Comparing Wife Of Bath 'And Oedipus Macbeth'
Short Thought Questions (compare and contrast and application of concepts)
Be prepared to write one-two paragraph responses to the following problems, in each case using specific supporting examples from the literary works in question.
1. Great Chain of Being and its emphasis on corruption being rooted out and order restored---explain that principle and discuss the ways in which seeds for those ideas about corruption being revealed and rooted out are present in Oedipus. 2. Both Jocasta and Lady Macbeth interact with prophecies and base at least some of their actions upon them: Lady Macbeth calls upon evil spirits to “unsex” her so that she might plot to kill Duncan, and Jocasta tries to set prophecies aside and denounce their power. On …show more content…
the surface, their attitudes seem opposite. Explore and explain a similarity between Jocasta and Lady Macbeth in their responses to or actions following prophecies. 3.
Compare and contrast the ways in which irony works in Oedipus and Macbeth, using specific examples from both plays to support your point. 4. Both The Wife of Bath and Lady Macbeth are strong, willful women who try to exert influence beyond the traditional role of women. Of course, one is a comic figure and one a tragic figure, so that makes them very different; explore a common practice or belief of the two women and explain how that practice or belief plays out in their respective stories. 5. The classic Greek tragic hero and Shakespearean hero differ in several ways, including in the nature of their flaw and downfall. Using Macbeth and Oedipus as your examples as well as ideas about how music and visual arts developed, explain why Oedipus fits the classical description while Macbeth is the more modern Shakespearean hero. 6. We talked in class about the ways in which Macbeth reflects Baroque characteristics, while Oedipus reflects more classical characteristics. Choose one of the following pairs of opposing characteristics and explain how the two plays contrast in terms of those characteristics. Be sure to use supporting examples from each play. ❖ Simple-balanced as opposed to
complex-unclear ❖ Absolute truth as opposed to complex-unclear ❖ Formal order-simplicity as opposed to ornamentation-intensity 7. Plato’s Allegory of the Cave uses the notion of sight and seeing metaphorically—the shadows the prisoners see, which they think are real figures, are in fact just shadows. The true nature of reality is something they cannot see directly until they come out of the cave. Explain how that symbolic story—or allegory—is parallel to the story of Oedipus and his gradual discovery of who he is. 8. We looked at several heroic figures—all male as it happens—during first semester: Achilles, Ajax, the Knight, Macbeth, and Oedipus. Which one, in your view, was most admirable and why? Be sure to use specific supporting evidence and contrast your hero to at least one other hero in respect to his most prominent admirable feature.
Be prepared to write one-two paragraph responses to the following problems, in each case using specific supporting examples from the literary works in question.
1. Great Chain of Being and its emphasis on corruption being rooted out and order restored---explain that principle and discuss the ways in which seeds for those ideas about corruption being revealed and rooted out are present in Oedipus. 2. Both Jocasta and Lady Macbeth interact with prophecies and base at least some of their actions upon them: Lady Macbeth calls upon evil spirits to “unsex” her so that she might plot to kill Duncan, and Jocasta tries to set prophecies aside and denounce their power. On …show more content…
the surface, their attitudes seem opposite. Explore and explain a similarity between Jocasta and Lady Macbeth in their responses to or actions following prophecies. 3.
Compare and contrast the ways in which irony works in Oedipus and Macbeth, using specific examples from both plays to support your point. 4. Both The Wife of Bath and Lady Macbeth are strong, willful women who try to exert influence beyond the traditional role of women. Of course, one is a comic figure and one a tragic figure, so that makes them very different; explore a common practice or belief of the two women and explain how that practice or belief plays out in their respective stories. 5. The classic Greek tragic hero and Shakespearean hero differ in several ways, including in the nature of their flaw and downfall. Using Macbeth and Oedipus as your examples as well as ideas about how music and visual arts developed, explain why Oedipus fits the classical description while Macbeth is the more modern Shakespearean hero. 6. We talked in class about the ways in which Macbeth reflects Baroque characteristics, while Oedipus reflects more classical characteristics. Choose one of the following pairs of opposing characteristics and explain how the two plays contrast in terms of those characteristics. Be sure to use supporting examples from each play. ❖ Simple-balanced as opposed to
complex-unclear ❖ Absolute truth as opposed to complex-unclear ❖ Formal order-simplicity as opposed to ornamentation-intensity 7. Plato’s Allegory of the Cave uses the notion of sight and seeing metaphorically—the shadows the prisoners see, which they think are real figures, are in fact just shadows. The true nature of reality is something they cannot see directly until they come out of the cave. Explain how that symbolic story—or allegory—is parallel to the story of Oedipus and his gradual discovery of who he is. 8. We looked at several heroic figures—all male as it happens—during first semester: Achilles, Ajax, the Knight, Macbeth, and Oedipus. Which one, in your view, was most admirable and why? Be sure to use specific supporting evidence and contrast your hero to at least one other hero in respect to his most prominent admirable feature.