Oedipus the King Sophocles uses structural and technical conventions, as well as tragedy as a literary genre in his play “Oedipus the King” to both entertain and educate his intended audience. Sophocles’ main technical conventions used throughout the play are stichomythia, anagnorisis, peripetia, ate and catharsis. All of these technical conventions that Sophocles’ use helps entertain educate the audience. Sophocles’ uses these technical conventions through a structure that includes a prologue, parados, episodes, stasimons and an exodus. He uses the prologue to immediately set the background as a priest announces that blight has fallen upon the land and that the purpose is to determine the cause of this plague.
Firstly, the messenger speeches contribute to the play, which can be seen in ‘Oedipus the King’ where the character Creon returns from Delphi with news of how to defeat the plague; and in ‘Antigone’ where the Sentry alerts Creon that someone has illegally buried the bodies of Oedipus’ sons. Secondly, the messenger speeches also contribute to the tragedy of the play. This can be seen especially in ‘Oedipus the King’, where Oedipus is alerted of his father’s death, and when the messenger reports on the death and blinding of Jocasta and Oedipus. Thirdly, the messenger speeches add graphic imagery to the play, which can be seen in the messenger speech in ‘Medea’, when the death of the King and his daughter are reported. Therefore overall, the messenger speeches in the three plays play a highly significant part in advancing the plot and developing the themes, which can be highlighted from numerous speeches throughout the plays.
Often seen as the link between director and (living or dead) playwright, dramaturges can also directly help actors, depending upon the culture of the producing theatre. Their job is seen as clarifying the world of the play for the actors, in terms of references in the script—"What does this mean? "—as well as the actors' understanding of the time
The opening scene in a film carries major significance and becomes fundamental to understanding the rest of the film. The ideas and the unique vision of a director are shared with the audience through the opening scene. Likewise, an author creates the gateway to the rest of his writing through the opening scene. Although Zeffirelli's film version of Hamlet deviates from the original text, the ideas reinforced through the two different opening scenes remain the same. Shakespeare introduces the play with a group of guards who must not let anything go unnoticed; Zeffirelli establishes the same idea of surveillance through a web of glances between Claudius, Hamlet and Gertrude.
By considering carefully the content of these plays and how they were performed and received, the importance to Greek society and the imperative role they played may be able to be ascertained. When considering the role of theatre within Grecian society we must look at the most influential form of drama: Tragedy. One of the three great playwrights of this era, Sophocles, wrote in his most famous play Antigone, of universal themes that appeal to a modern society as well as the intended audience. Sophocles was very much concerned with showing the “moral process of the individual” (Walton, 1984, p. 3) and addressing issues that forced the audience to question how they viewed religion and morality (Taylor, 1999). As these plays were performed
Controlled Assessment Question: `Explore the ways in which Shakespeare and Shelley convey the strong feelings and emotions of Macbeth and Victor as they contemplate what they are about to do and when they see the results of what they have done. How do the writers engage the interest of their audience/readers.` Both Shakespeare’s play ‘Macbeth’ and Shelley’s novella ‘Frankenstein’ extensively evoke strong emotions to gain the interest of the reader and audience. Despite the similarities and differences, both pieces of literature have, in the way they portray strong emotions, the theme of ambition is a recurring motif in ‘Macbeth’ and ‘Frankenstein’, whilst also acting as the fundamental aspect to portraying powerful feelings to captivate the minds of both the readers and audience alike. The emotions presented in Macbeth challenges and explores the dangers of ambition in the 17th century society, whilst the emotions presented in Frankenstein questions scientific discovery and the inquisitiveness in human nature during the Georgian/Victorian era. The key similarity is drawn in through the presentation of the consequences caused by ambition and human desire.
A soliloquy is a way for a playwright to add drama with the character of choice giving them a sense of revelation. A soliloquy allows a character to: “convey his/her secret thoughts and/or intentions to the audience or the readers … While doing so, he/she preserves the secrecy of those thoughts/intentions from other characters of the drama” (What is a soliloquy?). This form of writing helps the audience get a better understanding of the character’s opinion. In William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, soliloquies are used to give an in-depth analysis of the characters sanity, emotions, and inner struggles. Hamlet’s Soliloquy at the end of Act IV Scene iv helps the audience understand Hamlet’s inner thoughts of the actions of the play so far, and his intentions for action in the future.
He speaks of how it is taking over the city of Verona. “Full soon the canker death eats up the plant. His smart metaphors influence the audience into thinking he is intelligent, good-willed and a responsible character. In his opening speech, he foreshadows the play without realising it. He says that the plants used to cure and also kill if they are misused.
King influences his readers on an emotional level in his essay as well. He is extremely descriptive and says his speech like it is a story. This story, from his perspective, allows his audience to see the situation from his point of view and opens their eyes up to other views on the war. The descriptiveness brings it to life and keeps the reader enthralled. Logic was used to attempt to sway the audience as well.
An effective play takes the audience on an emotional and intellectual journey Shakespeare’s Othello is an effective play as it takes the audience on an emotional an intellectual journey. The effectiveness of Othello is seen through the journey from reason to emotion in Othello as it causes a reaction from the audience, which is the aim of an effective play. The play focuses mainly on the emotional journey Othello takes, which the audience follows along with. Othello is a tragedy and the purpose of the play is to teach the audience a moral lesson and have the audience feel pathos and reach a cathartic response at the conclusion of the play. The two characters of Othello and Iago can be used in juxtaposition to imply how outside forces have great influences on the life of a person and how that in turn affects the individuals journey and how it can finish somewhere different that what was initially expected.