The Tragic Tale of Paul's Case Love could have saved Paul in Willa Cather's "Paul's Case," but love does not find Paul. It is withheld within the hearts of all the people that could have shown affection toward Paul. Although Paul's life ends in suicide, Paul's English teacher, Charley Edwards, or Paul's father could have prevented his premature death. First, Paul's English teacher could have prevented Paul's suicide. After her confrontation with Paul at the chalkboard, she becomes Paul's
The Tragic Tale of Ophelia and Hamlet The common problem of lack of communication has plagued couples since the beginning of time. The relationship Hamlet and Ophelia share in Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, is no more immune to these human tendencies. Throughout the drama, many misunderstandings cloud their relationship. Unspoken problems and pressures within Ophelia’s and Hamlet’s private lives lead to overlooked, unnoticed love. For Hamlet, his bond with Ophelia pales in comparison to the weight
In 1596, William Shakespeare published the tragic tale of two star-crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet. The origins of this story are uncertain but Shakespeare’s chief source for his adoption of the story was from “…The Tragicall Historye of Romeus and Juliet, a poem by Arthur Brooke (1562). He also knew the story from Palace of Pleasure, by William Painter, which appeared in several editions prior to 1580.”(Boyce 563) Shakespeare’s classic tale is about “two young lovers caught in the crossfire
Faulkner paints a tragic tale about the inevitability of change and the futility of attempting to stop it in "A Rose for Emily". This story is about a lonely upper-class woman struggling with life and traditions in the Old South. Besides effective uses of literary techniques, such as symbolism and a first plural-person narrative style, Faulkner succeeds in creating a suspenseful and mysterious story by the use of foreshadowing, which gives a powerful description about death and the tragic struggle of the
Even though a vast majority of us wish that it was possible to turn back the hands of time and change or rewrite history. However, the truth of the matter is that we simply cannot. Everything happens for a reason, and we should learn to accept it. Accept it for what it is, rather than what we would like it to be. However, to often in Hollywood the city of glamour and glitz, fortune and fame, movie producers have a tendency and even feel at liberty to rewrite American history. In my opinion this is
Lamp of Psyche and The Muse’s Tragedy, and used this knowledge in order to portray a tragic tale of an inspired man. From Ellen Olenska’s first appearance at New York’s ornate opera house, her presence is of a mythological being that “catches the eye and the interest of every man of the prominent New York social scene” (Millicent 229). Blake Nevius states that Ellen has the mysterious faculty of suggesting tragic and moving possibilities outside the daily run of experience (185); it is a classic trait
Light and Dark in Heart of Darkness Every story has a plot, but not every story has a deeper meaning. When viewed superficially, Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness is a tragic tale of the white man's journey into the African jungle. When we peel away the layers, however, a different journey is revealed - we venture into the soul of man, complete with the warts as well as the wonderful. Conrad uses this theme of light and darkness to contrast the civilized European world with the savage African
Creating Sympathy for the Johnston Family in Blood Brothers Blood brother is a tragic tale about two twins who were parted at birth and as a result, led very different lives. The playwright, Willy Russell portrays the circumstances in which the twins were conceived, born and parted and also gives us an insight into how society has the influence of shaping individuals according to the classes they are in. We, the audience are made to sympathize with Mrs. Johnston on many occasions varying
Jay Gatsby's Dream F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is a tragic tale of love distorted by obsession. Finding himself in the city of New York, Jay Gatsby is a loyal and devoted man who is willing to cross oceans and build mansions for his one true love. His belief in realistic ideals and his perseverance greatly influence all the decisions he makes and ultimately direct the course of his life. Gatsby has made a total commitment to a dream, and he does not realize that his dream is hollow
Macbeth: Responsible for His Own Destruction Shakespeare's play, Macbeth, is the tragic tale of the character Macbeth, a virtuous man, corrupted by power and greed. This tragedy could be explained two very different ways. One explanation is that the tragic hero, Macbeth, is led down an inescapable road of doom by fate. A second explanation is that there is no "outside" force working against Macbeth, which therefore makes him responsible for his own actions and inevitable downfall. The text
