According to Aristotle’s theory of tragedy and the most confirmed definition of the central character, Oedipus from the Greek play, Oedipus Rex, is considered of a classical model of the tragic hero. Oedipus, being the tragic hero of the play, must demonstrate an essential element to arouse emotions of pity and fear within the audience to achieve the emotional catharsis or purgation. With that being noted, Oedipus had to have some features and characteristics to ensure the state of purgation throughout the audience. In fact, Oedipus as a character in the play has all the features of the tragic hero Aristotle has concluded about. Firstly, for the reader to understand why Oedipus in the Greek play, Oedipus Rex is a classical example of tragic hero, one must know the theory.
Kelsey Jackson AP Language Period 5 November 20, 2011 Fate, Free Will and Knowledge: Their Affects in Greek Tragedies In Oedipus Rex, the themes of Fate vs. Free Will and knowledge bringing sorrow are very evident. Most Greek plays were centered on these two themes and how they applied to how Greeks wanted to ideally live. They believed that the atmosphere created by the characters portrayed in their plays reflected their life and decisions. Playwrights intended their tragedies to be didactic, showing the Greek people what not to choose and how to live their lives through the Gods. In Sophocles’ second play, the knowledge Oedipus gain of his fate brings his inevitable downfall quicker and more powerful than it could have been without his knowledge.
Aristophanes, Eupolis, and Cratinus were among the best playwrights who ancient critics recognized for their literary works. Aristophanes’ plays are the only surviving samples of the literary genre conventionally referred to as old comedy. Old comedies were characteristic of topical issues touching in the society and real personalities. New Comedy transcended topical issues to generalized contexts together with stock characters. The move was because playwrights had internalized the perspectives of the people’s cultures after changes.
English 2332 Exam 1 The tragic story of Oedipus Rex by Sophocles reveals six specific elements of theatre given by Aristotle. The elements given by Aristotle are listed as the “plot, character, theme, music, spectacle, and the diction of the characters language (Llucas).” These ideal elements are the components to what makes a “perfect play,” such as Oedipus Rex (Llucas). A plot is a series of events within a play and is seen as a series of patterns which leads from the opening predicament to the rising action, to the climax, to its falling action, and finally ending with a resolution. Characters within a play should have their own separate behavior, age, physical form, theories, and language. This can let the audience see each character as something realistic and more human like.
Since its introduction over two millennia ago, the medium of tragedy has become a standard concept in innumerable works created to engage an audience. No matter what the form or style, all tragic works hold a common attribute- the notion that tragedy always requires the death of the protagonist. In his famous work, Poetics, the Greek philosopher Aristotle wrote that there are certain distinct qualities that define a tragic hero: the tragic hero must be a character of noble statue, the tragic hero must be great- but not perfect, the hero’s collapse must be triggered by an error on the character’s behalf, the hero must suffer more than he deserves, and the downfall must not be purely detrimental- the hero must experience a discovery and an increase in knowledge and awareness. By referencing Othello’s character to Aristotle’s criteria, we can comprehensively classify Othello, the protagonist in the Shakespearean tragedy Othello, the Moor of Venice, as a tragic hero. Othello, who holds the position of Governor-General of Cyprus, is a character of noble statue.
“The Moronic Oedipus the King” Throughout history there have been some astounding Greek theaters. Some plays were more comedic in nature, some were romance plays, and subsequently there were some that were tragic plays. One of the furthermost Greek tragedy plays ever written was Oedipus Rex. Luminously conceived and written, Oedipus Rex dramatizes the self-discovery and calamitous demise of Oedipus, the King of Thebes. It tells the chronicle about a young Greek who was preordained to massacre his father, wed his mother, and in the process become the King of Thebes—before ultimately meeting his downfall due to his own conduct.
The tragedies that they were writing drew on the same “reservoir of stories about the distant heroic past and its great dynasties and wars, especially those set at Thebes and Troy (Brown J.R. 1995). The chorus in Sophocles’ Oedipus the King played a very important role in the progression of the play and I have come to discover just how much of and influence the role of the chorus has continued to have throughout history and how it has developed and evolved in performance and theatre throughout the centuries. To a modern reader who has had little exposure to ancient Greek theatre, one of the most unusual elements of the play will be the role of the Greek chorus as it is not as prevalent in modern theatre as a theatrical convention. Modern readers can often find the chorus to be “intrusive and irrelevant” (Hall, 1994, pg xxix), however, it can be argued that the chorus is in fact one of the most pivotal characters within the play itself, as without the commentary and narration that they provide, a lot of the plays themes and ideas could otherwise be overlooked. In many of the ancient Greek
Andrew Davies purposely used that technique to mirror Shakespeare’s thematic technique to create similar effect. I also noticed that the positioning of the character is quite interesting, in every conversation between Jago and Othello, Jago is always the one in higher position. This aims to symbolise Jago’s power, control and manipulation over Othello. This also gives an imagery of Jago being the puppet master who controls everything behind the scene. Shakespeare’s Othello is a tragedy so it is most crucial that the adaptation keeps the important aspects which make the play what it is.
Tragedy is an unavoidable part of life. All in one form or another will experience it, and tragic heroes within literature demonstrate how large of a role it may play in one’s existence. This becomes especially evident in the play Oedipus Rex by Sophocles in the life of the tragic hero, Oedipus. A tragic hero, according to Aristotle, has many defining characteristics, all of which can be related to Oedipus, King of Thebes. According to Aristotle, a tragic hero must be a character of noble stature and greatness while embodying nobility as an inner virtue.
This is the part of the definition that is descried as “in language enhanced by distinct and varying beauties”. The tragedy must also be dramatized and not a narrative. The story needs to be dramatic in nature, where all parts are being acted out. In a tragedy the play should have the audience feeling pity or fear for the tragic hero. As the play moves along the pity and/or fear should build.