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GATSBY

Intentions - love/obsession of daisy

Nonvillianous traits:

Hopeless Romantic

Takes the blame for killing Myrtle for daisy

Kind and helpful to most characters

Villainous traits:

Illegal activities is how he made his fortune

Relations with Meyer Wolfsheim

Lack of morals

Deceiving (lies)

LACK OF GUILT

RICHARD

Intentions - be a good leader, fulfil his destiny AO3 ‘divine right of kings’ - just isn't suited to the role

Nonvillianous traits:

Just an idiot (incompetent) not evil

Villainous traits:

Looks down upon citizens

Gives bias sentences

AO5: John Barton production ‘serial doubling’ richard and bolingbroke reflections of one another elements of good and bad in all.

LACK OF GUILT

TRAGIC HERO ?

Para 1 - Do the past actions of Gatsby (criminal activity) and Richard () justify them being called evil?

Yes

Gatsby would of affected many people's lives gaining his money ~ bootlegging

Richard had no sympathy or decency as a ruler ~ increased tax enormously leading to a revolt ~ bias views towards serious choices (banishments) and showed little empathy/guilt for his decisions ~ Narcissistic

No

Gatsby did not directly affect people which does not fit the persona of being evil instead just corrupt

Gatsby had fairly good intentions for his fortune (love interest) and uses his money towards others

Richards mistakes during his ruling seem more ignorant then evil, he was not well advised or fit for the role. Mistakes rather then genuine evil intentions.

Motivated by loss or fear of loss - Daisy/England

But, could it include other characters? Not enough to say a whole essay about the others…..

Para 2 - Bolingbroke AND Tom

Tom = racist, abusive (violent) - physical

Bollingbroke = Violent and physical with his overthrowing

Para 3 - Bushy Bagot and green AND Nick

Nick = ignorant, loyal

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'The suffering experienced by tragic protagonists always evokes pity in readers and audiences.'

To what extent do you agree with this view in relation to 2 texts you have studied?

or

'Moments of happiness in tragedies are rare and their only purpose is to heighten the tragic outcome.'

To what extent do you agree with this view in relation to 2 texts you have studied?

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Essay Plan

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‘The mistakes made by tragic protagonists always have terrible consequences for those around them’

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‘The mistakes made by tragic protagonists always have terrible consequences for those around them’

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Agree:

Myrtle and George - collateral damage at the hands of Gatsby and Daisys relationship. By unsuccessfully pressuring Daisy to leave tom, Daisy and Gatsby recklessly drive the car home, consequently killing Myrtle

decay of social values

e.g ‘Mingled her thick dark blood with the dust’ - To others she is viewed as a disposable object demonstrating the ‘careless’ nature of the upper classes. Myrtle's death is both painful and gruesome again heightening the destruction and consequences

‘The death car’ - callousness of the upper classes, injustice

Bushy, Bagot and Green - executed as a result of their support for Richard. As a result of Richard’s poor ruling as the King and his mistake in banishing Henry Bolingbroke and then taking Gaunt’s titles and money for himself rather than rightfully passing them down to Henry. Causes Henry to rebel and devise a coup to depose Richard. Bushy, Bagot and Green are then executed by Henry’s army for supporting Richard.

Disagree:

Tom and Daisy - remain in the same lifestyle and dynamic as before their introduction to Gatsby. Indifferent to Gatsby’s mistakes. Arguably, it reinstates their lost relationship, they admit their love for each other in front of Gatsby ‘I go on a spree for a while, but I always come back’

The people of England - gain a more equipped and suitable monarch, Bolingbroke - the preferred monarch of the people - ‘craft the smiles of poor men’

Nick Carraway - Gatsby’s mistakes have minimal consequences for Nick in contrast to other characters

Henry Bolingbroke - Despite Richard making the mistake of banishing Henry, he still returns to England and claims the throne for himself. Therefore Richard’s mistakes had a largely positive consequence for Henry in the long run.

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'Pride elevates tragic heros rather than diminishes them.'

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'Pride elevates tragic heros rather than diminishes them.'

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Rii:

Counter argument: His pride at the beginning means he doesn’t care about the people, therefore Bullingbrook is viewed as the more suitable ruler. This leads to his downfall and assassination which is the tragedy of the play.

‘Our land, our lives and all are Bullingbrook’s, and nothing can we call our own but death.’ - completely fallen from power

However, his lack of pride later on elevates

The seen with the groom - This is the only scene where he’s talking to a lower class individual and it encourages the audience to respect him more and be sympathetic towards his downfall.