Fate in Oedipus Rex Sophocles' tragic tale of Oedipus presents the reader with a very bleak view of mankind and the world in general. According to the story, every person is predestined to enact a role scripted by fate, a "mysterious power" that rules even the greatest of Greek gods (Hamilton, 27). In this tale, the source of this fate is not as clear as its function. The first of many allusions to fate in Oedipus the King comes from the chorus, which calls upon the gods Athena, Artemis,
"variations from a theme" (Wells 1). For instance the section about the hired girls and also the part when Peter and Pavel, two lonesome Russian Settlers, tell Jim and Antonia a tragic tale that horrifies and fascinates the children. (1. THIS IS A SENTENCE FRAGMENT. 2. INSTEAD OF PARAPHRASING, USE A DIRECT QUOTE.) This tale was about when Peter and Pavel drove a sled with a bridal couple across dark, snowy Russian country and were attacked by hordes of ravenous wolves, where the wolves killed both
William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily" is a tragic tale of a Southern aristocrat, Miss Emily Grierson, who is the subject of a town's obsession. The narrator, a member of the town, tells the story of what transpires in a decaying old Southern house that is always under the watchful eye of the townspeople. They witness Miss Emily's life, her father's death, her turn to insanity and the death of both her and her lover. The theme of death runs throughout this tale, which is understandable considering the
The Existential Theme of London’s “To Build A Fire" Jack London’s short story, “To Build a Fire,” is the tragic tale of a man who decides to travel alone through the hostile environment of the Yukon in sub-freeing temperatures and falls victim to the unrelenting and unforgiving power of nature. During his journey, the man gets his feet wet as he falls through the ice into the water of a hot spring (London 122). Because of the severity of the cold, some “one hundred and seven degrees below [the]
first touch of her body, musical and strange and perfumed, sent through him a keen pang of lust" (Joyce 175). Gabriel seizes Gretta in a passionate embrace and inquires into her thoughts. Gretta hesitates at first then proceeds to explain the tragic tale... ... middle of paper ... ...ased to consider themselves irrelevant as living beings. Gabriel Conroy, through his self-righteous concern for others, has created an internal paralysis. Because Gabriel dwells on events in the past he
Gallipoli is the tragic tale of two Australian men, Frank Dunne and Archie Hamilton, who both enlisted to join the Gallipoli campaign overseas. The film follows the two men from their time as competitors in a sprint races to Perth for enlistment the light horse. The film itself isn’t so much a ‘war’ film as it is a film dealing with attitudes of Australians through particular individuals towards war in 1915. The story is told through the continued themes within the film such as competitiveness,
emotionally enthralled in the plot of the story. All of Steiner’s, “Principle constants of conflict in the condition of man,” (360) were present in the tragic tale of Antigone. The conflicts confirm a tragic sense about the story. In a tragedy drama is experienced and the characters typically suffer extremely. Consequently, this can happen because of a tragic mistake. The first of the ageless conflicts of man is, “the confrontation of men and women” (360). This principle is applied in the conflict between
with her father's frigidity): "we can't govern our affections" (p. 141). Thus, evil can seduce us, and virtue leave us cold. When this is the driving element in a tragic tale, a reader's search for the enlightened perspective is vain. There is no improving lesson; there will be no progress; and reiterations of the tragic pattern will never cease. The malign force behind the hero's sufferings is intrinsic to human nature. In most works of fiction, by contrast, truth, or enlightenment
himself to lose control of any aspect of his life. As the story progresses, however, the fist that is Aschenbach slowly opens up until it finally releases all the pent-up emotion and desire. Wrought with symbolism and irony, Death in Venice tells a tragic tale of unbridled lust, misspent youth, and the undoing of a man, once so firmly in control his life, as he ultimately surrenders to a passion that overcomes him. Gustave von Aschenbach is a renowned and successful writer, yet he is losing any passion
Forbidden Love The short story “Dhowli,” is a tragic tale about a woman who puts her trust and faith into a love that is forbidden, and how she is ultimately betrayed by that love. The story demonstrates how some of the choices that she made, and her own selfish pride led to the injustices she received. Misrilal is a young Brahman who is captivated by a young Dusad widow. In the Indian culture, the Brahman caste is one of the highest castes, and the Dusads are one of the lowest. Because of the difference