Hardy's novel Tess of the D'Urberville is based on the tragedy of Tess's life. Throughout the novel Tess goes through numerous sufferings. Traditionally, it was believed that the tragedy was due to hamartia. Aristotle described hamartia as a flaw that leads to the protagonist's downfall caused by an error in a person's behavior. Tess, however, does not have a flaw but still suffers despite having done nothing wrong. Hardy shows that Tess is a woman in a patriarchal society that leads to her downfall. The name D'Urberville dictates the life of Tess and her family to such an extent. The transformation from Durbeyfield to D'Urberville is very significant in the novel. Hardy's use of renaming and constant shifting from Durbeyfield to D'Urberville shows how important these names are in the novel. She is a Durbeyfield and although she does not want to pursue the D'Urberville legacy, she believes in her aristocracy. However, Tess's father (John Durbeyfield) goes further. “Luxuriously he lay on the shore among the daisies.” He is desperate to adopt the name; despite not having the wealth to do so. He insists that people call him “Sir John D'Urberville”. John is a great example of how the name D'Urberville immediately influenced Tess's family. Tess's fate with the D'Urberville name begins when Joan learns of the D'Urbervilles. “My plan is to send Tess to claim kin,” wants Tess to marry Alec for wealth, not love. Hardy's heroine can immediately sense what she believes is good and bad. Although her family doesn't realize it, they soon understand why she was reluctant to listen to her mother in claiming her relatives. From the beginning of the novel Hardy seems to be aware of the fa... middle of paper... simplicity of Tess that Hardy has come to love. Hardy made Tess' character suffer to show that despite the fact that Tess's responses are inherently good, but it was society's lack of forgiveness that let her down. From the beginning, Hardy not only foreshadowed events that would cause tragedy in Tess's life, but also the effects of the agricultural revolution on Victorian society. It presents this through the death of Tess shortly before she is executed Hardy describes the red brick building, this is significant as it is a strike against urbanization but also a reminder to readers of where Tess's fate began, the red brick villa that belonged to the D'Urbervilles. Hardy says it "continued" to symbolize that Tess has no greater importance in the matter, especially not against people as powerful as the D'Urbervilles. Works Cited http://www.shmoop.com/dolls-house/A Doll's House Student Edition