Zachary Givens Mr. Flynn Ap Lit and Composition 10/12/10 Death and heartbreak‚ both two very tragic things that could happen in your life‚ but what makes these things tragic? According to Aristotle there are many elements to a tragic tale. Oedipus Rex lives up to all of them. The reader knows how serious Oedipus’s actions are‚ how complete they are‚ and how high his fall is. A tragedy by definition is a drama which imitates an important and casually related
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Concept of a Tragic Hero The Oxford Concise Dictionary of Literary Terms (OCDLT) and Arthur Miller both define a tragic hero as a character in a play or drama‚ most likely the protagonist‚ who is made victim to a circumstance within the plot. To this extent‚ Arthur Miller’s definition of a tragic hero varies because he believes "the common man is as apt a subject for tragedy in its highest sense as kings were [and] the tragic feeling is evoked in us when we are in the presence of a character
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Saint Joan is considered to be one of George Bernard Shaw’s greatest works. In the play‚ Shaw avoids many problems identified by critics as prevalent in some of his other writing. Some have criticized Shaw‚ claiming that he tends to portray unrealistic archetypal characters‚ rather than well-rounded believable individuals. His plays have also been described as lacking action and being too didactic. In Saint Joan‚ Shaw reduced the intensity of these previously criticized typically Shavian elements
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believe that everything is a matter of free will. Belief in Free will is the belief that your own choices lead you to your destiny. In Oedipus Rex the idea of predestination is the most important theme of the play. The main Characters Oedipus‚ Jocasta and Laius all try to escape their destiny and take matters into their own hands but do not escape from their fate. Oedipus speaks to the people of Thebes from his palace and tells them that there is nothing he can’t do to save his city. He asks for the
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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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own downfall.” An Aristotelian tragic hero must possess specific characteristics‚ such as hamartia‚ anagnorisis‚ and the fate is greater than deserved. The hero inspires the audience to feel pity and fear‚ pity because the hero does not deserve his fate‚ and fear because anyone could have the hero’s fate. Consequently‚ in Sophocles’s Oedipus The King‚ Aristotle’s definition of tragedy applies to Oedipus. Oedipus’s hamartia is arrogance. Fisler states‚ “Hubris is his flaw; his actions are the result
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“[He] did it all [himself]”: Oedipus’ Self-destruction Oedipus is demonstrating a very key component to the play when he says that “the hand that struck [his] eyes was [his] alone.” The metaphor of three fingers pointing back at you when you point a judging finger at someone else is perfect for this situation. In being so quick to judge the situation and assume that he will bring honour to the land‚ uncovering Laius’s murderer‚ Oedipus curses the one responsible and declares that they will be
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June 2014 Two Tragic Hero’s A tragic hero is a great or virtuous character in a dramatic tragedy who is destined for downfall‚ suffering‚ or defeat. Oedipus and Okonkwo are both fantastic examples of a tragic hero because they have it all in the beginning and then they both fall. In the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe‚ Okonkwo is a man from the village Umofia; he has many wives‚ a famous wrestler‚ and a big yam plantation. In the play Oedipus the King by Sophocles‚ Oedipus is a man from
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Oedipus Rex‚ by Sophocles‚ and Fences‚ by August Wilson‚ are two great tragedies by two outstanding playwrights. The two stories seem intertwined by the great characters that they center around. Although the stories of Oedipus and Troy are separated by centuries‚ the characters are almost identical. Different backgrounds‚ different cultures‚ and different adversaries do not affect the manner and behavior of the main characters. If nothing else‚ the pride in each of the characters make the two so
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Professor Mihailovic 5-14-01 Though Shakespeares’ Hamlet and Sophocles’ Oedipus the King were written in two different eras‚ echoes of the latter can be found in the former. The common theme of Hamlet and Oedipus the King is regicide. Also‚ like in Oedipus the King‚ there is a direct relationship between the state of the state and the state of their kings. Furthermore‚ there is also a relationship between Oedipus’ armed entrance into the bedroom in which Jocasta hanged herself‚ and Hamlet’s
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