A Comparative Analysis Of Ways Of Realising Tragic Catharsis In Agamemnon And King Lear

Catharsis is a key concept in Aristotle’s framework of tragic theory with reference to effects of a tragedy, while Agamemnon and King Lear are generally regarded as representatives of ancient Greek and Shakespearean tragedies respectively. This thesis explores and analyzes tragic catharsis in Agamemnon and in King Lear, with the focus on the similarities and differences in how catharsis is achieved in these two works. This thesis redefines catharsis as an integration of a clarification of the incidents and characters in a tragedy as well as of their relationship with the universal rules in the real world, which evokes audience’s emotions, and then the purgation of certain harmful elements in these emotions, the purification of certain selfish elements to altruistic emotions and the restoration of mental balance the tragedy achieves in its audience. All of these cathartic elements are interrelated and achieved in both Agamemnon and King Lear through plot, character, thought, diction, melody, setting as well as the employment of imagery and supernatural elements. The differences in achievement of catharsis in these two tragedies mainly lie in the pace of the “peripety – discovery – suffering” plot, the essence of the “error of judgement” of tragic heroes, the presentation of “fate” and “justice” as well as diction and settings of these two works. Moreover, the implications of the study are also explored in terms of reasons for the differences, which involve different historical backgrounds and artistic conceptions of the time, and of the development of tragic catharsis from ancient Greece to Renaissance, which includes the reduction of limitations on tragic presentation, the establishment of multifaceted and developing tragic characters as well as the employment of increasingly various artistic devices. The findings and implications of the study may cast new light on the interpretation of these two works, and also on different literary conventions of ancient Greece and Renaissance, as well as the relationship between the two. Furthermore, certain implications of the study are also of universal significance to modern literary creation and literary appreciation.