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The Corruption of Humans Caused by Ambition in the Tragedy of Macbeth, a Play by William Shakespeare

Ambition is often the driving force in one’s life. It can have an extremely dominant impact on not only yourself, but also many people in your surroundings. You have the ability to control if the outcomes either have a lasting negative or positive effect. When a goal requires determination and hard work to complete, personal morals often take a back seat to the aspiration of accomplishing the goal. In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, it is clear that like many other great leaders, […]

Juxtaposing the Tragedies of Failed Searches for Passion

This consequence of jeopardizing stability is dissolved by the fact that this play is a comedy. It serves to juxtapose the tragedies of failed quests for passion by illuminating successful ones. It also serves as a guide to teach contentment within one’s own class through the character of Simon Eyre. Lacy and Rose represent the dissolve of class differences as a whole through their marriage. Lacy abandons the nation by not serving in the war and instead, serves himself by […]

William Shakespeare on Othello Literary Analysis

In the play Othello, written by William Shakespeare, it’s evident how one can manipulate a person to fulfill their own personal agenda. In this play, Othello’s trusted advisor Iago fools him in to murdering his beloved desdemona. He achieves this by lying to him constantly eventually tricking him to believe his wife is a cheat and a fake. By the end of play it can be debated by the audience whether or not Othello was in the wrong by murdering […]

“Romeo and Juliet”: Fate or Choice

Jim Morrison once said, “Love cannot save you from your own fate.” This connects to the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare because, although Romeo and Juliet’s love was strong, it didn’t stop them from reaching their ultimate fate: an premature death. In the play, Shakespeare shows that fate is an unstoppable force that cannot be changed and uses foreshadowing in order to describe their fate. The characters think that they are deciding their own future, but no matter […]

Hamlet and Ophelia’s Promising Relationship

Throughout the Shakespearean tragedy, Hamlet, the main character’s words and actions seem to portray his two-sidedness when it comes to his relationship with Ophelia. At first, he loves her, then doesn’t want anything to do with her, but after she dies, he claims to have been infatuated with her all along. His sudden changes in personality leave the readers wondering whether his love for Ophelia is true, or if she is simply an object used to fulfill his physical wishes. […]

Who’s to Blame? Friar Lawrence or Parents?

“I will stay with you, [and] make it to the other side like lovers do” (Don’t Give Up on Me by Andy Grammar). When Romeo and Juliet first saw each other, they knew that their love was more powerful than anything else in the world. Therefore, when it came to life or death, life wasn’t an option. They knew that in the end, life had no purpose if they couldn’t spend it with the love of their life. The two […]

Oedipus Rex as a Tragic Hero

Greek stories such as Greek tragedies are plays that intended to strengthen religious values, like ancient Greece society. Greek tragedies aren’t specifically meant to be characters of study, but to create strategies to connect with audience. In this Greek tragedy, Oedipus is a tragic hero that has some character traits that can also identify him as an epic hero. In the Greek tragedy, Oedipus is a loyal ruler to his kingdom but finds out the truth of lies he receives […]

Intro to Literature Luke Rolfes

Oedipus the king and Hamlet are two different play with many similarities and differences. Both play demonstrates various approaches to the search. This shows to audience about the active and energetic personality of the one and the philosophic, pensive and doubting personality of the other that leads both to the achievement of their aims. However, it happened to be a tragic end to both and after revealing the truth and accomplishing their task Oedipus and Hamlet are crushed by the […]

Sophocles was Famous for Writing Tragic Plays

Author’s Style- Sophocles was famous for writing tragic plays, and he uses dramatic irony throughout the play. Most of his plays follow the format of taking place in the same place throughout the progression. Significance of the Title- The name Oedipus translates to “swollen feet” and Rex translates to “king”. This relates to Oedipus as, when he was little, he was left in the wilderness with his feet bound. He later became the king of Thebes. Setting- The story takes place in […]

