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critique on oedipus the king
Aristotle's theory of tragedy
critique on oedipus the king
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According to the Greek philosopher Aristotle, a tragic hero is defined as someone whose misfortune is not the result of their own vice or corruption, but rather caused by some error of judgment. In the end, the audience should feel both pity for the character’s unfortunate predicament, as well as fear for the tragic end to a seemingly decent person. Both Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, and Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex are, at their core, filled with the basic elements of tragedy, and at the center of it all are the two main characters – Hamlet and King Oedipus. Admittedly, there are numerous difference between the two characters; for instance, King Oedipus is a great ruler and strategic thinker – performing tasks that no other man could. Hamlet on the other hand was simply born into nobility as a prince – with none of the extraordinary qualities or great confidence accompanying King Oedipus. Additionally, King Oedipus is clearly a man of action, immediately reacting for better or for worse to the issue at hand. Hamlet conversely is tormented throughout the play by his own procrastination and failure to act. Ultimately however, both Hamlet and …show more content…
Both Hamlet and Oedipus go to great lengths to determine the truth. For Hamlet, this means confirming his suspicion that his uncle Claudius murdered his father, the king, in order to usurp the throne and marry Hamlet’s mother. Hamlet employs several different strategies in his search for the truth. Shrouded by a false veil of madness, Hamlet incessantly attempts to extract a confession out of Claudius by dropping subtle hints that he is in fact aware of what Claudius has done. The most extreme method used by Hamlet however is the play that he concocts reenacting the murder of King Hamlet in the way he believes it to have occurred. Hamlet uses this play as an opportunity to observe Claudius’ reaction and confirm his
A tragic hero is one with a supreme pride, yet has an unfaltering sense of commitment and is a good man overall. A tragic hero has the capacity to suffer and, because of an error in judgment, will experience a dramatic transformation that evokes a profound pity. This is a tragic hero and based on this conception, Oedipus is an evident
According to Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero, a tragic hero must be born from a high social class and his or her downfall must be caused by a fatal flaw of that character. Aristotle also mentioned that a tragic hero is someone that is between two extremes. Neither good nor bad, just their fatal flaws brining misfortune to themselves. The purpose of a tragic hero is to create catharsis for the audience by empathising with the protagonist. Therefore a proper tragedy
Compare and contrast Oedipus and Hamlet. Is Oedipus more a man of action? Or is he more a man driven by whim and sudden, rash decisions? Which character is more selfless? Does Hamlet show any signs of selfish motives in his actions or inactions? Which protagonist seems more learned? wiser? more religious? more loving? more incestuous? Which seems to be a better murder investigator? Does Oedipus have any of Claudius' motives when he kills the king, Laius? Then which murderer is more blameworthy--Oedipus or Claudius?
Oedipus fits Aristotle's definition of the tragic flaw and protagonist almost flawlessly. Aristotle described the protagonist as "someone regarded as extraordinary rather than typical..."(1117). Oedipus freed Thebes from the Sphinx by solving her riddle-- something nobody else had been able to do. The priest in the first scene of Act I calls Oedipus "...our greatest power" (1121) and describes him as rated first among men.
Both Oedipus and Hamlet are tragic heroes because they contains all the characteristics needed to be considered one. Hamlet is a prince that had to see his mother get married again after his father unexpectedly died. A ghost appears around the castle and he claims that he is the king. He also tells Hamlet that he was murder which causes Hamlet to become skeptical. In order to confirm what the ghost says he conducts some investigations. It’s through a play, “The murder of Gonzago,” that Hamlet is able to confirm that what the ghost told him was completely true. After Hamlet discovers this he has to decide whether to bring an end to Claudius or let him be. One can consider this to be one of Hamlet’s biggest flaw. Hamlet shows his indecisive side. Hamlet can’t make a decision quickly which eventually leads him towards his defeat and also the suffering of people he is close to. “To be, or not to be” (Shakespeare 1750). A famous quote from Hamlet, but what does it mean? The quote comes directly from a Hamlet’s speech on whether it is better to be alive or dead. Hamlet goes on and on like a broken record discussing if death is the most appropriate thing
There are many reasons why both of these characters are classified as tragic figures. First off Oedipus' fate was determined from birth, and no one knew Hamlet's fate. Oedipus's parents sent him off to be killed, and Hamlet's father was killed by his brother Claudius.
A tragic hero is an individual who possesses a fatal flaw in their character that will bring about their own destruction or suffering. Aristotle believed that “A man doesn't become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall. (Aristotle #1)” This Ancient Greek philosopher also believed that each tragic hero has four characteristics. The first of these characteristics is that a tragic hero is born with either wisdom or high integrity, and in some cases both. Aristotle’s second characteristic is that they contain a fatal flaw in their character that may cause them to behave irrationally. The penultimate characteristic is that each hero will suffer a turnabout of fortune brought about by their own flaw in character. Finally, the last characteristic is that the tragic hero will find out that their own turnabout of fortune was brought about by their own actions. McCandless in into the wild is the ideal tragic hero mentioned by Aristotle. McCandless had everything in the world but he gave it up to live in the wilderness and through his own actions he paid the ultimate price. McCandless is seen by the world as a young man who left the corrupted society to embrace a journey only a few would dare. “That's what was great about him. He tried. Not many do. (Krakauer 96)” This journey ended up being the best time of his life and the fact that he attempted this wildlife adventure makes him look more like a daring hero than an idiotic teen.