Rii:

Importance of the divine right of kings

Pride in the belief that he is God’s anointed ruler

Act 3, Scene 2

“Not all the water in the rough sea can wash the balm off from an anointed king”

God for His Richard hath in heavenly pay / A glorious angel.”

This elevates Richard to a great extent → the pride he has elevates him to the point that he oversteps boundaries → Overruling trial by combat, claiming Gaunt’s assets (“The lining of his coffers shall make coats to deck our soldiers for these Irish wars”)

Richard assumes more power in the early stages of the play: this creates the environment for the tragedy at the close

Richard is diminished after losing his power (prisoner)

See scene 5 (Pomfret castle)

Gatsby’s pride is what attracts people to him, highlighting the 1920s materialistic society.

All the parties he hosts

The way people admire his mansion

His rise from a poor upbringing to where he is in the novel, although we later learn that he achieved this through criminal activity.

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Rii:

Importance of the divine right of kings

Pride in the belief that he is God’s anointed ruler

Act 3, Scene 2

“Not all the water in the rough sea can wash the balm off from an anointed king”

God for His Richard hath in heavenly pay / A glorious angel.”

This elevates Richard to a great extent → the pride he has elevates him to the point that he oversteps boundaries → Overruling trial by combat, claiming Gaunt’s assets (“The lining of his coffers shall make coats to deck our soldiers for these Irish wars”)

Richard assumes more power in the early stages of the play: this creates the environment for the tragedy to take place

Richard is diminished after losing his power (prisoner)

See Act 5, Scene 5 (Pomfret castle) Monologue and dialogue with Groom

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Rii:

Counter argument: His pride at the beginning means he doesn’t care about the people, therefore Bullingbrook is viewed as the more suitable ruler. This leads to his downfall and assassination which is the tragedy of the play.

‘Our land, our lives and all are Bullingbrook’s, and nothing can we call our own but death.’ - completely fallen from power

However, his lack of pride later on elevates

The seen with the groom - This is the only scene where he’s talking to a lower class individual and it encourages the audience to respect him more and be sympathetic towards his downfall.

Gatsby’s pride is what attracts people to him, highlighting the 1920s materialistic society.

All the parties he hosts

The way people admire his mansion

His rise from a poor upbringing to where he is in the novel, although we later learn that he achieved this through criminal activity.

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'In tragedy, order is disrupted and never restored.'

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'In tragedy, order is disrupted and never restored.'

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PARA 1

Order within Richard II is mostly represented by the succession of kings, and how this succession is ultimately disrupted for the greater good.

Richard II being denounced as king

~ order = succession within the royal family and the hierarchy that this creates

~ Richards divinity, representing the idea of sanctity within his ruling. Significance

‘Not all the water in the rough rude sea can wash away the balm of an anointed king’ Richard referring to his belief being the anointed king and his sense of faith within this position

‘God’s substitute’ - Gaunt reiterating Richard’s divinity and how contextually he would have been viewed as Gods substitute on earth

~ Bolingbroke overthrows this order, and it is never truly restored within the play (make reference to the later plays within the series) however ruling is reestablished with Bollingbroke being anointed

‘Bollingbroke hath seized the wasteful king’

‘I God’s name let it go’

~ Bolingbroke was supported by the people, therefore despite his drastic measures and disruption of tradition he was viewed as heroic. Therefore, in a sense his disruption was positive change, meaning that it didn’t need to be ‘restored’ to how it was before as such ~ idea of a new beginning for England

PARA 2

Gatsby’s downfall is set the moment he reunites with Daisy because “they were careless people” - Once their relationship begins there’s no saving him - order is restored when Daisy and Gatsby are apart

Richard never recovers from the choices he makes at the beginning of the play - arguably order was disrupted even before the play when the duke of Gloucester dies

CA: Gatsby never actually disrupted the order of the classes - he never achieved old money and ultimately died irrelevant and alone

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‘Moments of happiness in tragedies are rare and their only purpose is to heighten the tragic outcome’

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‘Moments of happiness in tragedies are rare and their only purpose is to heighten the tragic outcome’

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Great Gatsby has lots of moments of happiness but they’re all superficial and based on wealth - hides the tragedy beneath the story until it smacks you

Moments of happiness in Richard are few and far between - even when Bulingbrooke has his coronation there’s immediately a plot against him - the audience is robbed of any happiness they could have

Richard - relies on the words of others to bring him happiness and hope - when he comes back from ireland he is immediately despaired by Bulingbrooke’s plot but his mood switches quick when Aumerle reminds him to “remember who you are” his mood immediately switches

