Poetic justice implies the even distribution of prosperity and adversity in proportion to the merits of different agents or doers . The idea is that evil is to be duly punished and the good and just is to be rewarded appropriately . There is also the typical belief that the function of literature is to uphold that as it’s core moral .
This is however , in flagrant contradiction to the facts of life , as it is absent in any great tragedy . There is no poetic justice in tragedies . In the case of Hamlet , Othello or King lear poetic justice is absent as good natured Cordelia is hanged , soft Ophelia is drowned and innocent Desdemona murdered . All these incidents happen because of the kinship between human action and circumstances , resulting in disaster for the characters . Errors , missteps , flaws and frailties all lead to their downfall .
After all , drama is the nemesis of the story of human life and effort . In human life poetic justice is seldom present . Hence it’s absence from drama is justified .
ONEWORLD 