Infernal Essays

  • The Character of Oedipus in Oedipus and The Infernal Machine

    891 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Character of Oedipus in Oedipus and The Infernal Machine The stories of Oedipus, as told through Seneca's Oedipus and Cocteau's The Infernal Machine, contain both similarites and differences. Both authors portray the character of Oedipus as being obstinate, ignorant, and inquisitive. Yet Seneca and Cocteau differ on their interpretation of the motives that propelled these characteristics of Oedipus. Seneca portrays Oedipus as a mature man who, in seeing the troubles of the plague that has

  • Arrogance in Oedipus and Cocteau's Infernal Machine

    1343 Words  | 3 Pages

    Arrogance in Oedipus and Cocteau's Infernal Machine The myth of Oedipus dates back centuries. Overtime a myth changes in many ways as each author or orator presents their own version. The main plot usually remains intact, but authors add their own style to the tragic story. In the case of Sophocles' Oedipus the King and Jean Cocteau's Infernal Machine both authors focus on the arrogant nature of Oedipus. Since this quality ultimately has destructive powers, the relationships Oedipus has with

  • Comparing The Infernal Machine and Oedipus Rex

    1447 Words  | 3 Pages

    Comparing The Infernal Machine and Oedipus Rex (the King) The myth of Oedipus’s incest and parricide has been retold many different times. The basic story line has remained the same. Oedipus leaves Corinth to try to escape a fate of incest and parricide. After he leaving the city, he ends up saving Thebes from the Sphinx, becoming king of the city and in the process fulfilling the prophecy. The character of Oedipus changes in each play to help support a different meaning to the entire myth.

  • Sophocles' Oedipus the King and Cocteau's The Infernal Machine

    1439 Words  | 3 Pages

    Sophocles' Oedipus the King and Cocteau's The Infernal Machine Sophocles' Oedipus the King and Cocteau's The Infernal Machine relate the same story, yet from quite different angles. Sophocles' play is written in heightened language and spends 1,530 lines on an hour of time. On the other hand, Cocteau's characters speak colloquially, and his 96 pages cover 17 years, putting much more emphasis on the events prior to where Sophocles begins his play. Sophocles and Cocteau present Oedipus' character

  • Connections in John Milton's Paradise Lost

    574 Words  | 2 Pages

    Paradise Lost:  Connections "Put that down... NOW!"  As many of us have grown older, familiar phrases return to us that were instilled during our childhood.  These ideas taught us how to grow and learn within the world.  Just As our Parents taught us these words, God taught Satan and everyone under him ideas for their further growth and enrichment. "Paradise Lost" contains connections which are still used today. "Paradise Lost's" initial connections begin with the awesome power of God. Another

  • The Fallen Angels in John Milton's Paradise Lost

    2066 Words  | 5 Pages

    by the skill with which the individual leaders perform their tasks and speeches, we are never left in any doubt as to the truth of G-d, and the futility of their debates.  By examining the angels as a group, Milton is able to leave the infernal dungeon, to take a flight throughout history, giving his own point of view.  It is thus that Books I and II of "Paradise Lost" are so unique, as the alternative, and less-frequently explored world of the devils, is probed in such a

  • The Myth of Sisyphus

    1468 Words  | 3 Pages

    so contrary to human love, he obtained from Pluto permission to return to earth in order to chastise his wife. But when he had seen again the face of this world, enjoyed water and sun, warm stones and the sea, he no longer wanted to go back to the infernal darkness. Recalls, signs of anger, warnings were of no avail. Many years more he lived facing the curve of the gulf, the sparkling sea, and the smiles of the earth. A decree of the gods was necessary. Mercury came and seized the impudent man by the

  • Frederick Douglass

    1149 Words  | 3 Pages

    Frederick Douglass spoke of was that of his grandmother from her family. His grandmother was not sold, but instead deemed useless do to old age. In his words, “If any one thing in my experience, more than another, served to deepen my conviction of the infernal character of slavery, and to fill me with unutterable loathing for slaveholders it was their base ingratitude to my poor grandmother.” (61) She had been with her recently deceased master all his life. She and her twelve children “peopled” his plantations

  • Motherhood and Sin Explored in John Milton's Paradise Lost

    2064 Words  | 5 Pages

    be seen as very close to Milton¹s view of an ideal wife. From the act of conception to the very end of the poem itself, Sin is a wholly foul creature, and her maternal relationship to Death is twisted into a horrible parody, much like that of the infernal trinity of Satan, Sin, and Death. By analyzing most of the aspects of Sin and Death¹s relationship and negating them or straightening them point by point, I will arrive at a reliable definition (or failing that, a set of criteria) against which Milton

  • Raging Bull

    1895 Words  | 4 Pages

    down to the pavement revealing a sign outside the Barbizon Plaza Theater: “An Evening with Jake LaMotta Tonight 8:30.” The film then cuts to a punched out overweight shot of LaMotta babbling a barely coherent rhyming rant mixing Shakespeare with the infernal jabber of an half illiterate has been boxer. Quickly the scene shifts from backstage of a nightclub to a close up of a younger LaMotta receiving repeated jabs to the face. The bold white title card “Jake La Motta 1941” jumps out against the stark

