of fate and free will appears many times and is a key theme in his play Oedipus Rex. In Oedipus Rex‚ Sophocles weighs in on his opinions on this topic. Sophocles utilizes fate as a key component of his play Oedipus rex to develop Oedipus and influence the reader to sympathize with him. With the cruel and inevitable fate of Oedipus‚ Sophocles can make Oedipus‚ a ruler and king more relatable to the reader. By humanizing Oedipus with sympathy the message of the play changes from an unlucky king who
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Character Analysis of Prince Hamlet in "Hamlet" by William Shakespeare and Oedipus in "Oedipus King" by Sophocles In Aristotle’s literary discourse‚ "Poetics‚" he discusses his theory of tragedy‚ wherein he introduces the concepts of tragic flaw or "hamartia‚" which serves as the catalyst for the protagonist’s downfall or the tragedy of the story to happen. He determines a tragedy as a "drama" that brings about a "sorrowful conclusion‚ arousing fear and pity in the audience" (Roberts and Jacobs
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Hamlet supports a large array of themes‚ but I feel that the most prominent theme‚ by far‚ must be that of Appearance vs Reality. Shakespeare’s work‚ very much open to interpretation of the individual reader‚ makes the question of the central theme one that proves difficult to choose but simple to support no matter the decision. The play‚ filled with problems and questions answered with yeses or noes or anywhere in-between‚ creates a large area for discussion and person identification. Whether the
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they thought they were. In the play Oedipus the King written by Sophocles this is exactly what happens. Oedipus is seen as the most tragic character because‚ in the beginning of the play he sees himself as a great‚ and intelligent man‚ although by the end of the play‚ Oedipus realizes his ignorance. In the beginning of the play‚ Oedipus solves the riddle and defeats the Sphinx‚ which causes Oedipus views himself as one of a kind. After the Sphinx defeat‚ Oedipus is speaking to the Priest and describes
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Rachel Gallison Ms. Backhus Honors English 24 February 2014 Oedipus the King Final Assessment Journal: 1. After Oedipus blinds himself I think that he does show his previous pride. I was surprised when he blinded himself after seeing his wife/mother dead as she committed suicide. When he came out in front of the public he displayed his pride as confidently as he had when he could see. He wanted the public to know about what he has done‚ i.e. killing his father and marrying his mother‚ and he
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discovers hidden truths about Blanche’s past‚ Blanche is forced to deal with the confrontation. However‚ Blanche refuses to accept the harsh reality that has now caught up with her. Stanley rapes her‚ and in the end of the play‚ Stella‚ who does not believe her sister’s story‚ submits the disillusioned Blanche into a mental hospital. Fantasy versus reality is a theme that dominates much of the play‚ and Williams explore much of this contrast through the characters of Stanley Kowalski and Blanche
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3. Reality and appearances‚ or if you prefer‚ being and acting‚ are important themes for both Machiavelli and Shakespeare. Why? How do their perspectives on this subject agree or differ? APPEARANCE vs. REALITY IN "THE PRINCE" AND "HAMLET" One of the most fundamental questions in philosophy is the appearance vs. reality. We find ourselves asking the question of what is genuinely "real‚" and what is viewed merely as just an "appearance‚" and not real? It becomes difficult when we assume there is
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any two tragic fates can be compared and contrasted‚ they are those of Oedipus and Macbeth. King Oedipus‚ a man who receives his kingship from the people of Thebes‚ marries the widowed queen‚ only to find out that the gods tricked him with their prophecies. King Macbeth presents himself with the crown of Scotland‚ as three witches prophesize‚ while he has not yet cleaned his hands of the late king’s blood. While Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex and Shakespeare’s Macbeth both revolve around kings whose’ egocentricity
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Oedipus made some bad decisions in his life‚ but it doesn’t matter what decisions he made because his fate was already determined and you can never escape fate. Oedipus was destined to his fate‚ free will allows him to make decisions that make seem as though he could avoid his destiny‚ he was foretold his fate and he tried to avoid it. So Oedipus really had no control over what happened because the path was set and it was all going to happen one way or another. Oedipus is destined to his fate.
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is superior to the average man in some way. In Oedipus ’s case‚ he is superior not only because of social standing‚ but also because he is smart ¬ he is the only person who could solve the Sphinx ’s riddle. At the same time‚ a tragic hero must evoke both pity and fear‚ and Aristotle claims that the best way to do this is if he is imperfect. A character with a mixture of good and evil is more compelling that a character who is merely good. And Oedipus is definitely not perfect; although a clever man
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