PRINCIPAL TYPES OF TRAGEDY - HEROIC TRAGEDY
In dealing with heroic play as a distinct variety of drama, there are
invariably two influences that need to be thought through. The first which
relates to its origin, concerns the question of the probable source from which
it allegedly derived itself. In this regard, though several are cited as viable
options to consider, the most quintessential by far is undoubtedly epic poetry.
After all, a heroic play is basically so called chiefly because the fundamental
principles that underlie its framework are essentially drawn from that of epic
or heroic poem. Heroic play in fact as theorized by Dryden, represents an
endeavor aimed at adapting heroic poetry to the stage. His avowed intention in
doing so was to evolve the most exalted form of drama ever produced, much like
epic that is widely regarded to be the noblest poetic form ever wrought. Epic
thus occupies a position of central significance with regard to the conception
of heroic plays, but it should be pointed out that it is overlaid by another
important factor in this respect. This is the impact exercised on the English
stage by French classical theatre, which represents the second influence we
need to consider as far as heroic plays are concerned. Beginning from roughly
the 1650s, French drama underwent a remarkable purple patch inspired by the
genius of such classical playwrights as Boileau, La Fontaine, Racine and
Corneille. Exiled in France at the time, Charles II and his court naturally
came under its spell, and the influence asserted itself subsequently in the
English dramatic scene when the former was restored as the monarch of England
in 1660. It must however be pointed out that in imitating the French
dramatists, the English heroic playwrights did so with a liberal spirit, not
hesitating to break with the former’s formulations whenever they felt the need
to do so.
Though fashionable during restoration times, heroic plays have failed to
elicit any kind of resurgence post the 17th century. In fact, the lack
of endeavor at revival has been so absolute that for all practical purposes,
they might as well be regarded dead. Yet for all the theatrical dormancy they
have suffered for centuries, very few varieties of drama could make a credible
claim at being identified as a formal subgenre proper as the heroic plays.
Their significance therefore cannot possibly be undermined at least formally,
as some of their facets discussed below bear out.
EPIC
ELEMENTS:
The chief features of a heroic play, such as the one’s relating to its subject,
hero and style, replicate those of epic or heroic poetry. Accordingly, just
like in an epic, the plot of a heroic play essentially deals with an event or
incident which is of historic sometimes even mythic proportions, as that of a
founding of a nation, the conquest of a great city or the conflict between two
noble civilizations. It is however noteworthy that in a heroic play, the
emphasis is not so much on the event as on the range of emotions it evokes.
Again, as in an epic, it is notable that the plot of a heroic play essentially
centres around a hero, who typifies a grand or noble personage such as that of
a king, general or warlord. It must however be specified that the nobility that
characterizes the personality of the hero in a heroic play should not be taken
to mean that he is a man of honour whose actions are governed by principles of
morality. In fact, the grandeur of such a hero actually emanates from the fact
that he frequently breaches the bounds of moral virtues, in his attempt to
realise the ambitions of his heart. The hero of a heroic play is thus,
decisive, given to excesses, but by no means a perfect individual. Finally,
similar to that of an epic, the style in which dialogues of a heroic play are
fashioned is blatantly ornate or elaborate in scope. The logic is simply that
just like in such a grand composition as a heroic poem, where the nature of
language adopted is required to be anything but commonplace, so in a heroic
play that is modelled on such a poem, the dialogues ought to be framed in a
style that is conspicuously divorced from practical speech. In this
regard, rhymed verse in heroic couplet epitomises the medium of choice in a
heroic play, though blank verse is also often employed.
FRENCH
IMPACT:
It is often pointed out and perhaps justifiably so, that the influence of
French classical theatre on the shaping of English heroic plays is rather
overstated. After all, the one principle that French dramatists upheld as a
mandatory tenet in their plays, the three unities, is for the most part
overlooked in the heroic plays. Except perhaps in a few of them, most notably All for Love, in majority of the heroic
plays, it is not only the unity of time and place, but the most important among
them, that of action too, is blatantly violated. However, overstated as it
might be, the fact still remains that the influence of French classical theatre
on heroic plays is certainly undeniable. Nowhere is this most obvious than in
the aspect of characterization, particularly in the depiction of the tragic
hero. Similar to those that typically characterize the French tragedies, heroes
in a heroic play are noble stiff personages, who exemplify idealized
personalities that impart a larger than life impression. They do not exchange
quips with commoners, are doomed by their own disposition, while remaining
magnificent throughout. Thus with regard to French influence, it could be said
that heroic plays exemplify a curious admixture of adherence and violation.
