100% satisfaction guarantee Immediately available after payment Both online and in PDF No strings attached
logo-home
AQA A-level English Literature B Paper 1 Section C: ‘In tragic texts, although the villains are far from good, they are not evil’ $5.15   Add to cart

Exam (elaborations)

AQA A-level English Literature B Paper 1 Section C: ‘In tragic texts, although the villains are far from good, they are not evil’

2 reviews
 187 views  2 purchases
  • Course
  • Institution

I scored an A* on this particular essay.

Preview 1 out of 3  pages

  • February 7, 2024
  • 3
  • 2022/2023
  • Exam (elaborations)
  • Unknown

2  reviews

review-writer-avatar

By: 17moorhousea • 7 months ago

review-writer-avatar

By: niamhcollins818 • 7 months ago

avatar-seller
‘In tragic texts, although the villains are far from good, they are not evil’

In many Aristotelian inspired tragic texts, the villain is often presented sympathetically,
whilst occupying an antagonistic role. In the case of Willy Loman in ‘Death of a Salesman’,
whilst he does not come from a place of importance, he is the patriarch of his family, whom
he prizes. He occupies the position of the antagonist to Biff and himself, as he actively
subordinates his son and contributes to his own demise. However, misguided his decisions
are, it is hard to judge him as ‘evil’. Whilst Alec, heightened by his own self-importance, is
straightforward in his villainy. His directly contributes to the destruction of Tess, the titular
hero, and creates chaos in her life throughout the novel. Hardy uses the novel to make a
social comment on Victorian society and it could be argued that Alex is positioned as a
construct to expose how upper-class men would exploit their higher status in a contest of
power. Tess’s initial rejection of Alec seems to motivate him to pursue Tess in a bid to
dominate and control her. Lord Acton, in the Victorian age, propounded the idea that
‘power corrupts’, and this ideology seems to be explored in the construct of Alec.

From the outset of the play, Willy Loman is influenced by the American Dream which
motivates his behaviour. Willy dreams of achieving financial prosperity, as well as providing
for his family. Perhaps Willy’s failure to achieve the Dream, leads to the formation of his
hamartia and subsequent downfall because of his inability to achieve the unrealistic
standards. At the beginning, the audience are introduced to Willy and psychological burden
which he faces. Miller cultivates an atmosphere of claustrophobia and the image of the
Loman family’s entrapment, illustrating the damaging effects of consumerism which the
Dream exacerbates. The audience learn that the house is surrounded by ‘apartment
buildings’ which are ‘under’ and ‘over’ the house, cultivating a suffocating feeling, Willy is
trapped in his working-class position. Furthermore, Miller highlights that ‘an air of a dream
clings to the place’ perpetuating the entrapment of the Loman family. The verb ‘clings’
further creates a feeling of claustrophobia and illustrates the oppressive nature of the
dream, aiding the wealthy and failing to support the vulnerable. This conveys that whilst
Willy possesses the wrong ideals; the pressures of society force Willy to act in an
antagonistic way. Whilst it is possible to judge Willy unfavourably, the audience can see
Willy is a victim of the American Dream, and his character is not malicious. He is a victim of
his social status; he is simply misguided as a result of possessing the wrong ideologies. Willy
can be likened to Joe Keller who is motivated by the societal ideals and the capitalist society.
Just as Clarke argues, it is of course the brutal capitalist system that has done Willy’.

In the case of Alec, his power is clearly a corrupting influence and arguably his hubris stems
from his superiority as a member of the middle classes. Alec is a wealthy, lustful young man.
This is evident when Tess approaches the house commenting that, ‘Everything looked like
money’. The utilisation of the indefinite pronoun ‘everything’ conveys the extent of their
wealth and provides a dichotomy to Tess who instead lives in a ‘blighted world’ because of
her impoverished family. Even the fact that the Stokes-d’Urbervilles bought the title,
‘d’Urberville’ to become nobles, conveys the family’s superiority. The reader’s initial
interaction with his character reinforces this social superiority and highlights the predatory
nature of Alec. He is described as emerging from the ‘dark’, which semantically alludes to his
villainous act that destroys Tess’ life. Moreover, he refers to Tess using the epithet, ‘my,
beauty’ showing his objectification of her sexuality. His exploitation of the first person

The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:

Guaranteed quality through customer reviews

Guaranteed quality through customer reviews

Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.

Quick and easy check-out

Quick and easy check-out

You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.

Focus on what matters

Focus on what matters

Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!

Frequently asked questions

What do I get when I buy this document?

You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.

Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?

Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.

Who am I buying these notes from?

Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller chocolatedaisy03. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.

Will I be stuck with a subscription?

No, you only buy these notes for $5.15. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.

Can Stuvia be trusted?

4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)

72042 documents were sold in the last 30 days

Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy study notes for 14 years now

Start selling
$5.15  2x  sold
  • (2)
  Add to cart