The Tragic Nature of True Love

Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights has proven to completely fit the definition of a tragic love story. The central romance in the story so far is between Catherine and Heathcliff; however, this soon becomes complicated by the presence of Edgar whom Catherine seems to fall in love with as well. Initially, her decision to become engaged to Edgar made me doubt her “true” love for Heathcliff. Was it true love or was it more of a cute childhood romance with no potential for a future? The novel had seemed to build up a soul-mate sort of relationship, but perhaps I was reading the work too literally. However, after pondering these questions about the nature of their relationship I soon realized that I was wrong in assuming that their love was anything short of sincere. The final reason for her to become engaged to Edgar was more so for her social reputation than for her love for Edgar. Perhaps her obsession with her social status was Catherine’s tragic flaw, or perhaps she never stopped to truly consider the repercussions that her actions would bear on Heathcliff; nonetheless, the engagement was a huge and permanent mistake. I believe that Bronte meant for Catherine and Heathcliff to be soul mates, who, because of a hasty decision, doomed themselves to suffer throughout the rest of their lives without one another. The final scene that they are together nearly brought me to tears as Heathcliff screamed and pleaded with Catherine to do anything but leave him alone while she lay on her deathbed. Their final interaction was the icing on the cake for me to prove that all along they were meant to be with one another, and despite the differences that the marriage between Catherine and Edgar created, Heathcliff would have taken her back in a heartbeat. Even though he has been away from her for a long time before returning to Wuthering Heights, and despite the fact that the both of them had married others and started new lives, it was clear that Heathcliff had been incapable of erasing Catherine from his memory. He may have had a wife, but she did not have any of his love. In fact, in his heart he held animosity towards Isabella and treated her cruelly and without a heart. Catherine may have had a husband, but there was still only one man to whom she had entrusted her heart long ago. The two of them were made for one another and like all tragic love stories, one of the two made an unfortunate error in not prioritizing their love. I don’t know how this story will end, but it is already clear that Heathcliff will carry the memory of Catherine with him until the end of the novel. Whether or not he will be capable of moving on is also going to be another factor in the plot development. I am anxious to read further and see how deeply this event will influence the later occurrences of the novel. (503)

Hamlet: To be or not to be (a jerk)?

During Act 3 (particularly in scene 1) Hamlet is very cruel and harsh in his improper treatment of Ophelia. When he first approaches her in this scene, they both appear to behave in a civil way towards one another and the reader almost believes that he or she will see a glimpse of the old and more stable Hamlet. However, he or she quickly sees that Hamlet is in no mood for niceties or formalities when he decides to take a different, more harsh, approach when dealing with Ophelia this time around. She reminds him of all of the beautiful gifts and things that he had done for her when they were in love, and he responds by going on to tell her that he never gave her anything, and that he “loved [her] not.” Although her response, “I was the more deceived” seems to indicate that she took this blow rather calmly, I think that it is a safe assumption that the actress on stage shows the hurt and heartbreak on her face and in her inflection. Although her response is not hysterical or weepy, she must be heart broken, as to be told that a previous relationship in fact meant nothing and was quite meaningless cannot possibly be taken without sadness. What makes Hamlet so heartless in the scene is his callous manner and sarcastic tone. His words are made all the more cutting by what I imagine is the actor playing Hamlet mocking Ophelia’s obvious pain by means of an “I could care less” attitude. He sees that she is hurting, and he “helps ease her pain” by telling her that all men, like himself, are “arrant knaves…believe none of us.” He then tells her that the best way to avoid all of the “proud, revengeful, and ambitious” men like himself is to quit altogether and simply join a nunnery. Obviously, this comment is not meant with serious connotation, he does not actually think that joining a nunnery would be the proper solution; on the contrary, it is a clearly caustic remark due to the bitterness and sarcasm that I believe are in his voice. After Hamlet departs, Ophelia remembers Hamlet as he once was (as a sane and normal man with whom she was in love) and curses his currently insane and unstable being. As the reader, I do believe that Hamlet previously had true and deep feelings for her; however, recent circumstances have brought him into a volatile state where his mental state is rapidly declining. He is becoming all the more paranoid and anxious and in the process, cruel and blunt. The supposed “nobility and sensitivity” which previously distinguished him are no longer evidenced by means of his moody and harsh behavior. His character is clearly one with many different faces, and by means of this interaction between the two former-lovers, one of these faces proves to be that of a vengeful and heartless heart breaker (504).

Thoughts about Antigone

Immediately after finishing the piece of writing, I felt as though Antigone herself was the epitome of a tragic heroine. After all, her obvious blunder was to defy Creon’s decree that her brother should not be allowed a proper burial, and her lapse of judgment in burying him anyways brought about her ultimate downfall. However, as I sat down to write this blog I began to rethink my initial analysis. In a strange and twisted way, was not Antigone’s story that of victory? By committing the “crime,” she was taken away and locked in a vault where she ultimately killed herself, but more importantly, her actions indirectly led to the downfall of Creon’s entire life.

At first, Creon is hateful, proud, and emotionless. He mocks Antigone’s morals and he scoffs at her beliefs that God will punish Creon in the end. Despite his son Haimon’s love for Antigone, Creon becomes so caught up in his power that he sentences her to death for what he considers, “double insolence, breaking the given laws and boasting of it.” What Creon sees as boasting, Antigone believes to be justification. She sees nothing wrong with what she has done in attempting to properly bury her brother, as morally, it is the right thing to do. Whether or not Creon is thinking with his heart or his wounded ego is apparent when he disregards his son’s feelings in order to punish the girl who dared talk back to the king.

Creon believes that he will benefit from Antigone’s exile, but after an ominous prophecy from Teiresias warning him of the consequences to ensue his rash treatment of the girl, Creon begins to doubt his actions. Earlier, he had believed that what he wanted the most was her death; however, in retrospect, Creon is better able to realize that he had acted harshly and that he should try to undo the damage in order to prevent the prophecy from coming true. When he goes to free the prisoner-girl, he sees that she has already commit suicide. What he had once hoped for now causes his family’s demise. Haimon is so deeply hurt by the loss of the his one true love that he kills himself, and upon hearing about his suicide, his mother Eurydice becomes so struck with grief that she too kills herself. When Creon realizes what he has caused he finally admits his folly when he says, “I alone am guilty…I have been rash and foolish. I have killed my son and my wife...Fate has brought all my pride to a thought of dust.”

So, all in all, it seems that he who had commit the greatest blunder, which caused his ultimate downfall, was in fact Creon and not Antigone. In her death, she brought about the death of Creon’s reign, family, and life. Had he only been less obsessed with pride and his power, then perhaps he could have avoided the awful end to his world. This brings me to my final thought of the blog: Creon is the tragic hero in this piece of work as his inability to think with his heart causes the blood to spew from the heart’s of those that he cherished the most (536).

The Inevitable Heartbreak

I am now, and shan’t be ashamed to be,

But free from fret and care,

I wish to wander the seven seas,

And skip along the sunken sod with feet bare,

To touch the sky, to taste the sun,

I dream these wonders to be true,

Held away from the lucid light by none,

Restrained by no one, not even you---

You showed me stars,

From you I learnt love,

These moments forever ours,

I’ll remember you when I gaze above;

But I must leave you now,

You must let go, you must learn how.