Some Aristotelian principles--
1) Genre and generic attributes Aristotle sought to anchor his definitions of literary genres in exemplary works and authors. Of tragedians, he
According to Aristotle, a classic tragic hero must meet the following six criteria: nobility (of noble birth) or (wisdom by virtue of birth), hamartia (a flaw or error of judgment), peripeteia (a reversal of fortune, brought on by the hero’s hamartia), anagnorisis (the discovery or recognition that the reversal was brought about by the hero’s own actions), the audience must feel dramatic irony for the character, and the character’s fate must be greater than deserved.…
despite his hardship, he still represents some of the qualities Aristotle describes in the literary…
Aristotle was not only a scientific genius, but someone who carved the path for the way we depict plays and furthermore, how we write them. Aristotle made it a mission to read the plays of his era, while doing so he discovered many similarities among them, creating a tragedy. A tragedy is a form of drama that is composed of three basic parts: values, characters, and a conclusion. A value is what will determine the fate of the tragic character in the play, usually the value is represented by a supernatural power. While the character has to display certain characteristics like nobility either by birth or action, it is most noted for the characters downfall. The downfall occurs either by limitation of knowledge or by a tragic flaw within…
Sophocles, writer of Oedipus the King, compresses the dramatic reveal of the true destiny and origin of birth to Oedipus all in one day. Oedipus’s search for the truth creates a storyline of anticipation and intensity. The play focuses on human weakness, human suffering and man’s inability to change his destiny. Though the audience can see between the lines early on, the knowledge allows them to feel pity for Oedipus as the real revelation of himself is gradually unveiled. In his poems, Aristotle outlined the necessities of a good tragedy exclaiming a tragedy must evoke pity and fear in its viewers. A tragic hero, according to Aristotle, must be a man who is superior to the average man in some way. In Oedipus's…
Aristotle's Poetics: Comedy and Epic and Tragedy comments on the reflection of reality by it's very imitation. As with comedy being an imitation of the inferior and ugly, the role of the epic and tragedy follow the roles of characters of great importance. The idea being that only those of importance are even noticeable in the eyes of the gods, since mankind is relatively insignificant and are nothing more than an amusement to the gods.…
However, if the people chose not to speak up and were covering up for a family or friend they will be banished and not spoken to or able to attend religious activities. He will be cursed and live a life in misery. Oedipus summoned Tiresias as suggested by Creon and also the chorus. When Oedipus asked Tiresias of whom the murderer is, Tiresias refuses to say anything and…
“Oedipus the King” was a tale depicting the human experience; each human has a great victory, shortly accompanied by a great demise; the rollercoaster of life. Oedipus had his great success soon become the reason for his fall. With Oedipus’ deadly flaw being ‘hubris’; his excessive pride led him to believe he was on the level of ‘gods’. Once he paraded that he was invulnerable (untouchable by even the gods), his fall would be all the more tragic. Throughout the tale however, Oedipus uses many rhetorical devices towards all his subjects without even recognizing.…
* showcase your critical thinking skills through analysis and insight and must demonstrate control of the topic at hand.…
In this play, Oedipus the King, there are any references to eyes, sight, and the lacks thereof are made throughout Oedipus the King. There are parts where characters have limited physical sight, such as Teiresias's blindness, and there are also parts where their sight, in the form of perception, is limited. Most importantly, sight is used in the play as a symbol for knowledge, such as the how the oracles and the "seer" (16), Teiresias, can 'see' the truth. The play is about Oedipus's quest for knowledge and his attempts to avoid his fate. The underlying question of Oedipus the King is if one can escape their fate. Sophocles presents this question by using sight as a symbol for knowledge, and then leaves guidance for answering the question by showing that being sighted or blind can determine if one can control their fate.…
Aristotle is a Greek philosopher who made significant contributions to many different aspects of literature. In Aristotle’s philosophical treatise, Poetics, a tragedy is depicted as the downfall of a tragic hero, which is conveyed through the unification of hubris, free choice, and an error of judgement. Aristotle defines a tragic hero as a person of noble prestige and greatness. Although the tragic hero is notably great, he or she is not perfect because they possess a tragic flaw. The hero’s intention to accomplish a goal inevitably leads him to confronts multiple challenges or limits. Aristotle acknowledges that the tragic hero must have a tragic flaw, or hamartia…
Aristotle is one of the most famous Greek philosophers to have ever lived. You name it, he studied it. A few of the subjects he studied included Biology, Psychology, Physics, Politics, and Poetry. He was also very known for his idea of “the perfect tragic hero”. There were five characteristics the main protagonist in a plot MUST have in order to be considered a real tragic hero, at least according to him.…
1. After Oedipus blinds himself I think that he does show his previous pride. I was surprised when he blinded himself after seeing his wife/mother dead as she committed suicide. When he came out in front of the public he displayed his pride as confidently as he had when he could see. He wanted the public to know about what he has done, i.e. killing his father and marrying his mother, and he demands to receive the punishment that any normal citizen would receive. He shows his self-confidence after his blinding because even when he is blind he shouts, “’open the doors, someone: show me to all the people of Thebes…’” (Knox 94), which shows that even though he is physically impaired, he has enough confidence that he can leave his home and reveal his face. Usually when a person has more power, such as Oedipus did as King, they expect to be treated differently, but Oedipus expected to be treated like a citizen would be treated for his crimes. From my personal opinion, I think that Oedipus seems completely defeated by the blinding. On page 95 Oedipus says, “Darkness, dark cloud all around me, enclosing me, unspeakable darkness…”. Darkness has a known connotation for depression and sadness. This sentence is very negative and he uses dark words that express his sadness and guilt. Depression is normally linked with darkness and clouds, compared to sun as happy, and when he used “darkness” and “dark cloud” it is evident that Oedipus is crushed to find that what the prophets had said was true. While Oedipus has the same level of confidence, I believe, from the context, that he is distraught over the recent events.…
At the beginning of the play, the city of Thebes is cursed terribly. Citizens are dying from plague, crops fail, women are dying in childbirth and their babies are stillborn. Some priests come to the royal palace to ask for help from Oedipus, the current king of Thebes who once saved them from the tyranny of the terrible Sphinx. By this time, Oedipus has sent his brother-in-law, Creon, to the oracle of the god Apollo to seek advice from divine sources. But before Oedipus had ever arrived in Thebes, the previous king, Laius, was murdered under mysterious circumstances and the murderer was never found. When Oedipus arrived in Thebes and saved the city, he was made king and married the widowed queen, Jocasta, sister of Creon. Now Creon returns with the oracle’s news: for the plague to be lifted from the city, the murderer of Laius must be discovered and punished.…
Aristole says that the best example of tragedy is Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex. Focusing on the “imitation of an action” and the fall of an eminently good hero which creates catharsis of pity, anagnorisis, and recognition, Sophocles composes a prime example of tragedy. Sophocles shows the reader that tragedy is a big deal in Oedipus Rex. Through evaluating the elements of catharsis, anagnorisis, and peripeteia in Oedipus Rex, there is clear evidence to support Aristotle in his statement. By knowing the true definition of a tragedy, it is easy to see that Oedipus Rex has all of the characteristics of being the perfect example of a tragedy.…
Aristotle establishes elements that are necessary to define a tragedy. In Poetics, Aristotle asserts that the definition of tragedy can be divided into six parts: plot, character, diction, thought, spectacle and song. In Shakespeare’s Othello, Aristotle’s notion of tragedy is apparent through the elements of plot, character and diction. Othello follows Aristotle’s convention of a tragedy.…