Casey at the Bat

Lainey Davis

Ganter

British Literature MW 1:00

05 March 2017

Casey at the Bat

        Have you ever wondered where our common day literary elements originated?  These things like, alliteration, rhyme schemes, rhythm, and themes all began at certain points in time and for specific reasons.  The poem “Casey at the Bat” is a good example of the use of literary elements adopted from ancient works and traditions.  First, one can see the similar themes in this poem and ones in classical tragic hero stories from ancient Greece and Rome.

“Casey at the Bat” has many of the same values as the Classical or tragic hero stories associated with Ancient Greece and Rome.  In this poem Casey is the hero.  The first thing he has in common with a tragic hero is that he is the leader of his baseball team.  The reader sees this when the speaker says, “They thought, “If only Casey could but get a whack at that— / We’d put up even money now, with Casey at the bat” (ll7-8).  The reader can see that Casey is the best on the team and the one everyone thinks can win the game.  He is probably the captain of the team and therefore considered a leader of his fellow teammates.  Another characteristic Casey has in common with the tragic hero is nearly-supernatural strength and ability.  Everyone in the audience knows Casey is the best on the team.  The reader sees just how good they think he is when the speaker says, “Then from five thousand throats and more there rose a lusty yell; / It rumbled through the valley, it rattled in the dell; / It pounded on the mountain and recoiled upon the flat, / For Casey, mighty Casey, was advancing to the bat” (ll17-20).  Casey’s ability is so great that the audience knows for sure that he can win the game.  The speaker refers to him as “mighty Casey” which shows how much greater his ability is in comparison to the other boys on the team.  Another thing Casey has in common with the classical tragic hero is his hubris, or overweening pride.  The reader can see Casey’s pride the most with his first strike: “And now the leather-covered sphere came hurtling through the air, / And Casey stood a-watching it in haughty grandeur there. / Close by the sturdy batsman the ball unheeded sped— / “That ain’t my style," said Casey. “Strike one!” the umpire said” (ll29-32).  Casey’s arrogance is so profound that he thinks he can hit any of the pitches so he does not even have to swing at the first two, even though they are both strikes.  He then strikes out and thus causing the team to lose the game: “And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout, / But there is no joy in Mudville—mighty Casey has struck out” (ll51-52).  Casey’s pride is what brings him and his teammates down.  This is what causes Casey’s final characteristic in common with the Classical tragic hero- his hamartia, or flaw.  Casey’s arrogance is his fatal flaw that keeps him from victory.  As one can see, Casey has many character traits in common with the Classical tragic hero from Ancient Grecian and Ancient Roman stories.

        The verse form of “Casey at the Bat” is similar to those of Beowulf and Lanval.  An example of the similarities between “Casey at the Bat” and Beowulf verse forms is the sing-song, rhythmic quality.  Throughout both pieces there is a rhythm that can be heard when read aloud.   This originates from the Germanic tradition from which Beowulf was written.  Another similarity between these works is alliteration.  Alliteration is the repeating of consonant sounds at the beginning of words in a sentence.  One example of alliteration in “Casey at the Bat” is, “Then from five thousand throats and more there rose a lusty yell” (l17).  Alliteration began with the Germanic tradition in most commonly known Beowulf.  Lastly, “Casey at the Bat” is filled with rhyming couplets from start to finish.  Just one example of this can be found in the first stanza: “The outlook wasn’t brilliant for the Mudville nine that day: / The score stood four to two, with but one inning more to play, / And then when Cooney died at first, and Barrows did the same,