An essay on the pedagogical value of the Shakespearean tragedy

It has been often thought about the purpose and utility of literature and why do we
like to write and read. It is, for sure, an essential factor in developing a language, but the
reason why we write and read literature is different. Literary theorists made use of the Greek
term kallos (κάλλος), a word which encompasses the ideas of both beauty and utility. In other
words, a literary work has not only an aesthetic function, but it is also useful. But how can we
find utility in a literary work which cause intense feelings of grief, sorrow and sadness in the
reader’s heart? What is the utility of a tragedy and why do people write and read tragedies?
To answer these questions, we have to consider the pedagogical value of a tragic work. In this
essay I will try to extract some pedagogical ideas from various Shakespearian tragedies,
massages send through centuries which find an echo even in our modern daily life.
We read and watch tragedies because we encounter tragic events in our life and we
are trying to give them a meaning. Some of us might like the thrilling effect of a tragedy, but a
tragedy also possesses pedagogical value. Through a tragedy, most authors transmit moral
values, examples and events which can be interpreted by readers. It is easier to analyze them
when we watch a tragic event from outside. A reader can observe, as many time as he wants,
actions which triggered tragedies and character’s deeds, and he can reach his own
conclusions.
Greek tragedies offered a general pedagogical advice. In those times, tragic events
were considered to be triggered by the pride of a gifted character. Because of his
extraordinary qualities, a Greek tragic hero was defying gods, who will put him through
various trials. This concept was appreciated by the Elizabethan writers, who placed the pride
under a new Christian light. In Christianity, pride is considered the primordial sin which
caused angels to fall into darkness. In Shakespearian tragedies, pride and social position are
the triggers for various major events. The first vanity which rose in Macbeth’s heart was after
his victory against the King of Norway, when he is offered the title of Thane of Glamis.
Macbeth is lured into the illusion of a prophesied high social status by the Three Witches,
who tell him that he will become Thane of Cawdor and king over Scotland. The first prophesy
is fulfilled and Macbeth becomes Thane of Cawdor. His increasing pride and vanity make him
desire to be king, as the Three Witches told him, even if it is the natural flow of events. He
murders the king and takes his position. On the other hand, Shakespeare shows how a high
social status causes envy and many dangers, even death. According to the Christian ideas
about worldly fame, Shakespeare shows how a high rank is the cause of such tragic events
and sufferance for both sides. Duncan, the former king, pays this worldly fame with his life.
Even Macbeth and his wife do not find peace and happiness, for they are tormented by the
ghost of Duncan and their own conscience. Social status is proven to be disastrous for both
the person who holds an important social status and for those who envy him.
Pride and vanity as the main causes of tragedies is the first pedagogical message sent
by Shakespearian tragedies. It can also be observed in Hamlet, where his father, the king, is
murdered for the same reason. Claudius commits fratricide because he envies and desires
Hamlet’s position. The biblical story of Cain and Abel is brought into the play twice. Envy
was the cause for the first murder in humankind history, according to the Bible. Abel’s gifts
for God were accepted, while Cain’s gifts were rejected. The envy that grew in Cain made
him murder his brother. The same envy made Claudius kill his brother. The murder scene has
many biblical elements. After killing his brother, Claudius passed the guild on a snake, saying
that old Hamlet was bitten by a venomous snake while he was sleeping in the garden. In truth,
Claudius poured poison into Hamlet’s ear. The real snake and murderer was Claudius himself.
The whole murder scene has many symbols which reminds us of the original sin: the tree, the
snake and the garden.
Romeo and Juliet is another tragic play where two young lovers are the victims of a
long conflict between two families, Montague and Capulet. The tragedy in this play is not
caused by a specific social position, but by rivalry. However, this tragedy can be avoided by
devising various plans to fight it. The plan to escape a society of rivalry and hate seems to be
flawless. But there is another force which even a wise man like Friar Lawrence can’t stand
against it. The force of destiny plays an important role in triggering the final tragedy. His
soliloquy reveals a profound wisdom. He describes how earth grows many different useful
things. All of Earth's creatures have a lot of good qualities and uses, despite the fact that every
creature is different and some of the creatures may be ugly. But if Earth's creatures are used
inappropriately, then the outcomes could be dangerous. Something like a plant can be used for
both poison and medicine. The Friar is also saying that plants are a lot like humans. Just as a
plant can be both good and bad, each individual human has that dichotomy in them as well.
Death is not only a part of life, but death is necessary for life. Therefore, we can even view
death as being positive because it breeds life. His plan to save his innocent spiritual sons
seems to be perfect. But one small detail, one insignificant event turns everything wrong. The
letter which explains Friar Lawrence’s plan to Romeo does not reach its destination. The
messenger is stopped and he is forbidden to go forward because of the plague. Romeo
misunderstands everything and the result is fatal for both Romeo and Juliet.
There are various pedagogical ideas we can extract from Romeo and Juliet play.
Shakespeare shows us how a long rivalry is disastrous. The victims are two innocent young
lovers. The death of the innocents brings peace between Capulet and Montague family, and
this is another allusion to the Christian sacrifice made by an innocent to bring peace. A second
thing to be thought by this tragedy is the mistake of suicide, considered to be the greatest sin
in Christianity, an irreversible event. We can all agree that, if Romeo did not commit suicide,
the tragedy would have been avoided. There are many other messages placed with subtlety,
such as the comparison between poison and money made by Romeo. He tells the apothecary,
from whom he bought poison:

