Catastrophe - Academic Mode

Definition of Catastrophe
Catastrophe is a final resolution that appears in a narrative plot or long poem. Unravel the mystery or intrigue, and bring the story to a logical end. In a tragedy, it could be the death of a protagonist or another character; and in a comedy, it could be the union of the main characters. Catastrophe is synonymous with outcome. In fact, it is the final part that follows the prostasis, epitasis and catatasis.

Catastrophe concludes the messy and noisy beginning, as in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman, in which a catastrophe occurs when the main character, Willy Loman, dies in a car accident, apparently committing suicide, so that his family can collect your life insurance. His widow says at his funeral that “Willy, I can't cry… I made the last house payment today…”

Types of catastrophe
Simple catastrophe
In a simple catastrophe, the main characters do not undergo any change, and nothing is undone; The plot simply serves as a passage. Simple catastrophe often appears in epic poems, rather than tragedies.
Complex catastrophe
Complex catastrophe is a very common tool, in which the protagonist undergoes a great change of fortune. This type of change is probable and necessary. to solve the plot. Complex disasters usually appear in novels, plays, films, and theatrical productions.
Examples of Disasters in Literature
Example 1: Macbeth (by William Shakespeare)
“Despair of your charm;
And leave the angel you still served
. Tell yourself Macduff was out of the womb
Untimely rotten. “

The following lines represent a perfect example of a disaster that involves the death of the main character. Macbeth gets into a deadly battle with Macduff, a man whom Macbeth almost wronged himself has invited his end.

Example 2: Grief Becomes Electra (by Eugene O'Neil)
Eugene O'Neil's play "Grief Becomes Electra" contains a series of catastrophic events beginning with the murder of Ezra. Christine manipulates her lover Brant in Lavinia and Orin find Brant and shoot him with a pistol.

This disaster leads to another catastrophe in the form of Christ Inin's suicide. Orin, consumed with guilt for getting her mother to kill herself, goes mad and commits suicide. Now Lavinia lives in a house of the ghosts of her dead relatives, which is a punishment for what they have done.

Example # 3: Romeo and Juliet (by William Shakespeare)
There are several characters that invited catastrophe in the play “Romeo and Juliet "However, Romeo himself has caused the worst kind of catastrophe after he kills Tybalt. Everything in his life and Juliet's falls apart after that; as a result, Romeo faces a period of exile, leading to a series of other catastrophic events. If Romeo hadn't killed Tybalt, Fray would have provided a much better plan to hide Juliet, rather than use poison.

The best catastrophe scene occurs in Act V, Scene III, in which The fall of Paris and two lovers occurs. After the tragic conclusion of the love scene, Friar tells about the marriage and the intrigue. The story ends with the death of the helpless lovers.

Example # 4: Oedipus Rex (by Sophocles )
In Sophocles' "Oedipus Rex", the adventures lead to anagnorisis, which in turn leads to catastrophe or terrible suffering. Catastrophe reveals the truth about the origin of Oedipus, after which Queen Jocasta hangs herself and Oedipus stabs the eyes of him, begging to be exiled. Together, all of these elements form a catastrophe that King Oedipus invites by exploring his birth. Had he not explored them, he might have saved himself and his family from this disaster.

Example 5: The Return of the Natives (by Thomas Hardy)
Disaster in Hardy's novel The Return of the Natives comes at the point where Eustacia tells her old lover Damon Wildeve gets closer. This is what happens when Clym goes blind and the couple gets into an economic crisis. After this tense period, Clym has a serious fight with his wife and the two separated. Eustacia plans to run away with her lover The night. However, a severe storm comes and drowns them.

Function
The function of a disaster is to unravel the plot in a story. It comes after the falling plot. It actually serves to close the narrative when the conflict in the story in question is resolved. Catastrophe returns the situation to normal, as the characters experience catharsis and readers feel a sense of relief. Catastrophe is also a moment in which the protagonist faces the world with a new perspective, puts human qualities to the test and makes the readers decide whether the character is good or bad.