  • Paganini

    2071 Words  | 5 Pages

    Paganini “This man with the long black hair and the pale countenance, opens to us with his violin a world which we had never imagined, except perhaps in dreams. There is in his appearance something so supernatural that one looks for a glimpse of a cloven hoof or an angel’s wing” Paganini remains one of the most famous virtuosos in the history of music. His concerts were not only astonishing, but controversial. People could not believe what Paganini was able to do; consequently, they explained

  • A Deconstructive Glance at Edgar Allan Poe's The City in the Sea

    2439 Words  | 5 Pages

    easy or that obvious. Another writer, Dwayne Thorpe, suggests Poe had Christian doctrine in mind when he wrote the poem, contending that Poe's sources were biblical in nature (395). He continues: “identification of it [biblical source] casts some infernal illumination on his use of a Christian work to create a nihilistic vision” (395). This goes back to Claudel's biblical association, but Thorpe ascribes the city a darker, more sinister meaning. While many critics look at “The City in the Sea” through

  • Comparing the Moral Superiority of Grendel and Frankenstein

    2630 Words  | 6 Pages

    physically, as well as spiritually, separate himself from the society that detests, yet admires, him. Grendel is "the brute existent by which [humankind] learns to define itself"(Gardner 73). Hrothgar's thanes continually try to extinguish Grendel's infernal rage, while he simply wishes to live in harmony with them. Like Grendel, Frankenstein also learns to live in a society that despises his kind. Frankenstein also must kill, but this is only in response to the people's abhorrence of him. Ironically

  • The Beasts and Monsters in Dante's Inferno

    2974 Words  | 6 Pages

    which influenced his inclusion of these particular creatures. These four monsters all fulfil important functions as well as representing important themes in Inferno, establishing them as symbols which reinforce Dante's allegory. Minos, as the infernal judge and agent of God's justice, represents our own conscience and morality.  When the sinners come before him "tutta si confessa", which causes the reader to reflect on their own sins.His terrifying treatment of the souls is significant as after

  • Thomas More’s Utopia and Aldus Huxley’s Brave New World

    2373 Words  | 5 Pages

    and everyone feels secure with their place in society. By abolishing money and private property, More would rid society of greed and social ambition. Most of all, he wants to curtail pride, the evil he believes is at the root of all evils -- "the infernal serpent that steals into the hearts of men, thwarting and holding them back from choosing the better way of life." Likewise, in Aldus Huxley’s Brave New World, crime and greed have been eliminated and everybody is satisfied with their social status

  • The Departed

    1426 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Departed The Departed is a film built on the concept of gritty realism, which is used to create Scorsese’s glamorized view of organized crime. It is modern due to the ambiguous nature of its corrupt and often stereotypical characters. Scorsese weaves in popularized ethnic stereotypes throughout the plot, as he does in many of his other films. In fact, several parallels are visible between The Departed and Scorsese’s other films, including the cast. The screenplay by William Monahan is well

  • Essay On The Infernal Machine And Oedipus The King

    671 Words  | 2 Pages

    Oedipus did not know that. He then solves a riddle from the Sphinx which has been terrorizing a kingdom. For solving the riddle, the kingdom gives him their queen to marry, who is his biological mother. This is the myth of Oedipus. Cocteau’s The Infernal Machine and Sophocles’s Oedipus the King are both centered on the myth, yet their themes are different. By changing Oedipus’s personality, motive, relationship with Jocasta, and his character development Cocteau makes his theme the idea that the

  • Cassandra Clare, an Influential Author of the 20th Century

    576 Words  | 2 Pages

    Cassandra Clare is the author of The Mortal Instruments, The Infernal Devices, and The Bane Chronicles. All of her literary works surround the world of Shadowhunters, also known as Nephilim, which are a race of beings born with angelic blood. Cassandra’s first book, City of Bones, was released in 2004. Since then, she has released over ten books and she has plans to release more. Cassandra Clare is an influential author of the 20th century because of her unique books, widespread fan base, and successful

  • Venus And Psyche Analysis

    524 Words  | 2 Pages

    2. The tasks Venus require Psyche to perform are to separate the grains, get the precious wool from the fleeces, and to return with the box of beauty from Proserpina. As stated in the story, Venus said, “Take and separate all these grains into their proper parcels, and see that you get it done before evening.” The first task Venus ordered Psyche to do was to separate the wheat, barley, millet, beans, and lentils used to feed her pigeons. In addition, after Psyche performed this task with the help

  • Frederick Douglass Use And Abuse Of Power Quotes

    545 Words  | 2 Pages

    Douglass's memoir, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Douglass descriptly describes his life growing up as a slave and how he escaped slavery. The quote, “the fatal poison of irresponsible power was already in her hands, and soon commenced its infernal work. That cheerful eye, under the influence of slavery, soon became angry with rage; that voice made of all sweet accord; changed to one harsh and horrid discord; and that angelic face gave place to that of a demon” is very important part of the