Tragedy in Tess of the D’Urberville by Thomas Hardy Essay

Hardy’s novel Tess of the D’Urberville is based on the tragedy of Tess’ life. Throughout the novel Tess goes through numerous amounts of suffering .Traditionally, it was believed that tragedy was due to hamartia. Aristotle described hamartia as a flaw that leads to the fall of the protagonist caused by mistake in a person’s behaviour. However, Tess does not have a flaw but she still suffers despite the fact that she did not do anything wrong. Hardy demonstrates that Tess is a woman in a patriarchal society which leads to her downfall. The D’Urberville name dictates the lives of Tess and her family to such an extent. The transformation from Durbeyfield to D’Urberville is very significant in the novel. Hardy’s use of renaming and the†¦show more content†¦Tess believes that the death of prince is â€Å"all my doing-all mine!† She reinforces her sense of guilt as she believes she has ruined her family economically and due to her negligence she seeks the D’Urbervilles for help. The death of Prince propels Tess’ Tragedy. Each phase in the novel reflects a period of Tess’ life. The maiden shows Tess life when she finally meets the D’Urbervilles. Alec greets her by calling her â€Å"My big beauty†. Hardy’s use of this quote is ironic as Victorian heroines are usually small and inferior. The use of the word â€Å"big† suggests that Tess looks like a grown woman despite her age. She works for the D’Urberville family for a few months before her innocence and purity is stripped from her, â€Å"Upon this beautiful feminine tissue†. Hardy constantly uses the word ‘pure’ for womanhood and what it truly meant for women like Tess. â€Å"Did it never strike your mind that what every woman says some women may feel† Hardy wanted to expose patriarchy in society rather that criticising the women who suffered. A woman’s role was to provide domesticity and motherhood. If women in the Victorian era were to stray from these norms they were stigm atised by society and kept away from the public sphere. The novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte is similar to Hardy’s novel as it establishes to the readers that women were under a patriarchal society and their heroines are a reminder of that. TessShow MoreRelated Thomas Hardys Tragic Stories796 Words   |  4 PagesThomas Hardys Tragic Stories For centuries, various writers have endeavored to encapsulate the constituents of tragedy, and create works of literature that adhere to their understanding of an ostensibly universal system of tragic structure, tragic plot, and tragic theme. 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