Aspects of tragedy - exemplar student response and commentary

Below you will find an exemplar student response to a Section C question in the specimen assessment materials, followed by an examiner commentary on the response.

Paper 1A, Section C

Sample question

'At the heart of the tragic experience is an overwhelming sense of shame.'

To what extent do you agree with this view in relation to two texts you have studied?

Remember to include in your answer relevant comment on the ways the writers have shaped meanings.

Band 5 response

Whilst it can be said that shame, as experienced by the protagonists in Richard II and Keats' poetry (and readers and audiences) is significant, to what extent it is overwhelming and at the heart of the tragic experience may be debated.

It could certainly be argued that Richard's shame at the end of the play is an overwhelming aspect of the tragic experience. He appears to feel great shame at the extent to which he has been degraded by Bolingbroke imagining the way in which he will be forced to exchange his 'large kingdom for a little grave', where the juxtaposition clearly illustrates the extent of his tragic fall from monarch to a state of insignificance. Likewise, he imagines how he may be 'buried in the King's highway…where subjects' feet/ May hourly trample,' clearly illustrating the depth of his degradation – rather than the pomp and ceremony that should accompany a state funeral, he will be ignominiously trampled upon by those he should have led. Richard's shame at the extent to which he has been brought low is further verified when he is forced to publicly abdicate to Bolingbroke in the tragic climax of the play. When he looks in the mirror, he only sees 'a brittle glory', an image that conveys the extent to which he has been broken and his very sense of identity stolen by his cousin whom he refers to as the 'silent king' even before he has been crowned. There is a deep sense of shame in this public enactment of his overthrow, which Richard dramatically takes full of advantage of in demanding that Bolingbroke take the crown from his hands. Richard recognises that their roles have now reversed. Whilst he falls down 'unseen and full of water', Bolingbroke rises as the new sun that once epitomised his reign as the divine legitimate monarch. The sense of shame Richard experiences thereby casts him as a tragic victim with whom the audience sympathise given the illegitimacy of Bolingbroke's acquisition of the crown as well as our knowledge of the future rebellions that this will give rise to. It could also be said that the audience too experiences a sense of shame at witnessing Richard brought so low, potentially making us feel an element of shameful complicity. This is most evident in the final scenes where we witness Richard's poignant soliloquising in prison. His description of 'crushing penury' and belief that he has become 'nothing,' a word that is resonantly repeated, cast him as a figure for whom we feel great pity as we empathise with the shame and ignominy he feels. Moreover, his onstage botched death in a prison cell, at the hands of servants, just at the moment when he reminds us that he is king, (a birthright that cannot be denied), places deep shame on his captors and further encourages us to sympathise with Richard as a tragic victim perhaps more 'sinned against than sinning'.

A similar sense of shame could be seen at the heart of the knight's tragic experience in 'La Belle Dame Sans Merci'. He too has been brought low by an adversary who should have been his inferior and seems to be deeply ashamed of both his fall and what he has lost as a result. This is evident in his plaintive wail, 'Ah woe betide!' which in its exclamatory quality could be seen as a painful exhalation of all that he has lost. He should be a great knight, a character we associate with bravery and strength and yet his experience with the elfin woman has reduced him to a state of inertia and weakness. He is thus described by Keats' narrator as 'alone and palely loitering' as if all manly vigour has been sapped from him, which is ironic considering his status as a knight. Importantly, it appears that this is not a state from which he can escape given the circular structure of the poem which could be said to convey his continual state of degradation. The shame at his degradation is further suggested by the fact he remains on 'the cold hillside', a significant setting, removed from humanity and anyone who might see the extent of his fall. Like Richard, he is therefore cast as a tragic victim with whom we have great sympathy given his evident fall from high stature to 'crushing penury' and woe.

Another aspect of shame that is central to the tragic nature of Richard II is Bolingbroke's feelings concerning Richard's fall. In many regards, he is the saviour of the play who rescues England from a state of corruption where the garden is 'swarming with caterpillars' and the king is 'wasteful'. Yet, Bolingbroke is also Richard's antagonist and he feels shame at his part in Richard's usurpation and death. When he hears of Richard's death he claims to 'hate the murderer, love him murdered', the balanced phrases, use of contrast and focus on murder, suggesting a deep ambiguity. There is perhaps shame in his reference to Exton, the wielder of the knife, as 'Cain', an appellation that subconsciously he may well be applying to himself as Richard's kinsman and the real cause of his death. Moreover, the image of his blood stained hands is clearly reflective of the guilt and shame he feels at the murder of the former monarch. Although his desire for atonement (he'll 'make a voyage to the Holy Land' to wash the blood from his guilty hand) is diluted by the fact we know, historically, that he never made this journey, the sympathy and simplicity with which he speaks still convey an abiding sense of shame in his role of the fall of the eponymous character and as such, cast him in a more sympathetic and even heroic light.

