Tragedy or Not?
Tragedy is the result when someone of high standard takes an unfortunate fall. Oedipus became king of Thebes but later finds out that he killed his father and married his mother, in the play Oedipus the King by Sophocles. He was looked highly upon until the truth came out. Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, did not start out with such a high standard. he filled himself with false dreams which led to his fall. Willy’s fall was not as great as Oedipus’s. Oedipus’s life ended in tragedy more so than Willy as Oedipus fell from a high to low while Willy was never at a high standard in society.
Aristotle and Arthur Miller viewed tragedy differently. Aristotle believed that for tragedy to happen a good person of high stature must fall. The audience must be emotionally attached to the character for catharsis to occur. Miller believed that even the common man can fall to tragedy. We do not …show more content…
He became king of Thebes by solving the riddle of the Sphinx. The people of Thebes respected him and came to him when they needed his help. When the city fell into a drought, the priest came to Oedipus saying, “Noblest of men, we beg you, save this city” (Sophocles 4). Oedipus did everything in his power to end the drought. In the process he finds out pitiful information about himself. Rumors spread about him being the killer of his father and the husband of his mother. Those rumors became the truth and Oedipus claims, “O God! It has all come true. Light, let this be the last time I see you” and he stabs his eyes out (Sophocles 89). He knows he deserves to suffer for his actions. The people looked up to him before the truth came out. Now they all claim, “Therefore we must call no man happy while he waits to see his last day, not until he has passed the border of life and death without suffering and pain” (Sophocles 108). Oedipus was held to a high stature and then fell which made his story
Tragedy is the result when someone of high standard takes an unfortunate fall. Oedipus became king of Thebes but later finds out that he killed his father and married his mother, in the play Oedipus the King by Sophocles. He was looked highly upon until the truth came out. Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, did not start out with such a high standard. he filled himself with false dreams which led to his fall. Willy’s fall was not as great as Oedipus’s. Oedipus’s life ended in tragedy more so than Willy as Oedipus fell from a high to low while Willy was never at a high standard in society.
Aristotle and Arthur Miller viewed tragedy differently. Aristotle believed that for tragedy to happen a good person of high stature must fall. The audience must be emotionally attached to the character for catharsis to occur. Miller believed that even the common man can fall to tragedy. We do not …show more content…
He became king of Thebes by solving the riddle of the Sphinx. The people of Thebes respected him and came to him when they needed his help. When the city fell into a drought, the priest came to Oedipus saying, “Noblest of men, we beg you, save this city” (Sophocles 4). Oedipus did everything in his power to end the drought. In the process he finds out pitiful information about himself. Rumors spread about him being the killer of his father and the husband of his mother. Those rumors became the truth and Oedipus claims, “O God! It has all come true. Light, let this be the last time I see you” and he stabs his eyes out (Sophocles 89). He knows he deserves to suffer for his actions. The people looked up to him before the truth came out. Now they all claim, “Therefore we must call no man happy while he waits to see his last day, not until he has passed the border of life and death without suffering and pain” (Sophocles 108). Oedipus was held to a high stature and then fell which made his story