PRIVATE
TRAGEDY: Affairs
of the state has traditionally been the subject of choice in a tragedy. This is
exactly why barring in a few of them, the ultimate fall or ruin of the hero is
invariably shown as entailing far reaching implications for the public at
large. This custom however is not just violated but utterly overturned in a
heroic tragedy. Though it relates the saga of kings and queens, it is notable
that neither the actions nor the ultimate destruction of the protagonist in a
heroic play is shown to have any bearing beyond that of the person involved.
Whatever social or political repercussions the play might encompass, it is
passed over in the course of the plot, with focus being wholly concentrated on
the emotionally charged private life of the protagonist. Heroic play thus
represents a drama in which affairs of the state are overshadowed by affairs of
the heart, where the obviously political is subordinated to the tellingly
personal. This transfer of interest in a tragedy from that of the public to the
private sphere is probably the greatest legacy left behind by heroic plays, for
it served to establish that personal dealings could be as effective a subject
matter for tragedy as state affairs.
OVERT
EMOTIONALISM: Heroic play is not a drama of action or deeds, but emotional
intensification. Far from morally instructing them, heroic playwrights seek to
please the audience through evoking or exciting their passions. To this end,
they portray their characters as essentially passionate beings, whose outbursts
are meant to emotionally move the spectators to fervent delight. Agitating the
sensibilities thus inevitably acquired the importance of being an end in
itself, and it was felt the more agitated the sensibilities are the better. The
Fact that heroic plays are invested with several scenes with no apparent meaning
or purpose attached to them, save the exacting of an emotional response in the
spectators bears it out most amply. It is however worth noting that such scenes
of overt emotionalism though vital to its affective impact, are often cited as
one of the prime reasons that discourage the production of heroic plays on the
modern stage.
STAGE
REPRESENTATION: Aristotle delineated spectacle as the least important of the six
elements that make up a tragedy, as he felt the actual stage representation of
the play has very little to do with the impact it has on the audience. Whether
one agrees with Aristotle or not, the dictum is certainly not true as far as
heroic plays are concerned. No other variety of drama at least until that time
was so deeply influenced as heroic plays were, by the aspect of stage craft and
effects. For instance, in the plays of the immediately preceeding eras such as
the Elizabethan and the Jacobean, the marvelous was invariably narrated by the
characters in their dialogues. During the restoration however it became
possible for it to be actually represented on the stage, which meant that
rather than having to closely listen to the dialogues for the description of
the scene, the audience now had an opportunity to visually perceive them. As a
result, heroic plays came to be infused with far more exotic settings and
miraculous events than any of the other plays before them. Another telling
facet of heroic plays which probably arose in response to the development in
stage representation is the leading roles ascribed to female characters. During
the Elizabethan and Jacobean times, women were not allowed to act on the stage,
their roles being performed by pre-adolescent boys instead. Though this custom,
as we are given to understand, did not curtail the playwrights in any way, the
fact still remains that Elizabethan and Jacobean tragedies are conspicuously
short of memorable female characters. With the dawn of the restoration however,
when the ban placed on women performing on the stage was lifted, we find that
the scenario changed quite drastically. Female roles in tragedies that have
been largely restricted and unimpressive thus far, not only increased in number
but also scope in the restoration tragedies. This not only offered a relatively
substantial prospect for women to act on the stage, but provided them with star
turns to actually steal the limelight. Notwithstanding counter arguments, it
must be conceded the change is to a large extent warranted by the fact that
women could actually perform on the stage, for if not it is highly unlikely
that strong female roles would have been devised at all in heroic plays. After
all, no matter what anyone might say, the range of performance that the
self-consciously exaggerated heroic plays demanded of its chief characters,
could have never been depicted so successfully by a young boy, as by an actual
woman.
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