Examples Of Tragedy In Chronicle Of A Death Foretold

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In Chronicles of a Death Foretold, written by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, the novella reads in a way where the action of the novel can be viewed as contemporary tragedy much like a Greek tragedy. The event that progresses through is driven towards an unforgiving fate for the protagonist, Santiago Nasar. Based on Aristotle’s principles of tragedy, it’s possible that the actions of the novel can be viewed as a contemporary tragedy in a way since tragedy involves a character from particularly a higher class who, due to his hamartia or character flaws, ultimately suffers a cruel fate. However, there are also certain aspects in Chronicles of a Death Foretold¸ that interfere with this definition like the use of the magic realist style. Like most Greek tragedies, the main “tragic hero” is from a higher class and in Santiago Nasar’s case; he is a wealthy young bachelor who lives in the river village. He is definitely a flat character since his personality is already well established and is known quite well for his debauchery and drinking. However, that signifies that Santiago Nasar’s would have committed the ‘crime’ for taking Angela Vicario’s virginity which ends up in a gruesome death for him. Santiago Nasar’s character flaw is what brings about his murder from the Vicario brothers. In this way the novel could be viewed as a contemporary tragedy however, the aspect of fate and magic realism interferes with this. The subtle infusion of human values and the supernatural along with the…show more content…
However, what separates the novel from the Greek principles of tragedy is the fact that Santiago Nasar’s death was believed to not have been caused by the character flaws that he possesses, but sheer fate. While this is the chronicle of the traditional tragic format, the style of magical realism makes the novel turn inside
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