Oedipus Rex as the Ideal Tragic Hero

Oedipus Rex is a famous tragic hero known for his tragic downfall caused by his flaws (Barstow 2). Oedipus Rex, a play written by Sophocles, portrays a hero born of noble birth whose choices lead him to his downfall. Oedipus, King of Thebes, discovers his true identity and realizes that he has fulfilled the prophecy of marrying his mother and killing his father (Knox 6). He gouges his eyes out after realizing that his flaws have caused him to fulfill […]

Many Greek Texts are a Foundation in Learning about Ancient Times

Many Greek texts have many themes and are a foundation in learning about ancient times and interpreting them in the modern world. Many individuals read and decipher Greek Mythology in order to explain certain phenomena or beginnings of the world in addition to describing and telling stories about the social interactions, fate, power, family and many significant themes in life. A major topic that is depicted in many of the texts is how the ancient societies created a sense of […]

Oedipus is a Tragic Hero in the Play Oedipus, the King by Sophocles

Oedipus is a tragic hero in the play Oedipus, the King by Sophocles. According to Aristotle, a tragic hero is a literary character who makes a judgment error that inevitably leads to his/her destruction. Aristotle first defines what a tragedy is and what it represents; secondly, how a tragedy communicates to the audience; thirdly, the methods used to convey the tragedy; and lastly the means of fulfilling its purpose. He continues to imply that a tragedy is an imitation of […]

Have you Ever been Blinded to the Truth

Have you ever been blinded to the truth? Sometimes there is more to reality then meets the eye and our own ignorance can lead us down a path that can lead to tragedy. Physical blindness is considered a disability, although blindness to the truth can be much worse. The demise of a person can be as simple as a lack of insight and the blindness to the truth. In both tragedies, King Lear and Oedipus Rex, blindness is symbolic throughout […]

Classic Aristotelian Tragic Hero

Oedipus Rex Oedipus Rex is a great example of a classic Aristotelian tragic hero. Because Oedipus was a tragic hero his downfall was not caused by the work of Gods or fate, but by his flaws and his personality. To Aristotle, to be a tragic hero there are requirements that the character must obtain to be looked upon as a tragic hero. The first need is that he must be a man that is highly renown. He also must also […]

Feminism in Hamlet and Oedipus the King

Gender roles are an essential role in society. These roles have been placed in society since the beginning of time. The term gender is socially created and divides society to categorize men and women. For centuries, women have fought to get equal rights, and today, they are still fighting for equal civil rights. From the right to vote for birth control, women have always been trying to show their own independence in order to gain their freedom of rights. As […]

A Tragic Comparison

Throughout the history of the educated world, one thing has always been consistent: Literature. Literature is the most effective way to express one’s thoughts, feelings and ideas. Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Sophocles’ Oedipus the King are no exception. Each work develops the idea of the tragic hero. Although some aspects of the tragic hero must be present with every tragedy, some things can be altered (i.e. how the hero reaches his downfall). Shakespeare and Sophocles develop Hamlet and Oedipus, respectively, to […]

Sophocles Play Oedipus Rex

Sophocles was a very clever man when it came to tragedies. in Oedipus Rex he created a strong intelligent hero. However just like in most tragedies his pride leads to his unfortunate downfall. Oedipus Rex is one of his most famous plays which teaches lessons and religious views. The three major themes of this play were fate over free will, self-discovery, and his tragic flaw pride. Self-Discovery is one of the main themes in Sophocles play Oedipus Rex. With many […]

The Audience Emotional

The main purpose of tragedy is to make the audience emotional in ways of fearfulness and sadness, and that is exactly what Oedipus has accomplished. Throughout Oedipus’ journey of finding the murder that killed his father, Laius, to lift the curse, Aristotle considers the character of Oedipus in Oedipus the King by Sophocles an archetypal and typical tragic hero. Oedipus experiences anagnorisis: an increase in self-awareness, peripeteia: a reversal in fortune that brings destruction into Oedipus’ life, and catharsis: events […]

The Genre of Drama

The genre of drama is wide and contains works of varied forms and subjects. The first drama, on which all later works are based, developed in Greece and dealt with religious and social issues. According to Aristotle, a Greek Tragedy must deal with a serious purpose, creating a sense of pity or fear in the audience. The emphasis must be on plot over character development and the playwright must utilize suspense, timing, place, and action. Aristotle writes that a tragic […]

