Poetics

Oedipus the King is a play of tragedy written by Sophocles. Aristotle says that tragedy is “an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude.” A tragedy is meant to evoke both pity and fear unto the reader or audience. An example of this would be when Oedipus gouges out his eyes; you feel pity for him and also afraid. Aristotle wrote that tragedy should afflict a mostly good character who makes a big mistake. For instance, if the character is bad and makes a big…

“A tragic hero is a literary character who makes a judgment error that inevitably leads to his/her own destruction.” The word hero is derived from a Greek word that means, “a person who faces adversity, or demonstrates courage in the face of danger.” But a tragic hero, along with the traits of a hero, also has negative traits as well. According to Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero, the character must possess five characteristics: Hamartia, Hubris, Peripeteia, Anagnorisis, Nemesis, and…

The Effects of Lighting: An Analysis of Akira Kurosawa’s Rashomon Akira Kurosawa’s film Rashomon is about how humanity cannot be honest with themselves. The film technique that I focus on is lighting. Through the sketch, the lighting is different from the original scene suggests telling a different meaning on what is happening to the samurai. The first panel in the sketch the lighting is dark,…

“The underlying struggle is that of the individual attempting to gain his “rightful” position in his society” (Miller 1949). This quote represents Willy Loman and the millions of hard-working class of American men age and are over looked and under appreciated when they get too old to be valuable to their employers. Willy Loman does not meet the qualifications to be a tragic hero but he shares a common story with millions of people because in modern times the common man has similar emotional…

Shakespeare’s tragedies are all built with protagonists that follow a similar pattern of a dramatic fall after a significant discovery or an anagnorisis. Anagnorisis, by definition, is a pivotal discovery made by the protagonist. That discovery can be a fatal flaw, such as Richard II discovering how his mismanagement has led to him being dethroned by Bolingbrook. It can also be the catalyst to revenge, such as Hamlet’s discovery of his father’s murder or Titus’ discovery of Tamora’s treachery.…

Sophocles' play Antigone is a clear example of a tragic play. Tragic heroes, such as Creon, spend a great deal of time trying to avoid their fates. But in the end, fate prevails, and the tragic hero is doomed. Creon was an excellent character to portray as a tragic hero. He was a good person, good to his family and the people of Thebes. Creon used free will to try to avoid his fate. However, Creon has flaws that allow fate to come back and haunt him. Tragic heroes must be good in…

Tragedy’s greatest feature is the ability to expose human weakness in the worst light possible. When a character’s free will is overcome by a trait that leads to their own downfall, the goal of tragedy is effective. Often a character can fit into the title of a “tragic hero” easily, because they are simply a character. When realistic characteristics are employed into a character’s development, the label does not match. When comparing Oedipus in Oedipus the King and Hamlet in Hamlet, there are…

"Death Of A Salesman" by Arthur Miller is a play that challenges the idea of the American Dream. The main character Willy Loman is introduced as a complicated persona, who faces several misadventures which affect everyone around him. As the screen play develops Willy’s complicated character starts to unravel leading up to his downfall. Although Willy Loman's death was expected, whether he was a martyr or not is debatable. Willy had a troubled life, he still managed to create his own world…

The decisions an individual makes on a daily basis ultimately affects the outcome of their life, and the belief that a higher power predetermines what is going to happen is common. The topic of fate vs free will has been present since the beginning of time and both sides are debatable. This is seen in the characters Oedipus, from Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex, and Hamlet, from Shakespeare's Hamlet. They both only have a limited amount of power over their lives, as their actions are perceived as being…

"Disobedience, in the eyes of anyone who has read history, is man’s original virtue. It is through disobedience that progress has been made, through rebellion.” An Irish author Oscar Wilde asserts “that disobedience is a valuable human trait have and that is promotes social progress.” To be disobedient is to refuse to follow the rules and act superior. We’ve seen multiple events of disobedience that has shown its distinguishing and many devastating. I disagree with Wilde because being…