Aeschylus

In stories, such as The Iliad by Homer and The Life of Themistocles by Plutarch, two Greek characters were highly recognized as crucial to the Greek victories. In the Iliad, the character Odysseus took a great role in the victories that led to winning the long 10 years Trojan War. In the Life of Themistocles, Plutarch describes how Themistocles also played a large role in the Greek victory in defeating the Persians. These two leaders, in comparison, were both men of intellect. They often used…

Sophocles led an exemplary lifestyle in ancient Greece. He was a playwright, priest, and even took part in the Sicilian Expedition. As a result of these influential events and professions in his life he followed a traditional view of ancient Greek religion and society in his tragedies. As a result we as an audience get such characters as Antigone who deviates from the role and personality of ancient Greek women. In the tragedy Antigone, Polynices is left unburied and Antigone his sister believes…

One allusion present in Oedipus Rex is the allusion to the Sphinx. The Sphinx is referenced with the priest describing the current situation of Thebes in the beginning. The priest provides some context for this play by saying that Oedipus “save us from the Sphinx, that flinty singer, and the tribute we paid to her so long” (Prologue, 38). The Sphinx was basically a monster that plagued the town of Thebes prior to Oedipus’ arrival. Oedipus saved Thebes from the Sphinx and its plague by answering…

To absolve Oedipus and Othello of their sin on the grounds of intent (in the matter described above), one has to assume the natural understanding of the play; it is, however, possible to understand the characters as having far less noble intents. Sigmund Freud, for example, views Oedipus as having realized a universal sexual urge for a man to have sexual intercourse with his mother. Tayeb Salih notes that in colonial times readers saw Othello as a “convert who reverts to an essential and…

Hestia represented the hearth, familiarity, and comfort. Hestia is the chief of all goddesses (“The Gods of Greece” 168). According to Plato, Hestia means 'the essence of things' (“The Gods of Greece” 168). Hestia is the goddess of the hearth. She receives the best in offerings (“The Gods of Greece” 168). Hestia is the least personal goddess and the most anonymous. She gave her throne on Olympus up for Dionysus. (“The Gods of Greece” 168) The Ancient Greeks believed that “Hestia's fire, her…

How Fate Can Influence Free-will In the play, Oedipus Rex, written by Sophocles, Laius received a prophecy stating that his son would murder him and lay with his wife. This prophecy directly influenced Laius's decision making on how to raise his son. Laius had his son exiled from Thebes to die. Laius's son now named Oedipus was saved from death so both Laius's and Oedipus's fate would come to fruition. The prophecy sent from Apollo, god of light and music, led Oedipus to make decisions such as…

In Sophocles Electra one might find many different aspects of human experience, mainly because there are many different things at play. Love, lust, betrayal, fidelity, hope, morality and finally the experience which stands out most Revenge. Ah yes revenge, a very powerful human experience that controls and over comes many of the main characters that are found in the texts we read. Not only do we find this in the texts we read but also in our everyday life, everyday people, politician or…

“Creon thus serves as a pivot about which Oedipus turns in his contrasting phrases of self-confidence and abasement” (Kirkwood 70). He not only ignored others but even accused them of the crime. “Oedipus is proud and overconfident; he harbors unjustified suspicions against Teiresias and Creon” (Dodds 19). Rather than acknowledging the information of other characters, Oedipus was threatened by their attempts to help. “The suspicion is confirmed, the connection between Creon and Teiresias is…

He wasn?t seen as being a perfectionist. The impression of the play was to give off a message of imperfection. Cases such as Oedipus?s could be related to our lives. Life is unpredictable, anything can evolve from it; even a situation such as Oedipus?s may find its way to reality. Oedipus had too much emphasis on his self. He was headed in the wrong direction. Distrusting, disobeying, and disbelieving the Gods all played a role in his misfortune. Oedipus calls the old oracle a liar after…

The evolution of theater through the centuries has been a gradual yet inevitable affair. It is through the constant globalization of ideas, creations, and concepts that theatre has expanded through the years; many times not losing its original essence. In this paper I will discuss the various staging conventions in different periods of theatre history, such as the conventions of the Greek, Roman, and Elizabethan eras. I will continue to discuss staging conventions by analyzing and comparing…