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II. A Comparison between Western Tragedy and Chinese Tragedy
2.1 Contrast the Tragic Plot
Due to the lack of the systematic studies on the theory of Chinese tragedy in the earlier days, Chinese tragedy develops in a natural way without getting much guidance from the theorists. Thus it is created based on the routine which traditionally emphasizes a contrast in its plot to reinforce its pathos. Of course, there is no special requirement about the size of Chinese tragedy to be magnificent as the Western tragedy theorist does. Usually, the tragedy begins with the quiet and happy life of the protagonists. Soon the poor protagonists suffer a lot or die after being done wrong or meeting with the misfortunes one after another. Finally, the tragedy ends with their injustice being redressed with the aid of the just official or through the supernatural power. The contrast in plot is to arouse the pity of the audience for the miserable experiences of the protagonists. Marriage tragedy and social tragedy are the two most famous types of earlier Chinese tragedy. With regards to marriage tragedy, it often describes how poor wives are abandoned by their husbands who marry the daughters of high officials after they pass the highest imperial examination. These plays are usually ended in the unnatural death of their ungrateful husband with the interference of the supernatural power. Concerning the social tragedy, it frequently portrays how the poor persons are done wrong by the unfair society and redress an injustice with the help of some upright officials or through the supernatural power.
Through the close observation, the writer finds that Chinese tragedy prefers to have a happy ending. The protagonists either have their injustice redressed or reunite with their families or lovers in the end. However it's just because of the happy ending that many scholars deny the existence of tragedy. Jiang Guanyun (1904: 17) points out that there is no tragedy hundred in Chinese literature. Zhu Guangqian (1983: 218) holds that in more than five plays of the Yuan Dynasty there is no a real tragedy at all. Even Wang Guowei who has claimed some of Chinese tragedies are real tragedies denounces plays with happy ending. However, it should be noted that Chinese tragedy comes into formation in the different culture and thus develops its own special form. In fact, the end can not be the only criteria to judge a tragedy. If the happy ending still contains the tragic sense of the whole play, it is still a tragedy. And Chinese tragedy frequently has its happy ending unfolded through unrealistic way. It will not reduce the tragic sense at all, for the unrealistic happy ending has indicated the impossibilities and thus reinforces its tragic effects.
2.2 Contrast the Tragic Conflict
Conflicts are essential to Western tragedy according to Western modern critics although many earlier tragic theorists and tragedians are reticent about this until Hegel. His contribution of this respect is of particular importance, for it becomes prominent in theoretical formulation since then.
Comments on tragic conflict in the west appear as far back as Plato, though they are typically in the form of polemical attacks and rejections (Gelhich, 1988: 12). Plato adopts a consistently negative attitude toward it for strife is regarded as evil, chaos and irrationality in his philosophy. As we know, Plato advocates logos which are the effective controlling force of the harmonious hierarchy of man, society and his universe. Likewise Plato, Aristotle doesn't mention conflict as an item in his Poetics which aims to establish a line of approach to the Greek plays by virtue of its scientific method and structural focus. However, Aristotle's comments to some extent allow the connection between the Poetics and the modern perspective on tragic struggle. It could imply an inner pision between a good person's character and the flaw that pulls him or her in the opposite direction; it could signify a turning point in a clash between rivals. Many modern critics introduced Aristotle as the important exponent of the notion of conflict or trace the principle of conflict back to the Poetics. For instance, Helen Gardner introduced Aristotle as the first exponent of the notion of conflict by indicating that the pity and fear complex corresponds to contrary aspects of plot or dramatic character. Robert Heilman and T. R. Henn explored the concept of conflict from the psychological and existentialist perspectives on the basis of Aristotle's Poetics.