Tragedy

Drama Paper: Oedipus the King and A Dollhouse `There are many characteristics that go into creating a good tragedy. A tragedy, in Aristotle 's view, “arouses the powerful emotions of pity and fear, and, through the experience of the drama, bring about a “proper purgation” or purification of these emotions” (1028). According to Aristotle, there are many characteristics that a tragedy will contain, such as: the “representation of a single major action” (1029), “appropriate diction and song”…

concepts of a tragic play have been largely unchanged over the course of centuries. In fact, Aristotle’s concepts of what constitutes a tragedy have provided people with a template for close to two thousand years. Although there have been minor adaptations to what constitutes a tragedy, the general outline from Aristotle has provided a way for people to distinguish tragedies from comedies. One of the most notable playwrights of classical Athens, Euripides, is one of the few whose works have…

heal itself, especially after the war, families still suffered from their own issues. In other words, literature displayed the tragedies found within American households at the time and can still be seen today. At times literature exposes a tragic plot that “typically ends in disaster and that focuses on a character who undergoes unexpected personal reversals” (Tragedy 483). A famous play that exemplifies such a tense term is Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman. This…

relationship in Greek Drama. Human sacrifice, as a thematic frame, is common within the works of the three Greek tragedians, who employ it as a mean to create a dilemma in their plays, add a layer of meaningful depth to the human death, and/or to stage a tragedy that invokes pity and provokes conclusions. As Wilkins noted, human sacrifice, in the works of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, is, more often than not, related to the gods within Greek mythology—it is a call that comes…

For my final paper, I will be answering the questions posed by Socrates’ critique of poetry and most interestingly, Socrates’ statement that poetry would have to make a better argument for itself if it is to be allowed into the just city. I will be agreeing with the claim Socrates makes regarding poetry’s inclusion into the city and I will attempt to draw the conclusion that Socrates would support that poets are like painters. Painters and poets appeal to a part of our souls that is not…

the name of Giraldi Cinthio. The original story, was entitled,” Of Unfaithfulness of Husbands and Wives.” In the original story Disdemona was beaten to death with a stocking full of sand, which is quite a bit different from Shakespeare’s Othello, tragedy still befalls Desdemona. (Gioia, 2017) The story was believed to have been written in 1603-1604 and published in 1622. (Bevington, (n.d)) This story would not be a story without noting that William Shakespeare was the most famous…

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…

Tragedy is an intriguing genre of drama that made its official debut in around 500 BC in Athens. According to an article from Grand Valley State University, the origin of Tragedy can be traced back to groups of men singing s choral lyric to honor the Greek god Dionysus. Throughout history many famous authors were made great because of their skillful ability to captivate audiences with the story of a tragedy. Aristotle helped to outline and define what both a tragedy and a true tragic hero should…

Flawed But Not Forgotten Every human has a flaw, but some can be the cause of their own demise. The flaw of Marcus Brutus in The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare causes his own downfall as the tragedy unravels. Brutus is the tragic hero because he has all of the necessary traits a tragic hero needs, according to Aristotle. Aristotle defines a tragic hero as a man of noble stature or high position who causes his own destruction for a greater cause or principle. A flaw cannot be…

In the greek play, Antigone, by Sophocles, pride is seen throughout the story as a negative character trait that can lead to violent actions and the downfall of a man. Sophocles even states that "all men make mistakes, but a good man yields when he knows his course is wrong, and repairs the evil. The only crime is pride." This quote can be seen through the chorus when they say "Great words of boasting bring great punishments"(Sophocles 1536). Creon’s fate is shown by the chorus quote, when he…