Match Point Tragedy
The Bottomless Pit of a Tragedy
"Greed is a bottomless pit which exhausts the person in an endless effort to satisfy the need without ever reaching satisfaction” (Erich Fromm). This quote is about the constant, overwhelming desire for more, which causes the endless tragic destruction of one’s self. This is illustrated in the film “Match Point”, written and directed by Woody Allen, whereby the main character undergoes a calamity, likewise, a true Shakespearean tragedy. One must first define a Shakespearean tragedy before acknowledging the resemblances from the plot in “Match Point”. A true tragedy is defined as a drama where the protagonist is stuck in a stressful, intense situation and ends with an inevitable conclusion. The protagonist …show more content…
Instead of a physical death, the main character, Chris Wilton, endures an emotional destruction and corruption. The film starts with a moralistic Chris beginning as a humble tennis instructor. However, the escalation of the collapse of his ethical values ultimately lead to his severest sin; murdering his mistress, an innocent bystander, and his unborn child. Moreover, Nola Rice warns Chris about his consequences to his horrific actions; “prepare to pay the price, Chris. Your actions were clumsy. Full of holes. Almost like someone begging to be found” (Allen). The shame and regret of murdering two innocent people will manifest Chris until he dies. It will eat away at his sanity day by day, as he realizes the amount of overwhelming guilt and remorse. The event will impact the way he raises his child with Chloe Hewett as only known to him he killed his first child. In the last scene of the film, Chris looks away from his baby in disgrace and disgust, acknowledging that he is no longer satisfied with himself after his heinous acts. Additionally, he must live the rest of his life with the responsibility for the death of two people, furthermore, committing adultery with one of them. The distortion of Chris’s morals, ethics and sanity signify his eternal death, meaning he will never be the same as his old moral
"Greed is a bottomless pit which exhausts the person in an endless effort to satisfy the need without ever reaching satisfaction” (Erich Fromm). This quote is about the constant, overwhelming desire for more, which causes the endless tragic destruction of one’s self. This is illustrated in the film “Match Point”, written and directed by Woody Allen, whereby the main character undergoes a calamity, likewise, a true Shakespearean tragedy. One must first define a Shakespearean tragedy before acknowledging the resemblances from the plot in “Match Point”. A true tragedy is defined as a drama where the protagonist is stuck in a stressful, intense situation and ends with an inevitable conclusion. The protagonist …show more content…
Instead of a physical death, the main character, Chris Wilton, endures an emotional destruction and corruption. The film starts with a moralistic Chris beginning as a humble tennis instructor. However, the escalation of the collapse of his ethical values ultimately lead to his severest sin; murdering his mistress, an innocent bystander, and his unborn child. Moreover, Nola Rice warns Chris about his consequences to his horrific actions; “prepare to pay the price, Chris. Your actions were clumsy. Full of holes. Almost like someone begging to be found” (Allen). The shame and regret of murdering two innocent people will manifest Chris until he dies. It will eat away at his sanity day by day, as he realizes the amount of overwhelming guilt and remorse. The event will impact the way he raises his child with Chloe Hewett as only known to him he killed his first child. In the last scene of the film, Chris looks away from his baby in disgrace and disgust, acknowledging that he is no longer satisfied with himself after his heinous acts. Additionally, he must live the rest of his life with the responsibility for the death of two people, furthermore, committing adultery with one of them. The distortion of Chris’s morals, ethics and sanity signify his eternal death, meaning he will never be the same as his old moral