In a similar way, it could be argued that both Lycius and Lamia's sense of shame overwhelm Keats' tragic story. Lycius could be said to experience an element of shame when he rejects his mentor and teacher, Apollonius, and fails to invite him to his wedding. Muffling his face, 'Lycius shrank closer, as they met and past' forcing Lamia to ask why he blinds himself before Apollonius' 'quick eyes'. When Apollonius appears, we are told Lycius blushes and greets him with 'reconciling words', ashamed of his neglect and rejection. This in turn perhaps makes us question Lycius' innocence and status as pure victim. Likewise, Lamia clearly feels shame in the manner in which she beguiles her lover and hides her true nature from him. This is why she is so reluctant for them to marry and to leave the safety of their bower. Moreover, when Lycius discovers the truth, we are told, 'with a frightful scream she vanished', perhaps suggesting that the depth of her shame has led her to flee from the piercing eyes of those that have witnessed her demise. Thus Lamia's sense of shame also complicates her role as a villain and rather casts her in a sympathetic light, much like Bolingbroke. Their grief and shame at the deaths of figures they love, but whose demise they have been responsible for thus casts them as victims as well as villains in the wider tragic picture.

Shame could also be seen as overwhelming in the manner in which it informs the tragedy in 'Isabella'.  Whilst it is Lorenzo's shame at his lowly status that initially retards their love affair, it is her brothers' shame that she should marry someone of such lowly status that propels the tragic climax – Lorenzo's murder. They are described as, 'nigh mad/ That he, the servant of their trade designs/ Should in their sister's love be blithe and glad.' Such feelings are the motivating force for their actions; the brothers are absorbed by their absolute pride in their social position and fearful of the shame of the social stigma their sister's marriage to a servant could bring. Their murder of Lorenzo is the tragic climax that then brings about Isabella's suffering and grief.

Likewise, it could be argued that a similar feeling of shame motivates Bolingbroke. Bolingbroke is ashamed by the manner in which Richard steals his land and titles with no legal prerogative. York is shocked by Richard's shameless act, telling him he 'wrongly seize[s]' Bolingbroke's 'rights'. Although, Shakespeare is ambiguous about the reasons for Bolingbroke's return from exile, it is clear that Richard's taking of his lands and the shame that is brought on his family is the obvious motivation for Bolingbroke's return. He questions York as to whether he will 'permit that I shall stand condemned…my rights and royalties/ Plucked from my arms', where the emotive verb has connotations of theft.

On the other hand, it could be argued that far from shame being overwhelming in Richard II, it is actually Richard's shameless behaviour that brings about the tragic events. The opening tournament in Scene III is clearly stage managed by Richard in order to illustrate his supremacy and because he seemingly and shamelessly enjoys the manipulation of those he regards as beneath him. Despite the life threatening situation for Mowbray and Bolingbroke, Richard speaks flippantly having been unable to hear their complaints earlier because 'our leisure' would not allow him to convey the disregard with which he holds both appellants. Moreover, his mocking response to Bolingbroke of 'how high a pitch his resolution soars' is, in its hyperbolic quality, intended to belittle the man whom he knows is in the right. Yet just at the moment of battle, Richard throws down his warder as if drawing out the dramatic tension in order to prove his prowess. Likewise, his treatment of his subjects and land is certainly shameless: he freely admits that it is as a result of 'too great a court/ And liberal largesse' that the crown is out of funds for war and thus he flippantly issues 'blank charters' and extorts money from the nobles of the land. It is this shameless treatment of those, who as king, he should secure, protect and enlarge, that brings about his tragic downfall and the reason, moreover, why our sympathies as viewers lie largely with Bolingbroke for the opening half of the play.

Equally, it could be questioned as to whether shame is truly at the heart of the tragic experience in 'Isabella'. Here it is surely love that is overwhelming and that which brings about Isabella's terrible grief so 'she died forlorn/ Mourning her pot of basil to the last'. She clutches onto this one symbol as the last residue of her love and it is this undying adoration for Lorenzo that is central in the poem. A similar argument could be made in 'Lamia' where it is evidently her devotion to Lycius and her desire for companionship that drive her to deceive and force Hermes to transform her into a woman. The tragedy at the end of the poem is thus not merely that Lycius is dead, but that 'Philosophy will clip an angel's wing' and that cold reason destroys their romantic idyll.

Thus although it can be said that an overwhelming sense of shame is at the heart of the tragic experiences in both Richard II and Keats' stories, perhaps it is fairer to say that it just one element contributing to the sadness that audiences feel.

Examiner commentary

This is a full and thorough answer and this length would not necessarily be produced by many top band candidates. It is a perceptive response and throughout the student is assured and sensitive. The candidate aptly uses quotation to support ideas demonstrating secure understanding of the texts themselves.

AO1

The writing is assured and there is some sophistication in the argument. The candidate's voice is confident and there is an assured use of critical concepts and terminology. The candidate's expression is mature and there is a clear structure to the argument which is driven through to a convincing conclusion.

AO2

There is perceptive understanding of authorial methods with the candidate aware that Richard II is a play and operating in a rather different way to Keats' narrative poems.  There is assured engagement with how meanings are shaped by structure and language.

AO3

The candidate is assured in understanding how the dramatic and tragic contexts work here and relevant discussion on the moral and psychological contexts arising from the concept of 'shame' is integrated into the argument. The candidate has a very clear grasp of the generic context.

AO4

Clear and relevant connections across other literary texts are made through the candidate's writing about the tragic aspect of 'shame'.  There are also valid connections made between Richard II and Keats' poetry. Although it is not necessary for students to interweave the two texts in the way this candidate has, this is clearly an effective approach for this candidate.

AO5

There is perceptive debate here. The candidate confidently engages with the question itself, which is clearly at the forefront of every point that is being made.

Overall, a band 5 mark would seem to be appropriate for this candidate.

This resource is part of the Aspects of tragedy resource package.