Feet of Clay?

How the great tragedies of literature help us to understand others and ourselves and how they encourage us to have compassion.

 

It’s fascinating that we often find ourselves respecting and admiring the central figures of great tragic works of literature and the Bible and yet may be quick to condemn people today when they fall from grace or indeed ourselves when we make mistakes. Have we inherited this attitude from the Victorians or is there something about our society today that is not forgiving? We also need to remind ourselves that there is nothing inherently noble about the personalities of characters like Hamlet, Jude the Obscure or Anna Karenina. We give them dignity but this is really to do with the way their stories have been told to us. If the media had told their stories today they would be indistinguishable from the usual objects of popular ridicule and humiliation.

 

The real purpose of tragedy, right from its beginning in the Bible where we find great characters like Jacob and Moses, and also going back to great Greek plays, is to teach us to be more aware of our human condition, of our ability to achieve great things and our propensity towards failing to maintain our higher motivation. They give us a complex lens and help us to view the travails of gains, loss and errors in all those around us and in ourselves. They help us to look with greater generosity and to understand that everyone matters and everyone counts.

For Christians, the ultimate tragedy is shown in the story of the Garden of Eden where Adam and Eve share a beautiful, innocent life yet grasp at the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This human fall from grace continues throughout history, in all people. We all have Feet of Clay. Our faith teaches us that we all fall short of God’s glory, and that forgiveness is costly - but through Jesus we gain newness of life in turning to him and following God’s way of love for all people.

 

  Colossians 3:12

As God’s people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.