Factor Responsible for the Tragedy of Tess

Hardy is a tragic novelist whose tragic heroes and heroines are free from tragic flaw. Their actions are largely determined by their circumstances which are beyond their control. Tess, one of the greatest tragic heroines in English literature, suffers a lot largely by Alec, Angel and Fate, and to a lesser extent by her a flaw in her own.

Tess’s own responsibility for her tragedy is very limited. Tess is very sensitive by nature. When the family horse is killed, she holds herself responsible for the accidents and feels the necessity of doing something for the family. She goes to the Trantridge estate, meets Alec and is ultimately raped by him. It is a fault of her that she allows her chastity to be violated. Her another fault is that she fails to disclose the secret of her past to Angel before her marriage. She also lives with Alec as his mistress and later on kills him in cold blood.

Alec, the villain of the novel, is responsible for the disaster of Tess to a great extent. He is a thorough going sensualist who takes pleasure in girl hunting. When she goes to the Trantridge estate of the d’Urbervilles to work, he meets her for the first time and is very much attracted to her. Later on, he manages to rape her very cunningly. As a result she gives birth to a child and it died after a few days of its birth. After being deserted by her husbands, she again meets him and he makes her to live with him as his mistress by convincing her that her husband would never return and by offering financial security for the family.

Angel Clare is also responsible for the suffering of Tess. He represents society with its conservatism and its double standard—one principle for men and other for women. After their marriage, he tells Tess of his forty- eight hours’ dissipation with a woman in London and asks her forgiveness. She forgives him and tells him of her own misadventure with Alec and asks him to forgive her. But Angel is devastated by Tess’s confession of her seduction and the subsequent birth of her son and says, “O Tess, forgiveness does not apply to thy case!” He refuses to live with her and leaves for Brazil.

Fate in the form of chance and coincidence plays a hostile role in the life of Tess. Early in the story, Prince, the horse of the Durbeyfield family is killed in an accident and it is chance that forces Tess to seek employment at the d’Urberville household. Fate steps and against her wishes, and she is “ruined” (raped) one dark night when her friends turn against her. Another notable mischance that deeply affects Tess’ life is her written confession, pushed by her under Angel’s door, going under the carpet and not reaching Angel at all.

Thus, the supernatural powers had deliberately been hostile to Tess and had been responsible for contriving all her misfortunes leading to her execution. However, in “Tess of the d”Urbervilles” the logic of cause and effect plays a greater role in the tragedy than chance and coincidence.