In the ancient Greek Temple of Apollo at Delphi, there is an inscription that reads, “gnothi seauton” which when translated means “know thyself.” As one who is secure with whom he is; he does not allow others to tell him who he is and what he does. However, when a person does possess insecurities about himself, it becomes evident that they do the opposite. This is an issue that is brought to the audiences’ attention in the play The Comedy of Errors by William Shakespeare as the characters Antipholus of Syracuse and Antipholus of Ephesus struggle with their identities. Even though it is a farcical play built on slapstick humor, The Comedy of Errors touches on the issue of insecurities within oneself through the history of the characters, dialogue …show more content…
When Antipholus of Syracuse arrives in Ephesus with his Dromio, he sends Dromio to an inn while he is speaking with a merchant and asks, “will you walk with me about the town/ and go to my inn and dine with me” (1.2:22, 23)? With that the merchant replies that he has prior engagements and is unable. Antipolus then says he “will go lose” himself while viewing “the city” (1.2:30, 31). Here in this situation, Antipholus is taking a chance for some company and is shot down which seems to have lowered his self-esteem. The merchant says he will leave him to his “own content” to which Antipholus replies that those that leave him to his “own content” leaves him to the things that he “cannot get” (1.2:33, 34). Here Antipholus is subtly saying that he feels an emptiness within himself and just a few lines down he explains that the search for his mother and brother has left him “unhappy” (1.2:40). From a psychological standpoint, these are signs of a person that is not secure with his identity. Later, Antipholus of Syracuse is caught in a mix-up with the family of his bother and Dromio of Syracuse asks if he has been “transformed” and Antipholus replies, “I think thou art in mind, and so am I” (2.2:92, 93). Antipholus is uncertain about his reality at this point and thinks that his mind has been
Antinous is someone who has no issue opening his mouth when he has an opinion on something. During the epic Homer states, “[Antinoös] was to be the first to get a taste of the arrow from the hands of blameless Odysseus, to whom he now paid attention as he sat in Odysseus ' halls and encouraged all his companions (21.98-100). As he says this it leaves many people wondering what the purpose of this quote is. Is he proving that he is not afraid of what is to come or is it used to foreshadow his death. Many believe it could go either way, he is confidence in many different manners but especially about his ability to keep Penelope. His confidence continues when he says, “Then [Penelope] can marry the one who offers most, the man marked out by fate to be her husband” (16.434-435). This tends to reinforce the idea that Antinous is confident in his abilities but not liked by many. An important fact about Antinous is that he was the first suitor to die when Odysseus returns to his family. This shows how weak he
Sophocles' Antigone, in its later phases is no longer about the conflict of law; It is about stubbornness and self will, about the sin of refusing to listen; about a man who has never been told.
In life, one goes through different experiences which makes and shapes us into the person who we become. Whether something as little as a "hello" by a crush or a death in a family, they contribute to the difference, as they are all equal in importance. In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, the protagonist Hamlet struggles throughout his life as he is in search of his true identity. The Webster's dictionary, under the second definition, defines identity as "The set of behavioral or personal characteristics by which an individual is recognizable as a member of a group." As life only moves forward for Hamlet, he struggles to find his place in life, nonetheless to revenge the murder of his father.
Self-control can be defined as the ability to control oneself, in particular one’s emotions or desires, especially in difficult situations. Comparatively, self-image is the idea one has of one’s abilities, appearance or personality. Often self-image and self-control are thought of as separate entities, but in the case of the tragic play “Oedipus Rex,” Sophocles demonstrates the connection between the two through the tragic events that occur. Integrated in the plot is the growth of the character of Oedipus, for it is he whom indices the investigation to stop the current plague in his kingdom of Thebes, his personal rashness and ignorance of the past come back to haunt him. Oedipus’ incautiousness when discovering the true state of Thebes is
Self-awareness is an esseential part of life; it is the conscious knowledge of one's own character, feelings, motives, and desires. Throughout the play, Oedipus the King by Sophocles, it is said that Oedipus' biggest flaw is the sin of Hubris, but in reality not knowing who he is also plays a part in his seelfishness, arrogance, and rashness. He is also very self-orientated and he can't see past his success long enough to realize his mistakes. Oedipus is the classic example of a man whose central problem is that he does not know himself because he is completely oblivious to the truth that surrounds him and subconsciously ignores his true identity for most of the play.
