Character Analysis of Prince Hamlet in "Hamlet" by William Shakespeare and Oedipus in "Oedipus King" by Sophocles In Aristotle’s literary discourse‚ "Poetics‚" he discusses his theory of tragedy‚ wherein he introduces the concepts of tragic flaw or "hamartia‚" which serves as the catalyst for the protagonist’s downfall or the tragedy of the story to happen. He determines a tragedy as a "drama" that brings about a "sorrowful conclusion‚ arousing fear and pity in the audience" (Roberts and Jacobs
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Shakespeare’s play Hamlet has become the most popular of his plays over the years. It is as popular now‚ if not more popular‚ than at the first performances in the early 1600’s and this shows that Hamlet is still popular with contemporary audiences even 400 years after it was written. There are many reasons why Hamlet is still relevant to contemporary audiences and these are expressed through the narrative conventions of Hamlet. As there are so many conventions present in Hamlet it is best summarized
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Oedipus Rex “Fear? What should a man fear? It’s all chance‚ chance rules our lives. Not a man on earth can see a day ahead‚ groping through the dark. Better to live at random‚ best we can.” (lines 1068-1072) The themes of fate and light and darkness are prominent in Oedipus Rex‚ a play written in ancient Greece by the famous poet Sophocles. Oedipus was a powerful Greek king and was notable for his compassion‚ sense of justice and his swiftness of thought and action. Unfortunately for him‚ his life
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ages. One finely written example of this is Sophocles’ Oedipus the King. In this tale‚ Oedipus is the ruler of Thebes and the city is suffering from a plague. Oedipus sent his brother-in-law Creon to the “Pythian halls of Phoebus” to talk to the oracle about how to rid themselves of the plague. Creon reports back and tells the ruler that once they find the killer of the previous king‚ they will be free of this curse. Through a strange turn of events‚ Oedipus comes to find out that he was responsible
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Father Figure In Hamlet The importance of father figures in Hamlet is like the base of a cheerleading pyramid. Without that strong base‚ then there can’t be a proper structure built. Especially considering the fact that back then‚ and even up until today the father is the one who’s suppose to support and make sure the family is held together in a well manner. Just like in Hamlets case‚ King Claudius wasn’t much of a father figure since he only wanted to be king‚ and Hamlet only considered
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In the novel Oedipus The King‚ written by Sophocles‚ Oedipus‚ the main character had many personalities as well as problems. He had great confidence in himself than had anger problems‚ made hasty decisions throughout the play‚ and lost all of his confidence to the very end. Oedipus was sent away as a newborn away from Thebes due to a prophecy. He was sent out to die with metal stakes in his ankles but a shepherd took him and gave him to the King Polybus ruler of Corinth. Oedipus heard King Polybus
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somewhere better. In the greek drama‚ Oedipus Rex‚ written by Sophocles shows a tragic hero who is an effective leader. King Oedipus is an effective leader because he wants to do the best for his town and family. Oedipus is an effective leader because he wants to do the best for his town. After King Oedipus calls the people of his city his children and claiming that he will help in everyway he can‚ the priest then proclaims King Oedipus as great and powerful. “Great Oedipus O powerful king of Thebes!” Since
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Dramatic Irony in Oedipus In the play written by Sophocles‚ Oedipus the King‚ there are several instances of irony. Dramatic irony‚ or tragic irony as some critics would prefer to call it‚ usually means a situation in which the character of the play has limited knowledge and says or does something in which they have no idea of the significance. The audience‚ however‚ already has the knowledge of what is going to occur or what the consequences of the characters actions will be. The degree of irony
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Sophocles’ Oedipus the King tells the story of the Theban King Oedipus who finds out that he unknowingly fulfilled a prophecy by killing his father and marrying his mother. Upon learning this news‚ he is distraught and ashamed. Euripides’ Heracles tells the story of the famous hero who kills his wife and children after Hera makes him go mad. Both stories are tragedies‚ which are texts that present issues that are ethically serious and represent a series of actions in the plot that culminates in the
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mother. ”Oedipus Rex” by sophocles is a tragedy that discusses the downfall of a king. Oedipus was abandoned as a child by his parents‚ whom left him to die in a mountain because of a Prophecy he was told about. It stated that the Oedipus will kill his father‚ take his throne‚ and marry his mother. As Oedipus accidentally helps a kingdom‚ he becomes the king and so the prophecy and his quest for identity will summon. The quest for identity is the most important theme because it helped Oedipus find the
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