Monday, I shared a quick synopsis of my master’s work (click here if you missed it), and promised to give you a modern day example.
I realized earlier this year, as a friend told me about his boss, that my revenge tragedy pattern was still being played out today. Maybe it can help you as you come across people who fit the description.
A typical villain (hero?) in revenge tragedy is a leader with an overinflated ego—either because they are the best or they think they are. As such, when they are slighted, passed-over, or insulted, they don’t take it well= ANGRY. They tend to replay how they have been hurt and how they could get revenge. (Greek side note: Aristotle said that all anger results in a kind of pleasure as one dwells on ways to get back at whoever caused the anger. I am sure that this only applies to ancient situations and has NEVER been played out in modern day traffic.)
Well, our deflated leader now feels that he or she must counter the injury in a way that will both mirror the original injury AND demonstrate his or her superiority, usually in some creative display or drama. To the audience, this creative display is madness—why is the guy acting like a stallion with a rear full of peacock feathers? Is he a stallion or a mule?
Case in point: My friend’s boss is a micromanager and constantly in everybody’s business, even though he doesn’t have time to manage even himself well. He yells a lot and stomps around, wreaking havoc in the workplace. Bossman fabricates ridiculous conspiracies and blows minor incidents into elaborate opportunities to throw his weight around. He is a one-man show, but no one respects him—he has lost his ability to lead well in his faulty attempts to perform as a strong leader.
The problem is amplified when the leader actually has a lot of power—which is the case for the revengers I studied. As a result, their country suffers for their folly, despite the fact that the leader believes his antics are for the benefit of his ‘people.’
The people rarely have to wait long for recompense though. In every case I studied, the revenger ALWAYS dies—literally or figuratively. Performance depends on the artificial, which can only be maintained for so long before it breaks down.
My friend’s boss is currently being investigated for abusing his power, and he will likely be out by year’s end. In revenge tragedy, he would have to die for his folly, but that might be a little dramatic.