A tragic heros is someone who faces adversity and has courage and they have similar characteristics throughout different literature. A hero often times experience a downfall, but confronts the situation in a way that causes them to be given the title of a tragic hero. Aristotle once stated about tragic heroes and recited “A man doesn’t become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall.” Aristotle also came up with six characteristics that all tragic heroes have. Romeo is a prime example of a tragic hero by the quick judgements he makes due to his love for Juliet. He decides to attempt suicide when he sees Juliet faking her death, this shows his character falls in love too fast and too hard. The way he loves Juliet is Romeo’s downfall
In Hamlet written by Shakespeare and Oedipus Rex written by Sophocles there are similarities that both the writers incorporated in their plays that distinguish their success in the time period in which they were written. In having their similarities there were also differences that arose in the two as the following will determine in the comparing of Hamlet and Oedipus Rex. Hamlet and Oedipus Rex had similar minds, but differed in how to go about their dilemmas that presented themselves to the fledgling rulers eventually lead them to their self-destruction.
Oedipus from the drama, “Oedipus the King” and Hamlet from, “Hamlet, Prince of Denmark” are two characters that are different, yet they both share the same title of being a tragic hero. Oedipus and Hamlet have many characteristics of a tragic hero that separates them in varieties. However, some of those characteristics show that both characters have and use similar thought processes and methods, which classify them as tragic heroes of their dramas. The five characteristics of a tragic hero are: nobility, tragic flaw, peripeteia, anagnorisis, and lastly irony. Both Oedipus and Hamlet hold or have a nobility position in their drama’s plot. Oedipus is the son of the king, and fate has foretold that he will kill his father and take over the kingdom. Hence, Oedipus was fated into his nobility, so he is required always remain in a status above all others. Hamlet is also the son of the former king that is now dead. Hamlet was born into this nobility, and this makes him the prince. Both characters are royalty, yet their morals and values are what make their nobilities the same. Their actions create heavy and dramatic outcomes, which lead to many more complications. Both men try to resolve their problems different, so their fortunes become reversed. Oedipus and Hamlet are very different, yet almost have the same fates. Out of all the five characterizes, three of them describe and separate both men best as tragic heroes. The tragic flaws, which is defined as hamartia, both men have are the main reason they are heroes of tragedy, their recognitions of their situations, which is an anagnorisis, are at different points in their stories, and lastly both men meet an ending that is meant to be an irony of their fate.
In his classic work "Poetics" Aristotle provided a model of the tragic hero. According to Aristotle, the tragic hero is more admirable than the average person. This results in the tragic hero being admired by the audience. For the audience to accept a tragic ending as just, it is crucial that the tragic hero be responsible for their undoing. At the same time though, they must remain admired and respected. This is achieved by the tragic hero having a fatal flaw that leads to their undoing. One of literature's examples of the tragic hero is Achilles from Homer's The Iliad. However, Achilles is different from the classic tragic hero in one major way - his story does not end tragically. Unlike the usual tragic hero, Achilles is able to change, reverse his downfall, and actually prove himself as a true hero.
The concept of tragic hero is very important in the construction of tragedy. It is the main cause of pity and fear. The tragic hero is a character between the two extremes; he is neither virtuous nor evil. At the same time, this character is better than the ordinary men or audience, he has some good qualities. Moreover, as a tragic hero, he is moving from happiness to misery by his downfall at the end. In fact, this downfall is caused by an error or a flaw in his character not by a vice or depravity. Another feature in the tragic hero is that he has good reputation and he is a man of prosperity. It can be said that Oedipus is a tragic hero because he has all the previous mentioned characteristics and the whole play is a classical application of this concept.
A tragic hero can be defined by several different factors; the hero usually has a major flaw that prevents him from seeing the truth that lies in front of him, which contributes to the character’s peripeteia due to mistaken judgement. This mistake then leads to achieving anagnorisis, usually at the end of the play, but is too late to change anything, and results in death.
In the tragedy “Antony and Cleopatra”, Shakespeare presents our protagonist Mark Antony as a tragic hero. He does this by using a number of dramatically effective methods, including language, staging techniques and structure. Aristotle defines a tragic hero as a character of noble stature who has a tragic flaw (usually hubris which is over confidence/arrogance) and suffers a downfall that is partially their fault but also due to factors beyond their control. The downfall they suffer exceeds the “crime” but the tragic hero gains some sort of self-awareness.
Aristotle defines a tragic hero as "a [great] man who is neither a paragon of virtue and justice nor undergoes the change to misfortune through any real badness or wickedness but because of some mistake." When Aristotle states “a great man” the hero is neither a villain nor a perfect citizen but is basically good and decent in his nature. The mistake that is mention is some moral blindness or error that is his/her downfall. Also not that the God’s are also in some sense responsible for this hero’s mistake and inevitability his down fall. Also when it comes to a tragic hero Aristotle states that three main things happen to draw attachment of the audience to the