A Terrible Tragedy

In William Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet, Shakespeare depicts the indecisive and seemingly suicidal character of Hamlet who has chosen to act insane. Hamlet has previously been told that his uncle Claudius was the one who killed his father and is urged by his father’s ghost to seek revenge. Hamlet, however, is not completely convinced and plans to act mad to lower suspicion of himself, so he can investigate the truth of the matter. Shakespeare uses literary devices such as imagery, word choice,…

and Oedipus. In Oedipus’ tragedy, as Albin Lesky writes, the “driving forces are not feelings” (page 128); in Othello’s, they are. By that qualifier is more inevitability in Oedipus then there is in Othello. However, one should then question if Iago is less capable then fate. The second level of engagement is our engagement with the plot of the two plays, as well as the host of characters that…

Medea: Mental Illness & Free-will Euripides Medea is a classic tale of revenge, as a helpless woman named Medea avenges her husband’s betrayal. Medea contains several elements of a Greek tragedy, such as fate and revenge. Medea, the main character of the play, commits several villainous acts that are “outside of the norm” and forbidden by society. She is a woman who kills her husband’s second wife and also kills her children just to avenge her husband’s betrayal. Her willingness to commit these…

main character, Oedipus himself, is a Greek mythical king of Thebes. Oedipus was a tragic hero in Greek mythology who accidentally fulfilled a prophecy that he would end up killing his father, King Laius, and marrying his mother, Jocasta, bringing tragedy to his city and family. Throughout the play, Oedipus the King, minor characters contribute to the climax and revelation of the plot…

When you think about the anti-hero in anything you 've read or watched, you noticed most of them have a backstory that is required to give the reader/watcher sympathy. Despite the character on the tv screen being a terrible human being and lacking any heroic traits, there 's something about their struggle that leads them to where they are that makes you feel sorry for them, in a sense. Depending on the genre you are watching, the anti-hero can be differently created--but, that often brings up…

In Sophocles’s Antigone, Antigone, who was mourning for her diseased brother, morally believed it was right to break the law and bury him. Antigone tries to get her sister, Ismene, to help her in the act of burying their brother, but she refuses (Sophocles). Ismene states that she cannot break the law, or disrespect her citizenship by burying him (Sophocles). Their brother, Polyneices, was treated unfairly by not being buried alongside with his brother Eteocles, who Creon, the King, allowed a…

Macbeth, Brutus from Julius Ceasar, John Proctor from The Crucible, Hercules, Sirius Black from Harry Potter, and Spiderman all have a common fate; they are all tragic heroes. A tragic hero is “a great or virtuous character in a dramatic tragedy who is destined for downfall, suffering, or defeat” (Dictionary). Every hero has a downfall and a purpose; typically it is for the greater good for everyone else. In The Oedipus Plays of Sophocles, Antigone and Creon are characters who could be tragic…

bombarded by Halley due to her surprising engagement with Lester. In the end, Cliff, on the course of events, lost all he sought for to a superficial figure with no ability to contemplate on a complex concept such as ethics. However, even with his terrible luck (Professor Levy commits suicide) and the whole situation becoming haywire, Cliff still…

Macbeth’s Downfall An Analysis of Three Things that Contributed to Macbeth’s Downfall in Macbeth With every tragedy there is always a downfall of a particular character. With a tragedy, there could be multiple reasons as to why that character underwent a tragic downfall. Sometimes there could be one reason as to why a character suffers a downfall. Most of the time, there are multiple reasons as to why a character will suffer from a downfall. Whenever a character reaches a tragic downfall either…

then two, then three? Oedipus answers: mankind, who crawls, then walks, then uses a cane. This answer is correct, and the Sphinx kills itself. Oedipus becomes a famous liberator and marries the late king's wife, Jocasta. After years of happy rule, a terrible plague hits the land. An oracle decrees that the only way for the plague to end would be to punish King Laius's killer. Oedipus seeks the truth, but a prophet tells Oedipus that he himself is the killer. A man from the robbery of Laius says…