British Tragedy: An Exploration of Fate, Loss, and Dying in British Literature

Legacy of the "Bloody Code":Gallows moved to Newgate Prison

"The Bloody Code" is slang for Britain's ruthless capital punishment legislation, which made over 200 petty offenses punishable by death. Crimes like forgery, cutting down trees, stealing horses or sheep, being an unwed mother concealing a stillbirth child, destroying a fishing pond, or even having your face blacked out at night could result to your untimely demise. 

The gallows where public executions happened like Tyburn Hanging Tree in Speakers' Corner and moved to the infamous Newgate Prison. Originally, prisoners would be housed at Newgate, making them travel to execution sites, but in 1783, the decision was made to have it all centralized at Newgate. A case of the Monday's really has new meaning when you discover that public executions were held here on Monday's. 

Image Source: 

Bradshaw, Edward. “Newgate Prison.” Historic UK, www.historic-uk.com/DestinationsUK/Newgate-Prison/.

‌Works Cited: 

National Justice Museum. “The ‘Bloody Code’?” National Justice Museum, 29 July 2019, www.nationaljusticemuseum.org.uk/museum/news/what-was-the-bloody-code.

“The History of London’s Newgate Prison.” London Museum, 2024, www.londonmuseum.org.uk/collections/london-stories/history-londons-newga....

Death of the "Death Poet", John Keats

John Keats, one of the notorious "Big Six" of the Romantic Era writers, lived a short life, passing away at the age of 25. 

Known to some as the "Death Poet", John Keats was surrounded with, tormented and fascinated with death. In his short life, Keats lost his father tragically due to a horse accident and his mother four years later. 

Keat's sought out a new adult figure in his life, John Clarke, and became close to his headmaster who introduced him to literature’s escape, and though his love bloomed, his career did not as he was only fifteen and not taking it as a serious contending career, especially since he had to take care of him and his orphaned siblings. 

After a brief stint in medicine and anatomy, Keat's dove into literature. He focused on nature, life and death and "his art's very form seems to embody and interpret the conflicts of morality and desire."

Keats only published fifty-four poems, and though he was not a successful poet of his time, he is revered as one of the greats of the Romantic Period. 

Image and Works Cited:

Poetry Foundation. “John Keats.” Poetry Foundation, 2009, www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/john-keats.

Suffering the Great Famine

 The Great Famine of Ireland is the worst famine in European history, taking the lives of over one million victims from starvation, or other famine-related illness. The diet of a traditional Irish indiviual of this time consisted mainly of about 80% potatoes, and the blight which contained a specific strain of water mold viciously attacked the crop. The decrease of about 20-25% in population was from death and emmegration, fleeing to find better lives to feed their families. 

There were some British elitists that viewed this as a means of God to punish the Irish. The condemnation of the Irish during this time inspired poets and writers of the late Romantic period and early Victorian age to speak up against the treatment of those suffering from famine. 

Image Source:

Image of potato infected with Phytophthora infestans. 

“The Story behind the Great Famine.” Woodstock History Center, 5 Jan. 2022, www.woodstockhistorycenter.org/articles/2021/11/18/the-story-behind-the-....

Works Cited:

“Great Famine - Great Famine Relief Efforts | Britannica.” Www.britannica.com, www.britannica.com/event/Great-Famine-Irish-history/Great-Famine-relief-....

Hear Ye, Hear Ye, Prince Albert has died.

 The death of Prince Albert was not one of great sorrow for the nation, as he was not the most popular indiviual, however the nation grieved alongside Queen Victoria. The Prince Consort and the queen had a fulfilling marriage with nine children, yet their meet-cute was not as romantic, as they were first cousins. 

He passed away at the age of 42 from Typhoid Fever, though some have speculated other diseases like cancer could have also lead to his demise. 

Image Source: 

Image of Portrait painting of young Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.

“Albert, Prince Consort | Biography, Children, & Facts.” Encyclopedia Britannica, www.britannica.com/biography/Albert-Prince-Consort.

Works Cited:

“Albert, Prince Consort | Biography, Children, & Facts.” Encyclopedia Britannica, www.britannica.com/biography/Albert-Prince-Consort.

Bounteous British Blood: Battle of the Somme

 On July 1st, 1916, the British went to attack the Germans, however they were wildly unprepared and not able to keep up with their militant forces. The first day alone, 57,000 lives were lost. 

 In hindsight, though the Battle of Somme was wildly unsucessful and countless lives were lost, there was some success in relieving the pressure on the French at Verdun. 

Image Source: 

Image of Solider tending to a grave in Mametz Wood

National Army Museum. “Battle of the Somme.” National Army Museum, 2019, www.nam.ac.uk/explore/battle-somme.

Alexander Fleming Discovers Penicillin

 The discovery of Pencillin might be reminscent of a college dorm, as Alexander Fleming would often leave bowls with cultures of bacteria in them to see what he could cultivate. One of those dirty bowl led to one of the greatest inventions of the modern medical world. Fleming was a born Scotsman, however made the disovery of Pencillin at St Mary's Hospital in London, England. 

Alexander Fleming won 1/3 of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1945, alongisze Ernst Boris Chain and Sir Howard Walter Florey for the discovery and invention of the Pencillin applications of warding off infectious disease. 

Image Source: 

Image of Alexander Fleming from Nobel Prize page. 

The Nobel Prize. “The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1945.” NobelPrize.org, 2019, www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/1945/fleming/biographical/.

Works Cited:

“The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1945.” NobelPrize.org, www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/1945/fleming/facts/.