Tragedy literally describes disaster and misfortune that are diverse in the society and
it also imperative in the works of art including plays, dramas, and in novels. In novels and
drama, tragedy is a characteristic. Tragedy is a characteristic of drama that puts emphasis on
the role of man towards the outcome of an event. Using the play “Tis Pity She’s a Whore,”
the essay will analyze the role of the characters that are tragic in form. Since the existence of
the tragic form in the Greek era, it is evident that tragedy in drama seeks to explain factors
like, the reasons why people suffer, the motivations behind their choices, and the reasons why
they are torn between choosing good and evil, truth and deceit; and freedom and necessity.
Tragic also evaluates the real cause of the problem which may be fate or tragic and includes
moral weakness, arrogance, psychological confusion, infatuations, social pressures, and many
other immediate external factors. Using characters of the like Annabella and Giovanni who
are the main characters, this essay will analyze how greed, jealousy, vengeance, love, and lust
contribute to the disastrous ending of most characters in play.
As per the name tragedy, the character of Annabella shows a series of events with her
suitors that lead to the tragic end of the lives of her father, brother, husband, baby, tutoress
(putana), and her life as well. Since a tragedy involves how characters cause their own
problems and misery through their flaws or virtues; the play “Tis Pity She’s a Whore” shows
how the decisions of Annabella ended in tragedy. Therefore, the essay will evaluate the play
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with consideration of the following factors that influence the choices of Annabella towards
her tragic end. First and foremost, are the irrational and rational forces in Annabella’s
decision making.
The next tragic conflict in the show “Tis Pity She’s a Whore,” is the human and
divine factors. From the start of the tragedy, there is a priest or frair talking to Giovanni
warning his of the “incestuous” sin he is about to commit. The frair is a representation of the
divine voice in the play. When Annabella first heard Giovanni confess his love for her, she
was shocked and horrified but she later agrees on a relationship after her brother deceives her
that the church, which is a divine institution, has allowed the relationship between siblings
(Act 1, Scene 2).There is conflict on this heavenly aspect as the Annabella had the idea that
she cannot have sexual relationship with her brother, until he used the godly institution to
persuade her otherwise.
Following this aspect of the divinity is the social norms and how they conflict with
the individual will. In the drama under analysis in this paper, social norms are evident as the
drama defines the status of Bergetto the rich nephew of Donado hence considering him as
worthy to be Annabella’s suitor despite his folly. Annabella the pretty lady turns Bergetto’s
proposal down notwithstanding his social affluence thus proving that the existence of
individual will in that case. Gender differences are also manifest in the show as the ladies
roles come out different from the male roles. In accordance to the play, Ladies are to be
married at a certain age to prevent some sickness that is curable by sex. Annabella’s father
names the sickness “quickness in their blood.” The male duties in the play are to stand up for
their honor as Grimaldi accepts to kill Soranzo to prove he is the best suitors for Annabella.
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Work Cited
O’Brien, Emily. "Children, Normality, and Domestic Tragedy." Staged Normality in
Shakespeare's England. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, 2019. 237-258.