Everytime this happens the audience is filled with a bit of hope despite themselves and they are always let down when Richard reverts back to moping - so it heightens the tragedy when he finally grows a spine right near his death

‘Wash the balm off of the hands of an anointed king’

Moment of happiness in Gatsby - trip into New York with Tom and Myrtle is ruined until the reader is hit by each character flaws when Tom punches Myrtle - heightens tragedy because it portrays the vulnerability of happiness within the novel - much like Daisy and Gatsby

Richard - even when bolingbroke has his biggest opposition removed - an event that anyone should be pleased about, henry is distraught

“I hate thee murderer, and love thee murdered”

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Gatsby

Unrequited love for Daisy evokes sympathy - love is a pure emotion - even on his death he was waiting for Daisy phone call

Destruction of his dream - the American dream - live happily with Daisy and be successful

Not “always” CA: Is it deserved/justified? Only cares about himself - Cold around Myrtle's death

Gatsby ending, can't find people to attend his funeral - hollow existence - no sincerity in his life

Gatsby is deceptive = doesn’t form relationship with reader - less attachment to Gatsby - hadn't lived an honest existence

Richard II

The suffering which Richard experiences can be seen as deserved due to his greed and pompousness at the start of the play “The lining of his coffers shall make coats / to deck our soldiers for these Irish wars.” However the extent of Richard’s punishment can be seen as overly harsh which could evoke pity in the reader.

His reflection “I wasted time now time doth waste me” this highlights his character development and allows the audience to sympathise with his mistakes and consider how they could of been instigated by others (bushy, baggot, greene)

“The King grown bankrupt like a broken man” - Richard has spurned his own wealth, as well as the wealth of the country. This does not evoke pity from the reader, as Richard has poorly managed the country's finances, and ruined the country. However, Richard was born into his role and did not choose to be King,

CA: In both texts other characters evoke pity in the reader/audience, so not always the protagonists actually…

Myrtle ~ suffers as never achieves Toms individual love or the life she wants

Gaunt ~ wants to advise and protect characters, however is overlooked and die’s

England ?????? ~ often characterised in the play, represents how england suffers from these mistakes

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‘In tragic literature when characters die, their deaths are always met with sadness’

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‘In tragic literature when characters die, their deaths are always met with sadness’

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“I hate thee murderer, but I love thee murdered” - Richard’s death only affects people because of the implications that come with a King being killed negatively affect Bulingbrooke - divine right of kings completely shattered and this leaves Bulingbrooke vulnerable

However Richard’s death is met with sadness by the audience since he had just redeemed himself in our eyes after his soliloquy and actually fought - we are primed to see him as more noble in his death

Myrtle’s death is described brutally and in great detail - it seems as though Tom cares at first however since he immediately distances himself from the yellow car it is clear he only cares about himself

Similarly Gatsby and Daisy are seemingly unaffected by this with Gatsby’s only worry being Daisy’s well being - going as far as staying in the bushes and watching her

Tom and Daisy are unaffected because they are “careless people”

Since her death is so graphic and unfortunate the reader pities her as she met a tragic end

The sycophants deaths are first met with anger by Richard when he doesn’t fully understand the situation but he immediately grieves once he understands they are dead - audience may feel sad since it’s not technically their fault that they allied themselves with Richard, a clearly bad king

However Richard’s grief is barely about them - focuses on what will happen to him “tell sad stories of the death of kings”

Gatsby’s death isn’t noticed and not even Meyer Wolfsheim, his associate attended the funeral - life goes on without him and the only people who mourn are Nick and Mr Gatz

His death is seen as tragic by readers since he is presented as someone beloved by the community with all of his parties - yet none of the party guests mourn him

He was unjustly blamed for Myrtle’s death and happily went along with it because of his love for Daisy, leading to his death.

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‘In tragic literature when characters die, their deaths are always met with sadness’

What extent do you agree…

P1 - Richard II death is met with sadness?? by audience but a mixed reaction from Bolingbroke

Audience feels sympathetic towards Richard II at the end

Not sadness more pity as he kind of redeems himself in reflection

"I hate the murdered, loved him murdered"

"I did wish hum dead"

Martyr in his death

P2 - Gatsby's death receives no sadness

Not really sad

No one goes to funeral → pathos from reader ????