“There is thy gold, worse poison to men's souls,

Doing more murders in this loathsome world,
Than these poor compounds that thou mayst not sell.
I sell thee poison; thou hast sold me none.”

Money is considered a more dreadful poison than any other in the world, the cause
of countless murders.
In the Greek tragedy, hamartia is commonly understood to refer to the protagonist’s
error or flaw that leads to a chain of plot actions culminating in a reversal from their good
fortune to bad. In Romeo and Juliet, hamartia belongs to Friar Lawrence and Romeo. The
flaw in Friar Lawrence’s plan caused a sudden twist in the plot. He didn’t consider the
scenario where the message for Romeo fails to reach him. On the other hand, Romeo’s
mistake in judgment is his sudden suicide. He thinks about it even since he hears the rumor of
Juliet’s death and he is not willing to check whether it is true. A fatalistic attitude can be
disastrous.
It seems that every feminine lover in Shakespearian tragedies is bound to a form of
suicide. Ophelia is the victim of Hamlet’s inner struggles. Even before discovering that
Claudius is the murderer of his father, Hamlet has a grudge against his mother for marring
Claudius. He projects this guild over all feminine existence, including the innocent Ophelia.
The feminine tragedy finds echoes in Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, where Sybil
Vane, a talented actress who plays in Shakespearean tragedies, commits suicide after
receiving a similar rejection from Dorian. Lord Henry links her to Ophelia after this
unfortunate event. I believe that we can extract some pedagogical inferences from this
context. We should not place all feminine existence under the same condition. It is curious
that I can personally observe how, even in our days, people rush to extend the guild of a
feminine individual over all feminine existence.
When we watch or read a certain tragic play for the first time, we inevitably divide
characters into heroes and villains. We are almost happy when the bad guy receives his
righteous punishment, but after we have a deeper consideration about the tragic circumstances
again, we might be able to sympathize with the villain. Unlike the Greek tragedy, which
completely forbids us to sympathize with the villain, the Shakespearian tragedy has allowed
us a different point of view. In Macbeth, Shakespeare goes deep into the villain’s inner
struggle. After a deeper consideration, the reader can realize that Macbeth is a victim for the
Three Witches and his wife. We can feel his tension at the moment when he plans to murder
Duncan:
“I’ll go no more:
I am afraid to think what I have done”
However, his wife is not so hesitant and she is much more cold-hearted than Macbeth. The
entire process which leads to Duncan’s assassination is a reminder about how the sin,
according to Christianity, is objectified after a force corrupted human nature. In Macbeth, the
evil force is represented by the Three Witches. The woman also plays an important role in
both the biblical sin made by Adam and in the murder made by Macbeth. Paradoxically, Lady
Macbeth, who was so cold-hearted, suffers the unbearable tortures of a stained conscience,
which are the cause of her death. In the end, most readers can empathize with Macbeth and
agree that he is just a victim of malefic forces. The pedagogical message is that we must have
compassion for antisocial individuals, even for murderers like Macbeth. This growing
compassion gradually eliminated the death sentence, which was common in Shakespeare's
times even for pickpockets.

Conclusions:
A tragic play is an invitation to deep reflection because real-life tragedies trigger the
most profound thoughts about life, death, justice, compassion, good and evil, right or wrong.
Reading a tragedy, we have the opportunity to experience tragic events without getting
involved. We are able to analyze causes, deeds and situations we can scarcely encounter in
our daily life. Each tragic play has its own pedagogical elements. Shakespearian tragedies
were written in a time when Christianity was a modus vivendi for the entire British society.
Their pedagogical message includes pride, vanity, rivalry and human error as causes of
tragedies. We learn that we should not generalize the fault of a woman over all feminine
existence and we see how villains are victims of malefic forces and they deserve compassion.