9 minute read
Succession's Kendall Roy as a Modern-Day Tragic Hero
Written by Cailin Ball
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The first season of HBO’s drama-satire Succession follows Kendall Roy, heir-apparent to a multi-billion-dollar media company, in his continually failing quest to become CEO. Despite his flaws – notably arrogance, disloyalty, and a perpetual drug addiction – the audience cannot help but root for Kendall, despite the lingering sense that he will continue to fail, no matter what he tries. In this way, Kendall fits the archetypal mold of the Classical tragic hero. The show even makes direct references to Kendall’s Oedipal trajectory, emphasizing just how tragic and Classical his hero arc is.
Nobility by Birth and Betrayal
The tragic hero, originating in early Greek literature, was defined and explored in depth by Aristotle (Leech 33). He identified a number of criteria which apply to this sort of hero, many of which can be recognized in Kendall’s character arc. The first of these is the state of nobility by birth, which Kendall clearly aligns with (Leech 34). Immediately, in the season’s first episode, it becomes obvious just how wealthy the Roy family are, and have been their entire lives. Despite this ‘nobility’ and wealth, however, Kendall seems unsatisfied with his position, viewing anything but CEO as insufficient. Aristotle noted this also, as a tragic hero characteristic; despite being born into means, the tragic hero is unsatisfied, and is willing to betray those around him for more (Leech 37). Also similar to a Classical tragic hero, Kendall seems more suited to power than the average person, possessing smarts, strong leadership skills, and extreme confidence. However, this is seemingly not enough for him. After the pilot, wherein Kendall’s imminent takeover as CEO is rescinded by his father, he begins the downward spiral and quest for power that continues throughout the season. When his father reveals that he plans to continue as CEO for years to come – contrary to the plan for Kendall’s takeover – Kendall is spurred to action, and to betrayal. His father’s illness immediately after this decision allows Kendall the perfect opportunity for a takeover, despite Logan’s wishes. This, of course, does not last long. As his father recovers, the two are locked in a dirty power struggle, leading Kendall to plan a vote-of-no-confidence, gathering shareholder support to vote his father out, and himself in. Kendall’s fatal flaw is his confidence, especially in the face of his father’s authority, and it is this that leads to his inevitable and devastating downfall.
The Inevitable Fall
Another characteristic of the tragic hero, according to Aristotle, is hamartia, a major error in judgement that leads to the hero’s tragedy and downfall (Leech 38). For Kendall, this fatal error is made when he makes a last-minute visit to a shareholder, hoping to garner the final vote he needs to win against his father. However, due to a suspected terrorist threat, airspace is closed, and Kendall is late for his own vote. As a result, many of his supporters instead vote for Logan, and thus he retains his position as CEO, while Kendall and all of those who voted with him are promptly fired. Like a typical tragic hero, Kendall plays a role in his own tragedy (Leech 39). Had he not made the last minute trip, he almost certainly would have won the vote. As such, he indirectly causes his own downfall, exacerbating this by falling back into his old drug habits and further estranging himself from his family. This is also the moment of Kendall’s anagnorisis, wherein the tragic hero recognizes their mistake at a time too late to prevent their downfall (Leech 37). Kendall realizes that his allies are not loyal, and also recognizes the fatal error he made in his visit to the shareholder. However, it is too late to reverse this mistake, and Kendall cannot prevent the beginning of his downward spiral. This fall, and its tragic end, ultimately feel inevitable, with the atmosphere of doom which has lingered since the season’s opening simply coming to realization. This initial tragedy creates a chain reaction, culminating in a drug-fueled car accident at Kendall’s sister, Siobhan’s, wedding, wherein he is indirectly responsible for the death of an employee. Again, despite the lurking feeling of inevitability, Kendall clearly plays a role in his own doom – it was, after all, at his request that the two ventured out in search of drugs. Throughout the entire season, Kendall is unable to escape disasters, both fated and self-made, and this makes him a textbook tragic hero.
