Beautiful Tragedy

mind is a large, brooding man with hulking muscles and a beautiful girl on his arm. However, Greek tragedian Sophocles imagined a different breed of hero that was later defined by Aristotle. Aristotle defines a tragic hero as a highborn person who, as a result of some tragic flaw or shortcoming in his personality, makes a mistake in judgement which brings about misery, a loss of moral dignity, great sorrow, and suffering. In Sophocles's tragedy, Antigone, King Creon possesses all the qualities…

his own father and marry his mother. In response the learning about this prophecy, his parents sent him outside of Thebes to die in the wilderness. As the story obviously shows, he survives and fulfills the prophecy. Of course, this play being a tragedy, Oedipus denies this prophecy, due to his stubbornness and quick temper, for as long as he can despite the amount of evidence laid out before him. Oedipus’s stubbornness and temper are displayed when a blind prophet, Tiresias, forewarns Oedipus…

Jean Anouilh’s play Antigone is a tragedy inspired by Greek mythology and the play of the same name (Antigone, by Sophocles) from the fifth century B.C. The play Antigone tells the story of a brave girl (one of Oedipus’s daughters) who stands up against the law in order to honor her brother. The play had many important characters without which the meaning would be incomplete. However, there were many minor characters that completed the play and aided the reader’s understanding which leads us…

Oedipus and the Gods An important part of this classic tragedy that Sophocles wanted the audience to recognize is how the characters perceive the gods. Does the play reflect reverence or irreverence towards the gods? At the beginning of the play, Oedipus clearly lacks respect for the gods and acts as if he is higher than them, which makes it seem like the story is supposed to make believe people the gods aren’t as amazing as they think they are. The story actually reflects reverence toward the…

overcome those adversities on their paths, as heroes. Speaking of tragic heroes, however, while they embrace the same kind of virtues as heroes do, miserable destinies are always await ahead for them. As it was suggested by Aristotle, a hero of a tragedy usually evokes audiences pity or fear, through his "underserved misfortune". Moreover, Aristotle's concept further indicates that a tragic hero would be a man “who is not eminently good and just, whose misfortune is brought about not by vice or…

Research Paper When someone hears the words “written by William Shakespeare,” they can automatically assume the story, poem, or play will relate to heartbreak and tragedy in some way. People know the play “Romeo and Juliet” as a romantic drama that deals with the ups and downs of a teenage romance. They dramatic play of “Julius Caesar” tells a story of drama and betrayal. It also teaches a good lesson in “keeping your friends close, and keep you enemies closer.” All of William Shakespeare’s…

"Antigone and Sisterhood" Chapter 1: "Two Sisters" Oracle at Delphi that he will die at the hands of his own son. To prevent this from happening, he leaves his baby boy on a mountain to die, but another man saves the baby. Years later, Laius is murdered by robbers on the road. At the same time, a huge Sphinx has been terrorizing the land. One man, Oedipus, comes upon it on the road. Oedipus has been running away from home because an oracle has predicted he will…

Shakespeare’s “Othello” is a whirlwind of a story as it follows the emotional roller-coaster of an army general in the midst of love. The role-character, Othello, is an articulate, passionate and intelligent African-American who finds himself blinded by the love he has for his wife, Desdemona. Although Othello seemed to many as the epitome of strength and confidence, every superman has their kryptonite. Othello was punctual, knew just the right words to say at the precise moment, he was a…

Visuals and the Violated: Women in Julie Taymor’s Titus Up until the past few decades, Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus was never taken seriously by critics or audiences. As a revenge tragedy set in ancient Rome, the story is one of never-ending, over the top violence, which viewers may find hard to sit through without rolling their eyes, or at least becoming entirely desensitized. When Julie Taymor created the film version of this text, Titus, in 1999, she attempted to utilize visual…

We Admire Hamlet As Much For His Weaknesses as for his Flaws Hamlet is composed of an amalgamation of both strength and weakness, and this is evident throughout ‘The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark’, by William Shakespeare. At heart, the titular Hamlet is a noble, selfless and clever young man; but as the play progresses, his emotional volatility, and inability to act swiftly, contort this perfect image. This essay discusses the good man that is Hamlet, the evolution of his flaws, and why,…