The self-destruction of living a lie throughout life can bring down the strongest of any men. In the play Oedipus Rex, the King written by Sophocles shares a story of a king and his empire that suffers a curse of illness and devastation. In the attempt to free his people of this curse, Oedipus reaches out to Apollo and his prophets for answers to cure his people. Apollo and his followers are all knowing. The King summoned the spiritualist and they provide more unwelcoming information than Oedipus bargained for. In trying to uncover the fact of why the people of Thebes are cursed, Oedipus reveals that he is behind the cause of the city’s misfortune. The prophet informs Oedipus that he must find the killer of the former king
Shakespeare’s play ‘Othello’ explores the way in which stress affects characters of high status, confidence but who have a weak position socially. For a moment the protagonist Othello’s rank as the general in the Venetian army outweighed any of Brabantio and Iago’s racist remarks (which could be considered as Othello’s weak position socially – as a man of colour) towards him such as ‘black ram’ and ‘the black Moore’. ‘Let him do his spite’ Othello instantly disregards their slanders ‘my services which I have done the signiory/Shall out-tongue his complaints.’ Othello reveals his sense of pride and high status as a military leader, his services which ‘shall’ come before complaints highlights his confidence to the audience. However regardless of his high status and confidence as a military leader, stressful events caused by Iago (claim of Desdemona’s betrayal) still manages to manipulate Othello thus unravelling his tragic flaws. Shakespeare has incorporated jealousy with in Othello’s character; this flaw has made him prone to believing the words of Iago and becoming manipulated. Othello claims he’d rather men ‘tasted her sweet body’ as long as he ‘had nothing known,’ the idea of other men upon Desdemona proves to be too much for him to comprehend, perhaps ...
Once again Othello’s lack of self-awareness is brought to light and he cannot recognize jealousy or bias within himself. (Iliff 8)
Though written decades ago, William Shakespeare’s Hamlet is still read, studied, and enjoyed by readers everywhere simply because it is still relevant. The seven deadly sins played a role throughout this play, particularly excessive pride and a thirst for wrath. But, these sins exist in the very same world the reader lives in, as examples throughout this paper have proven. Hamlet, who character in particular is extremely intelligent and also extremely prideful, has been designed to be dynamic, with conflicting feelings of cowardice and vengeance, of love and mistrust, and of pride and pity. This dynamic character was driven to his own downfall by his own excessive pride and need for revenge.
As I said earlier, Shakespeare's play Othello is driven by the reputations of each character. Reputation played a huge factor in how each character acted and how certain events played out. Without the role of reputation, each character could have acted differently when they came across a certain event or situation. Shakespeare is suggesting that we don’t worry about our reputations, because it can drive people to do crazy things. If someone is happy with themselves, then that is all that really matters. Just because other people may view you as a jerk or what not, doesn’t mean that they are always right. It is how you view yourself that is important.
Shakespeare is not only one of the most important genius in literature, but also a great phycologist who perfectly understands many human behaviors and its consequences. He was a genius reading and comprehending our nature. His perceptions towards people and our emotions, can fit in any time and space such as he pictures represents jealousy, envy, manipulations and lies in Othello’s tragedy, and no better antagonist to represent it than the greatest evil in the universal literature, Iago.
Many Greek playwrights use the self-realizations of their characters to accentuate the themes of their tragedies. Sophocles, for one, uses the character change of Oedipus, simultaneously with the plot, to underline the theme of his famous work, Oedipus the King. As Oedipus grows in alarming self-knowledge, he shifts from a prideful, heroic king at the inception of the play, to a tyrannical man in denial toward the middle, to an apprehensive, doomed man, humbled by his tragic fate by the end.
Irony plays a great role in ?The Tragedy of Othello?. The villain, Iago, plans from the very beginning of the play to ruin Othello?s life. All the major characters in the play believe that Iago is an honest and trustworthy person. The tragic irony is that Iago fools them all. Throughout the whole play Iago manipulates the people around him and lies to them. Iago is very distressed, because Michael Cassio was promoted to Othello?s lieutenant instead of himself. This is Iago?s main reason for revenge against Othello. Iago?s plan is to manipulate Cassio and Desdemona, so that it would appear that they are having an affair; which would break Othello?s heart. Iago does succeed in his plan, because, ironically, everyone in the play believes all his actions and advisements are just, true, and from the heart. Irony, thus, plays a role in the deception of Othello by Iago and in the tragedy of Othello?s response. The irony of the play is demonstrated through situational, verbal, and dramatic irony. There are many cases of these three types of irony in the play. When situational, verbal, and dramatic irony are used in conjunction; the effect is one of great tragedy and loss.
Shakespeare’s Hamlet is arguably one of the best plays known to English literature. It presents the protagonist, Hamlet, and his increasingly complex path through self discovery. His character is of an abnormally complex nature, the likes of which not often found in plays, and many different theses have been put forward about Hamlet's dynamic disposition. One such thesis is that Hamlet is a young man with an identity crisis living in a world of conflicting values.
Othello’s own insecurities lead to his self-destruction. Porter writes, Othello is uncomfortable and insecure within the world of Venetians society (30), which ultimately makes him feel as an outsider. If not for his military heroism, Othello would be nothing more than a moor . His insecurities enable Othello to fall victim so effortlessly to Iago’s deception. Iago feeds on his insecurities, reinforcing Othello’s self-image by pointing out the qualities that he values in himself (31). His need to feel accepted is demonstrated through the importance of ones self-image. “My parts, my title, and my perfect soul/ Shall manifest me...