Poetic Justice and Dramatic Irony
Kendall’s most tragic and symbolically-fatal mistake throughout the season is his continuous attempts at a takeover, despite the fact that he has failed every prior attempt. Throughout season one, he attempts a whopping four takeovers, each of which fails more miserably than the last. Thus, a final, more devastating failure seems inevitable. This is the Aristotelian tragic hero’s “poetic justice” (Leech 38). He argues that, regardless of actual guilt, the tragic hero must have an inevitable final, catastrophic, tragic failure (Leech 43). The audience feels pity for Kendall, because of the struggles he has faced, but also recognizes that his failure is inevitable. If instead, the season ended with Kendall achieving some sort of success, the pay-off would feel disingenuous. A success after so many failures would be a feel-good ending, raising him to a truer heroic stature, but it would feel unearned and perhaps even forced. Thus, the logical conclusion, both storytelling and morality-wise, is a catastrophe. This catastrophe also brings a sense of irony to the season’s conclusion; despite his numerous attempts at a coup, Kendall has now effectively placed himself under complete control of his father. By revealing his knowledge of the accident and demanding Kendall rescind his current attempt at a takeover, Logan effectively destroys any chances he may have had at succeeding. He can lord this knowledge over Kendall, preventing him from any further betrayals, under threat of having this information publicly revealed. Thus, it is Kendall himself who ultimately destroys his own chances at success. Despite the seemingly destined failure, Kendall still plays a key role in his own demise, like a Classical tragic hero (Leech 39). This scene, in particular, emphasizes the true tragedy of his heroism. This moment can be recognized as yet another moment of anagnorisis, making it all the more ironic.
If Kendall had learned from his initial mistake in the the vote-of-no-confidence and the anagnorisis he experienced at that point, perhaps he would not have continued in his tragic quest. However, his confidence and dedication in his pursuit of CEO prevent any of this self-awareness, and merely contribute to his tragic downfall. In depicting Kendall’s catastrophic failure, alongside the emotional breakdown that follows, the audience is reminded of just how much he has risked – and ultimately lost – in his attempts at betrayal. Regardless of how righteous or promised his takeover as CEO may have seemed, both to Kendall, himself, and to the audience, this failure merely emphasizes how tragic his character arc has been throughout the entire season.
The Hero of His Own Tragedy
Despite its adherence to the tragedy model in terms of Kendall’s arc, Succession also dabbles in Aristotelian comedy, playing into the darkly satirical nature of its subject matter. This comedy is explored in most characters’ arcs, but notably less so with Kendall. Kendall’s losses are played for true tragedy, while his siblings’ have a more comedic tone. An example of this is a scene in episode ten “Nobody is Every Missing”, wherein the rocket launch Roman is overseeing fails, resulting in a catastrophic crash.
Despite the tragedy of this event, it is mostly played for laughs, and seemingly does not have any lasting effects on Roman. In strong contrast to Kendall’s tragedies, this is merely an awkward experience, not an event that will leave him with lingering trauma. Although some of Kendall’s more tragic moments are played comically – for example, the sobriety struggle he endures throughout Tom’s bachelor party in episode eight – the darkly tragic elements of his arc tend to dominate. In this episode, Kendall even explicitly jokes about the dangers of his addiction, reminding his cousin Greg that “my dad’s gonna be super disappointed if his son ODs” (“Prague” 39:20). In this way, the show dramatizes and emphasizes the contrast between Kendall and his siblings. While the others are merely part of cast in a tragedy, Kendall is the tragic hero himself.
Conclusion
From his introduction until his tragic end, Kendall’s development throughout season one truly adheres to the Classical tragic hero model. Despite his constant attempts to achieve what he views as his ‘fate’ or ‘right’, Kendall’s ultimate catastrophic failure is the the only logical conclusion to his storyline. Through masterful character development and story structuring, the show’s screenwriters, including creator Jesse Armstrong, garner audience sympathy for Kendall, while also preparing them for what seems like an inevitable, tragic end. Through his struggles for ‘nobility’, his hamartia, leading to an inevitable downfall, his moments of anagnorisis, and the resulting poetic justice and irony, Kendall’s storyline adheres to that of the Aristotelian tragic hero (Leech 34-43). Like a Classic tragic hero, Kendall’s character development still encourages sympathy from the audience, both genuine, in hoping for his success, and tragic, due to the seemingly inevitable nature of his failure.
Works Cited
Leech, Clifford. “The Tragic Hero.” Tragedy, 1969, pp. 33-43. Accessed 30 May 2021.
Succession, season one. Created by Jesse Armstrong, HBO Entertainment, 2018.
