Tennessee Williams The Glass Menagerie as a Tragedy Essay

Tennessee Williams The Glass Menagerie as a Tragedy The Glass Menagerie has, of course, been labelled as many different types of play, for one, a tragedy. At first glance it is clear that audiences today may, indeed, class it as such. However, if, looking at the traditional definition of the classification tragedy, one can more easily assess whether or not the Glass Menagerie fits under this title. To do this I will be using the views of Aristotle, the Greek philosopher, who first defined the word tragedy and in his views, a tragedy contained certain, distinctive characteristics. His work was written in between 384 and 222 BC, and his views were taken on by some of the more traditional†¦show more content†¦Laura, whose situation appears to be most serious, is crippled so she is physically disabled, but the shyness this causes also leads her to become psychologically malfunctioned. These peoples situations are, indeed, very serious. Aristotle then goes on to argue that a tragedy must excite the emotions of pity and fear. Again, I would indicate that this does occur throughout the play. Even though we sometimes laugh at Amanda, Williams himself puts forward that there is as much to love and pity which reminds us that her situation could, indeed, happen to anyone. Toms world is filled with ideas of escape, mainly through adventure and war, but he is unaware of the horrendous World War that is impending. We fear that we too, longing for adventure and change, may be on the edge of the unknown. We do, also, pity Tom somewhat, as we understand his desire to be released from his overbearing mothers grip, and the burden of his family. In Lauras case we do, indeed, feel great pity for her. We are aware that she has the potential to be beautiful, as suggested in the quotation a fragile, unearthly prettiness has come out and yet we know that it will not be lasting. Her hopes and dreams will be ruined; not only by Jims d esertion, and also that she is physically disabled. We pity her and fear that her situation could indeed, happen to us. On the aboveShow MoreRelated Essay on Stagnant Lives in Streetcar Named Desire and Glass Menagerie1196 Words   |  5 PagesStagnant Lives in Streetcar Named Desire and Glass Menagerie   Ã‚  Ã‚   The Stagnant Lives of Blanche DuBois and Amanda Wingfield  Ã‚  Ã‚   All of Williams significant characters are pathetic victims--of time, of their own passions, of immutable circumstance (Gantz 110). This assessment of Tennessee Williams plays proves true when one looks closely at the characters of Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire and Amanda Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie. Their lives run closely parallel to one anotherRead More The Importance of Symbolism in The Glass Menagerie Essay1609 Words   |  7 PagesImportance of Symbolism in The Glass Menagerie  Ã‚      Tom Wingfield is the narrator and a major character in Tennessee William’s timeless play, The Glass Menagerie. Through the eyes of Tom, the viewer gets a glance into the life of his family in the pre-war depression era; his mother, a Southern belle desperately clinging to the past; his sister, a woman too fragile to function in society; and himself, a struggling, young poet working at a warehouse to pay the bills. Williams has managed to create aRead More Misguided Love in The Glass Menagerie Essay1404 Words   |  6 PagesMisguided Love in The Glass Menagerie The Glass Menagerie, written by playwright Tennessee Williams, is the story of a family torn apart by heartbreak from the past and tragedy from the present. Williams parallels this play to his true life experience with his own family, which makes The Glass Menagerie an even more tragic version of what happens to a family when love is lost and abandonment is reality. Providing for a family can be an overwhelming responsibility, for there are many pitfallsRead MoreEssay about The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams1421 Words   |  6 PagesThe Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams -Joseph K. Davis, Landscapes of the Dislocated Mind in Williams The Glass Menagerie, in Tennessee Williams: A Tribute Tom and his sister Laura is symbolically the actual glass menagerie, the play belongs to neither of them. The play belongs to their mother, Amanda, as substantiated by the above quote from Joseph K. Davis. Amanda indulges herself in memories of the past and refuses to accept the present. The play is also hers because it isRead MoreComparisons of Maggie of Everyday Use and Laura of The Glass Menagerie1145 Words   |  5 Pagesown worst critic and after reading Alice Walker’s short story â€Å"Everyday Use† and Tennessee Williams’ play â€Å"The Glass Menagerie†, we experience two characters that display this to be true. In â€Å"Everyday Use† we are introduced to Maggie, the timid and homely little sister who has burns throughout her arms and legs due to a house fire which occurred many years prior to when the story takes place. In â€Å"The Glass Menagerie† we read about Laura, an introverted character who suffers from a childhood illnessRead MoreThe Glass Menagerie By Tennessee Williams914 Words   |  4 Pages(also referred to as ignorance) is the worst of these three dysfunctions because, â€Å"If there is no more ignorance, there will be no more greed and hatred, no more rebirth, no more suffering† (O’Brien). The th ree main characters of Tennessee Williams’ play The Glass Menagerie exhibit these dysfunctional states of mind to varying degrees. The play effectively explores various motifs including various examples of escapism, economic anxiety and generally dysfunctional ways of relating to others to illustrateRead More Comparing The Glass Menagerie and the Life of Tennessee Willliams2909 Words   |  12 PagesParallels in The Glass Menagerie and the Life of Tennessee Willliams In Tennessee Williamss drama The Glass Menagerie the setting and dramatization in the play are used to convey each member of the familys hopes, desperations, and fears. He uses symbols throughout the story to add a deeper meaning and give his characters a sense of mystery. Also, though maybe inadvertently, The Glass Menagerie actually parallels the people and events in Tennessee Willliamss life. The setting inRead MoreThe Glass Menagerie As A Modern Drama And Tragedy1767 Words   |  8 PagesThe Glass Menagerie as a Modern Drama and Tragedy The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams is classified as a modern drama and a modern tragedy. Modern drama plays are characterized by â€Å"social and cultural changes of America† and focus on more realistic matters. The characteristics of a modern drama allow for deeper characterization and understanding of the characters, and even lead to a more real and relatable lesson learned (Ableman). A play that falls under the category of a modern tragedy isRead MoreEscape in Tennessee Williams ´ The Glass Menagerie626 Words   |  3 Pages In Tennessee Williams drama The Glass Menagerie, Williams uses symbolism and foreshadowing to show how the little things in peoples lives can be the escape of the reality of daily problems that they may face, main example being Lauras glass figures. Story is introduced with Tom, the protagonist and narrator of the story. The other characters are his sister Laura, and his mother Amanda, who is the antagonist. An imperative element about the story is that it is not told in the narrators presentRead MoreTennessee Williams’S, The Glass Menagerie, Is One Of The1283 Words   |  6 PagesTennessee Williams’s, The Glass Menagerie, is one of the most popular plays of all times and the play that started his success as a playwright. This play explores a dysfunctional family who has been abandoned by the husband/father and struggles to progress in an economically stressed time. The play showcases three extremely complex characters who each have personal struggles in their own live s which furthermore create tensions between each other as a family unit. As a true lover of this play, I had