Tragedy as a Catalyst for Character Development

When analyzing the use of tragedy-wisdom that stems from pain or sorrow- as a form of character development, one must mention Sophocles’ play Oedipus Rex yet more iconically Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Although traditionally ignored, Isak Dinesen, whom Thomas R. Wissen regarded as an author who’s “tales will not disappoint” must be included among the elite of authors of tragic stories (“The Ring” 237). Many are familiar with her best known pieces such as Out of Africa or Babbete’s Feast; however her most very skillful use of tragedy is in the short story The Ring (230). Dinesen captures the essence of her own personal experiences and translated it seamlessly into a tragic short story.

The events in Isak Dinesen’s early life helped mold her writing career as well as give her a deeper understanding of how tragedy affects one’s life. Isak Dinesen, born Karen Christenze Blixen, in the small Danish town of Rungsted in 1885 was the daughter of a bourgeois aristocrat and a hardworking trader. (“Isak” 1). With her obsession of her father’s aristocracy after his death, she associated “resistance to convention and risk taking” with redefining nobility (Yiannopoulou 1). The tragedy of her father’s death made her take action against the social norms of the time aiding in her own growth. She entered the Royal Academie of the Arts in Copenhagen in 1903 to study painting, but left soon thereafter to begin writing (“The Ring” 230). It is important to understand that although Dinesen did not finish a traditional education, she was passionate about her art, a key element of tragic writing. Dinesen’s early life served as a small example of how tragedy transformed her character.

Dinesen was also shell-shocked by numerous instances of persona...

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