedies during B.A. programme? who was/were the tragic protagonist/s in those tragedies? what was their 'hamartia'? 

The first picture is Aristotle himself and second is his work ' Poetics'. Let's know his thoughts by some of his quotes . 

We can see that how thoughtful mind he had. He had contributed in many fields by his master mind. 

Let's see with which topics he had deal with in his work 'Poetics'. 

1.Response to Plato 'The Repblic' 2.Means of Mimesis 3.Discussion on Tragedy 4.Six different aspects of Tragedy 5.Hamartia and Peripeteia 6.Thought and Diction 7.Epic Poetry 8.Tragedy is superior to epic poetry

Aristotle was the disciple of the great Plato, who wrote work 'The Republic' and to response it Aristotle wrote this work ' Poatics'.which is very famous.where he talks about dramatic theories, different kinds of poetry and tragedt and epic poetries are on focus. and as we know that he wrote to response Plato's work ,where Plato says that poetry and poets are meaningless they they are pretending . so Aristotle didnot believe it wrote the Poetics.

Means of Mimesis

Imitative representation of the real world in art and literature.

Mimesis is a term used in philosophy and literary criticism. It describes the process of imitation or mimicry through which artists portray and interpret the world. Mimesis is not a literary device or technique, but rather a way of thinking about a work of art.

Discussion on Tragedy

says Aristotle, “is an imitation [mimēsis] of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude…through pity and fear effecting the proper purgation [catharsis] of these emotions.” Ambiguous means may be employed, Aristotle maintains in contrast to Plato, to a virtuous and purifying end.

Six different aspects of Tragedy

After discussing the definition of tragedy, Aristotle explores various important parts of tragedy. He asserts that any tragedy can be divided into six constituent parts. They are: Plot, Character, Thought, Diction, Song and Spectacle. The Plot is the most important part of a tragedy.

Hamartia and Peripeteia

Aristotle also defines the characteristics of a tragic hero as the following; Hamartia, a tragic flaw that causes the downfall of a hero; hubris, excessive pride and disrespect for the natural order of things; peripeteia, the reversal of fate that the hero experiences; anagnorisis, a moment in time when the hero makes ..

Thoughts and Diction

Thought means what the characters think or feel during their career in the development of the plot. The thought is expressed through their speeches and dialogues. Diction is the medium of language or expression through which the characters reveal their thoughts and feelings.

Epic poetry

Aristotle's Definition of Epic in Poetics and his Consideration of Tragedy as Superior to an Epic. To Aristotle, an Epic is a narrative poem written in heroic hexa-metre. It has four constituent parts namely plot , character, thought, & diction. ... Nor should epics be constructed like the common run of histories.

Tragedy is superior to epic poetry

Tragedy contains all the elements of the epic, but manages to present its story in a much shorter span of time and with a greater degree of unity. The concentration of the tragic plot heightens its impact on the audience.

2.With reference to the literary texts you have studied B.A. programme, write brief note on the texts which followed Aristotelian literary tradition. (i.e. his concept of tragedy, catharsis, tragic hero with hamartia etc) 

Arthur Miller’s “All my sons” is one of the texts which, in some ways, follow a tradition of the Aristotelian Tragedy as the tragic hero of the play; Joe Keller undergoes every major characteristic that a tragic hero of Aristotle faces.

Joe Keller fits in the frames of Aristotle’s concept a tragic hero- he is true to life, is consistent in his thoughts and actions, and is neither an outright saint nor a wicked criminal but a representative of normal human beings.

Though it is considered as a modern tragedy Joe Keller, like Aristotelian hero suffers from-

Hubris- He has an excessive ambition that leads to his downfall, causing his death by committing suicide.

Hamartia- He makes a terrible error of dispatching the faulty parts in his limited views for his business and his family. This way Joe suffers not as a result of any wise but as a consequence of his error in judgment.

Catharsis- an essential function of tragedy is arousing pity and fear in a way to accomplish Catharsis of emotions. In ‘All my Sons’, pity for characters is felt through the hardships of Larry Keller and the future of family members after Joe’s suicide.

In short, the play can be, in some reference, called a model similar to Aristotelian tragedy but it cannot be an Aristotelian tragedy.

Othello as Tragedy

Another illustration is ‘Othello’- a tragedy of an ideal situation where a rather good man meets a terrible end. The hero is a moor with a higher rank, and speaks acts and does in a very probable way which gives the necessary outcome of his character.

Throughout the story, Othello continuously questions Desdemona’s loyalty as he gets manipulated by Iago. Finally, in the end, he kills Desdemona and later on realizes it was all lies and ends up killing himself. His anger and jealousy grow as more lies are told to him, enough that make him stop listening to Desdemona and others telling him the truth. As all that happens, it allows the reader to realize that Othello has different changes throughout the story as well as different characteristics that show him as a tragic hero. In Othello, William Shakespeare characterizes Othello as a tragic hero and as well includes ways that show how Othello had culpability for Desdemona’s murder. Othello changes because of his actions, which results in his downfall, showing how he changes from a sweet and loving husband and then changes to a cruel and abusive husband who eventually goes on to kill his own wife.

 A Tragic Hero with Hamartia- Othello is a man of action; his tragic flaw is extreme jealousy. It is this jealousy that leads to his catastrophic downfall. The villainous deeds of Iago and his constant poisoning of Othello’s ears with monstrous jealousy serve as a medium for murdering his own wife.

Catharsis- Othello’s cruel act of murdering Desdemona arouses pity and fear in reader/spectator’s and causes catharsis in such a way that a group of emotions is disturbed.

3. With reference to the literary texts you have studied during B.A. programme , write breif note on the texts which did NOT follow Aristotelian literary tredition. ( i.e. his concept of tragedy, catharsis, tragic hero with hamartia etc.)

The text which did not follow the Aristotelian literary tradition is ‘The Hairy Ape’ as it does not have a hero of a higher rank; the tragedy is of a layman who suffers from a sense of belonging in the modern world.

According to Aristotle, a tragic hero must suffer because of an error of judgment and this fatal flaw leads to his downfall which causes catharsis.

The play ‘The Hairy Ape’ presents an antihero- Yank, an ideal stoker. He does not have any tragic flaw but he faces conflict with his surroundings and his insult by a wealthy lady Mildred Douglas turns Yank avenge upon her. He feels alienated and an outsider, especially when he is compared with an ape and he is called a ‘hairy ape’. He is constantly reminded that he ‘does not belong’. The subtitle ‘A comedy of Ancient and Modern World’ is a satirical title by Eugene O’Neill which fails to arouse pity and fear and thus catharsis is not as effective as the Aristotelian Tragedy. So it can be considered that “The Hairy Ape” does not follow Aristotelian literary tradition. 

4. Have you studied any tragedies during B.A. programme? who was/were the tragic protagonist/s in those tragedies? what was their 'hamartia'? 

Tragedies	Tragic Protagonists	Hamartia
All My Sons	Joe Keller	Shipping of faulty parts
Tughlaq	Muhammad bin Tughlaq	Idealistic vision of Tughlaq
Othello	Othello	Extremeness of jealousy, Blind trust on Iago
The Hairy Ape	Yank	Excessive pride in his dominant nature