Drama Paper A tragedy is “a dramatic form, [which] is designed to evoke powerful emotions..through catharsis, to serve a salutary political, moral, and ethical purpose.” (1031). In my eyes, a tragedy is when the protagonist suffers some hardship, leaving the drama with no happy ending. Aristotle, who is a good source of information since “no one before or after Aristotle has had more firsthand knowledge of Greek tragedy” (1028), follows a criteria for a tragedy piece, which contains many requirements. I will be using only three of the many requirements, they are: reversal, scene of suffering, and tragic flaw, which will help me decided whether Oedipus the King by Sophocles or A Dollhouse by Henrik Ibsen fits more superior as a tragedy.
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During his journey he learns about a prophesy from a blind seer, Tiresias, which states, “to his beloved children, he 'll be shown a father who is also brother; to the one who bore him, son and husband; to his father, his seed-fellow and killer” (1050), which he unknowingly plays into, ultimately destroying his life and all the precious memories he once had. Ibsens ' written work, A Dollhouse, is about a seemingly happy marriage between Nora and Torvald, and the secret Nora has been keeping from Torvald. The secret ends up coming out to light, changing everything Nora had once …show more content…
A tragic flaw is the defect in the protagonist “that brings about the downfall or suffering” (1659) of the said protagonist. In simpler words its a lose, lose situation. In, A Dollhouse, Nora 's fatal flaw was her inability to see things for what they really were. “Our home has been nothing but a playroom. I have been your doll-wife, just as at home I was papa 's doll-child” (1532). If Nora would have realized sooner the type of society she lived in, the 18th century, and how her husband treated her with his belittling words and actions, then she could have avoided all the suffering she endured. However, A Dollhouse, does not follow the characteristics of tragic flaw completely. In the end of the play, the ending turns out to be positive when she decides to find her own identity by leaving her husband and children. In, Oedipus the King, Oedipus ' tragic flaw is his ego. If Oedipus would have taken precaution when he was told a long time ago that he would kill his father and sleep with his mother then he could have been safe from the prophecy. However, because he felt he could avoid this prophecy by taking it into his own hands, he ended up leading himself to his doom. “I have long lived far away from Corinth..so i 'd not be my father 's killer” (1062), but by doing this, on his way to Thebes, he killed a man and his crew, that man turning out to be his real
During his journey he learns about a prophesy from a blind seer, Tiresias, which states, “to his beloved children, he 'll be shown a father who is also brother; to the one who bore him, son and husband; to his father, his seed-fellow and killer” (1050), which he unknowingly plays into, ultimately destroying his life and all the precious memories he once had. Ibsens ' written work, A Dollhouse, is about a seemingly happy marriage between Nora and Torvald, and the secret Nora has been keeping from Torvald. The secret ends up coming out to light, changing everything Nora had once …show more content…
A tragic flaw is the defect in the protagonist “that brings about the downfall or suffering” (1659) of the said protagonist. In simpler words its a lose, lose situation. In, A Dollhouse, Nora 's fatal flaw was her inability to see things for what they really were. “Our home has been nothing but a playroom. I have been your doll-wife, just as at home I was papa 's doll-child” (1532). If Nora would have realized sooner the type of society she lived in, the 18th century, and how her husband treated her with his belittling words and actions, then she could have avoided all the suffering she endured. However, A Dollhouse, does not follow the characteristics of tragic flaw completely. In the end of the play, the ending turns out to be positive when she decides to find her own identity by leaving her husband and children. In, Oedipus the King, Oedipus ' tragic flaw is his ego. If Oedipus would have taken precaution when he was told a long time ago that he would kill his father and sleep with his mother then he could have been safe from the prophecy. However, because he felt he could avoid this prophecy by taking it into his own hands, he ended up leading himself to his doom. “I have long lived far away from Corinth..so i 'd not be my father 's killer” (1062), but by doing this, on his way to Thebes, he killed a man and his crew, that man turning out to be his real