"Nobody came"

P3 - Myrtles death - sad tragic and graphic

Wilson kills himself

"he ran over Myrtle like you'd run over a dog"

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‘In tragic literature when characters die, their deaths are always met with sadness'

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‘In tragic literature when characters die, their deaths are always met with sadness'

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Myrtle - viewed as collateral damage - Fitzgerald depicts her death with gruesome details e.g ‘life violently distinguished’, ‘mingled her thick dark blood with dust’ - idea of dust is often associated with the downtrodden or images of uselessness. All the characters in the long term forget about her death amongst the social chaos, being viewed as disposable.

Gatsby - waiting for the phone call

Gatsby - he takes the blame for Myrtle’s death although it was Daisy who was driving. This leads to Mr Wilson murdering him although, in this context, he is innocent. Therefore his death is met with sadness for the reader. This is further reinforced when very little people attend his funeral, although they all attended his parties. Tom and Daisy fled when trouble started occurring, reflecting the careless attitudes of the upper class. The characters don’t seem to be met with sadness as a result of Gatsby’s death, yet it evokes pity on the reader.

Richard - Whilst in prison the audience feel he has a redemption arc, understanding his wrongs and repenting. His murder was more miscommunication than purposeful as Bullingbrokes desire for his murder is misunderstood. Interestingly, the Royal Shakespeare Company's interpretation of ‘Ricahard II’ appoints Aumerle as the murder as a method of redemption from his plot against Bullingbroke. Whilst the audience may feel sadness over the unjust death of Richard characters, specifically Bullingbroke fear more for their own consequences as he exclaims how ‘the deed of slang’ was at ‘thy fatal hand’. The new king's dedication to attend a ‘pilgrimage’ disproves the argument that characters' deaths are always met with sadness given he is more worried about jeopardising his position as monarch and upsetting the higher power, God.

Gatsby - Throughout the novel, we are suspicious of Gatsby’s character and he doesn’t come across as one with good intentions. We learn that he was involved in criminal activity during the prohibition period in order to gain his wealth, implying his intentions weren’t all innocent. Furthermore, his obsession with Daisy gives us an unfavourable impression of him. It is clear that he uses Daisy to remain his upper class status and the relationship between the two characters is superficial.

Gatsby's funeral not only demonstrates the selfish behaviour of the upper classes but the distinct lack of loyalty. His relationships are clearly superficial given, despite Nicks pleading no one returns for his funeral. Fitzgerald emphasises this with the pianist, Klippspringer, who calls only in regards to a ‘pair of shoes’ rather than to mourn the death pf Gatsby.

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"In tragic literature when characters die, their deaths are always met with sadness.
To what extent do you agree with this view in relation to two texts you have studied?

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"In tragic literature when characters die, their deaths are always met with sadness.
To what extent do you agree with this view in relation to two texts you have studied?

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Richard:  Deaths

Richard

Bolingbroke

Feeling a sense of sadness but perhaps not entirely genuine → out of self preservation, “voyage to the holy land” to “wash” Richard’s blood off his hands.

Audience

Richard becomes more humble as the play comes to a close, scene with the groom connects him with the audience

Bushy and Green (CA)

Their deaths will likely be met with little sadness from the audience: this occurs relatively early in the play without much development of their characters, aside from their role as Richard’s sycophants.

Gaunt

Lack of sadness from Richard: he is elated

Tragic death from the perspective of the audience because he condemns Richard (This sceptered isle speech) but is powerless to act against his tyranny.

Gatsby: Deaths

Gatsby

Met with sadness by Nick, but everyone else just doesn’t really care, thus shows very little sadness.

Gatsby’s funeral - “But it [holding off funeral] wasn’t any use. Nobody came” Pg. 174

Even his own father wasn’t too bothered by his son’s death, caring more about his possessions - “Walking up and down excitedly in the hall. His pride in his… son’s possessions was continually increasing”

Audience May have a degree of sympathy for Gatsby, however since it was his own actions and own mistakes which led to his death this sympathy is limited.

Myrtle Wilson

Sends her husband into a spiral of grief which concludes with him avenging her death, shooting Gatsby, then committing suicide. Ultimately, Tom Buchanan, her lover, grieves very little for Myrtle and all other characters, including those who were responsible for her death, Daisy and Gatsby, were  largely unaffected and showed very little sadness.

Wilson’s immediate reaction “Oh, my Ga-od! Oh, my Ga-od!”

Tom flees with Daisy

Gatsby’s reaction “She took it pretty well.’ He spoke as if Daisy’s reaction was the only thing that mattered.” - Shows no sadness at Myrtle’s death and only really cares about Daisy.

George Wilson