The Character Oedipus

The character Oedipus from a play of the same name is a well-known example of Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero. Aristotle defines a tragic hero as someone who is of noble birth, has a tragic flaw that leads to his downfall in the end, has a reversal of fortune that is brought about by the hero’s tragic flaw, their actions result in an increase of self-awareness and self-knowledge, and the audience feels pity and fear for the character. The […]

Oedipus Displays Characteristics

You called me blind but you have your eyes but see not where you live in sin (KO 37). In the play Oedipus the King, Sophocles tells a story about a man who blindly reaches his long-awaited fate. Throughout the development of this story, many tragedies occur. This play is recognized as a tragedy because of Oedipus’ journey of a tragic hero including his rise to power, hamartia, and tragic downfall, the tragic irony of the audience’s awareness of his […]

Sophocles Characters

Aristotle (384 BC – 322 BC) was a great Greek philosopher and scientist who defined the scientific system that became the framework for scholasticism and philosophy (Amadio). Aristotle was a great critic of poetry. Aristotle’s means of analyzing tragedies and comedies are still the methods used by critics of literature today. In his rules of criticism of tragedy plays, Aristotle had six criteria for determining a tragic hero (Johnson). One of the great Athenian tragic poets was Sophocles (who lived […]

Plot of Death of a Salesman Play

This story is based on the Death of a Salesman as the name suggests. Upon reading this I judged the story based on the title alone and I was correct. I did not know how or what lead to the death of the salesman or his or her name. As I read the story, I made a surface conclusion it was a story about the pathetic and sad life of Willy Loman, who happens to be a salesman. Upon reading […]

Similarities of Oedipus Rex and Death of a Salesman

Without a doubt, the plays that were analyzed and deliberated this semester were informative, interesting, and crucial to the present condition and culture of mainstream playwriting. Of the many works that were looked at, Oedipus Rex and Death of a Salesman were two that lent themselves to further evaluation. Within this text, I will be discussing specific examples from both productions that draws comparison between the two. Disconnected by several thousand years of literature, Oedipus Rex and Death of a […]

Who is the Tragic Hero in Antigone? Kreon’s Journey from Pride to Despair

Antigone by Sophocles is one of the most well-written Greek tragedies. At first, it may seem that Antigone is the tragic hero, but details support the fact that Kreon is the tragic hero. Kreon may be seen as neither good nor bad, which is why readers might feel an understanding or connection between themselves and Kreon. Kreon is not trying to be unjust, biased, or wrongful, but his decisions make him seem that way and affect many of the outcomes […]

The Classical Greek Literature Relationship

The Classical Greek Literature Relationship to Tragedy in Antigone What is the relationship between Antigone and Classical Greek literature related to tragedy? The relationship between Antigone in Classical Greek literature is evident through the story line in which two characters disagreement and personal choices lead to an notable twist of unexpected tragic events. Tragedy is defined as the an event causing great suffering, destruction, and distress, such as a serious accident, crime, or natural catastrophes (Merriam dictionary). The Antigone tragedy […]

Sophocles Antigone was a Book

Sophocles Antigone was a book that had a unique plot. One of the ideas presented in this specific play was feminism and Antigoner’s determination to go against their ruler. Along with this idea occurred a number of tragedies, which means therer’s also a tragic hero. There are numerous debates in determining the tragic hero in this play, between the protagonist Antigone and Creon, Antigoner’s cruel uncle. Tragic heroes, in any work, is a character not necessarily the protagonist- with a […]

The Tradegy of Gatsby

By Aristotle’s definition, a tragic hero is a literary character who makes a judgment error that inevitably leads to his/her own destruction. In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, the main character, Prince Hamlet illustrates the tragedy of a young prince’s pursuit to obtain revenge for a corrupt act, the murder of his father. As the play unfolds, the reader finds Prince Hamlet struggling with internal conflict over who and what was behind his father’s death. Similarly enough to Aristotle’s […]

Tragedy Essays