An Analysis Of Long Day’s Journey Into Night And Death Of A Salesman From Lessing’s Thought Of Tragedy

As a German Enlightenment humanist theorist and literary critic of drama, Lessing has a far-reaching impact on the whole development of drama history. Although he is influenced a lot by Aristotle, his theory has a plenty of original view. He creates the concept of citizen tragedy, that is, heroes of tragedy not always are emperors and royalties, also can be the common people in the society. He puts great emphasis on the status and value of the personality in tragedy, if tragedy doesn’t show a hero’s personality, it can’t be considered to be a real tragedy. Besides, he stresses on the significance of moral education of tragedy. With Lessing’s theory of tragedy, this thesis analyzes Long Day’s Journey into Night and Death of a Salesman.This thesis is composed of three parts: an introduction, the main body and a conclusion. The main contents are as follows:The first part is the introduction. It makes a brief statement of the origin and development of Lessing’s theory of tragedy, and gives a brief account of the research status quo of Long Day’s Journey into Night and Death of a Salesman at home and abroad. Finally, an introduction is made to the purpose and innovation of this thesis.The second part is the main body which consists of three chapters:The first chapter analyzes Lessing’s thought of tragedy: thought of personal character, thought of citizen tragedy, thought of moral education. Especially personality in citizen tragedy is embodied in Long Day’s Journey into Night and Death of a Salesman, paving the way for chapter two which analyzes the inherited elements and similarities’ embodiment of the theory in the works and chapter three which analyzes the innovative elements of expression method in the works to Lessing’s tragic theory.The second chapter firstly analyzes the similar and different points of the two plays and reasons from the angle of Lessing’s tragedy character. The arrangement of characters is corresponding, showing love and hate of common American middle class family members: Two fathers, two mothers and two pairs of sons. They are the victims of tragedies and the makers at the same time; Owing to the different growingup environment, their personality causes different destinies, which has inevitable connection with the final ending. Secondly, from the perspective of Lessing’s citizen tragedy, analyzing why masterpieces of the two most outstanding dramatist in 20 th century choose common family from middle class family as the heroes of tragedies, and how they reveal the distorted values of American civilians in the age of extravagance and waste. Lastly, this thesis analyzes the two plays from Lessing’s view of moral education. On the basis of focusing on personal character and life of common people, the tragedies are naturally more relatable and persuasive so that the final purpose of tragedy is easier to get, that is the aim of moral education.The third chapter mainly explores innovative elements of the two representative citizen tragedies in 20 th century to traditional citizen tragedies advocated by Lessing in 18 th century. As for the expression methods of tragedy, the two tragedies are more attractive from the abundant symbolic images and the unusual dramatic rhymes, in order to get Lessing’s aim of moral education.The third part is the conclusion. This thesis uses Lessing’s thought of tragedy to compare and study the two realistic tragedy works from the aspect of personal character, citizen play, moral education and expression methods, finding the inherited and innovative elements of the works to further understand the two great dramatists and their masterpieces. What’s more, this thesis combines theory with practice to examine and enlarge theory, drawing a conclusion: the heroes of tragedy are not always the emperors and royalties, just survival tragedy of common people can strike an empathetic chord in the audience. Meanwhile figuring out the educational significance: similar to common American people in 20 th century of inflation, common Chinese people still facing with the same spiritual dilemma, which warns Chinese to establish correct values, cultivate healthy personality and build harmonious interpersonal relationship under the present economic situation.