The Spanish Tragedy

By defination,the beginnig is that which does not presuppose anything else to have gone before it. Although Sophocles' play focuses attention only on the last day of Oedipus' long rule over Thebes, we do not feel the need of any information about what has gone before, when we read the prologue of the play. In fact earlier events are related by Jocasta and Oedipus in the liter part of the play. The middle is that which is necessary and logical sequence of the beginning. The first episode of…

In terms of classical literature and theatre, dating back to Ancient Greece, a tragic hero is a man of great wealth or power who falls from grace. This fall happens at times because of external forces, but more often the man’s downfall is caused by none other than himself. At times, this curse belies the character by an action of choice, be it due to personal failings or because of a misunderstanding. The downfall of Okonkwo, in spite of seeming to be a far different story altogether, is not so…

Hamartia, or the first step in Aristotle 's theory of the tragic hero, explains that the play must demonstrate a flaw or error of judgement. The play offers an illustration of "hamartia" throughout its prose, as at the beginning of the play; Oedipus thinks he is free of guilt. However, his rash anger leads him to unknowingly kill his real father, King Lauis, at the crossroads. The murder of Oedipus ' father is one of the essential links in his downfall, which indicates that his anger is a very…

great honor for their deeds, however it truly does not come that simple. Honor is not given but earned to a person that has shown great determination and wisdom by sticking to their morals. This definition of honor is seen throughout Sophocles’ greek tragedy of Antigone as Creon, the new ruler of Thebes, is being put to the test as both a ruler and a human. Because of Creon’s establishment of his first law that decrees no one is to bury the body of the traitor, his own nephew Polyneices,…

The Ancient Greek Tragedies were a way for poets to tell a story with a twist. A way for others to see that life isn’t perfect for anyone. People get the feeling that if someone is from money, or they have the best house, that their lives must be perfect. With trag edies the authors made sure it was the heroes that suffered the downfalls and heartaches. The tragic hero’s in the following stories are destined for suffering after fighting as a hero would. In the Ancient Greek Tragedies, Oedipus…

capacity to do so. Without the chorus, this vital connection is lost. As Bernard Knox justly observes, the “complex images and elliptical transitions of tragedy’s choral lyrics were elements” that are integral in relaying the main concept of any Greek tragedy (Knox 208). By representing the voice of the citizens, acting as the mediator within the story, and directing the emotions of the viewers, authors like Sophocles were successful in transmitting their profound and subtle message to the…

pass the test of time. Sophocles wrote the story nearly 2500 years ago, and student are still learning about it today. Aristotle define tragic hero in some of his writing. He is one of the founding fathers of tragedy. Aristotle’s poems a vital source applied to define the term tragedy. In a tragedy the presence of a tragic hero must be present. The tragic hero conducts the narrator plot. The protagonist whom is the tragic hero must follow the rules of Aristotle to be classified as a tragic…

In this revenge tragedy, “Hamlet”, by William Shakespeare, Hamlet is the prince of Denmark who faces internal combat continuously. Hamlet is the tragic hero of the play, who faces much grief after his father’s death, but even more anguish after knowing about the deeds of his mother, Gertrude, and his uncle, Claudius. “She married. O! Most wicked speed, to post/ With such dexterity to incestous sheets./ It is not nor it cannot come to good;/ But break my heart, for I must hold my tongue” (Ham. I.…

that arise, there are natural critics to poetry, and Pope describes this in his essay, An Essay on Criticism. After reading the Tragedy and the Emotions of Pity and Fear and An Essay on Criticism, it is easily discernable what important roles poetry has on the community and how different people perceive and use poetry for their own means. It is clear from reading both Tragedy and the Emotions of Pity and Fear and An Essay on Criticism that the purpose of poetry has no one certainty. In the…

characters in that they worsen their situations through pride, duty, and rage. However, they also vary drastically in terms of morality, fate, and sophistication. Sophocles’ Medea and Euripides’ Oedipus clearly define two opposing sides of Greek tragedy. First, Medea and Oedipus similarly elevate the severity of their predicaments through pride. She clearly feels that she deserved far better from Jason. The play suggests that Medea believes that Jason would not have been successful without her.…