Oedipus The King A Tragic Hero - 870 Words

Modern day drama has roots in the beautifully structured Greek theatrical culture. In the sixth century, ancient Greece, and more specifically Athens, overflowed with artistic talent. The Dionysian Festival materialized from Athens and this is where we first saw comedies and tragedies on stage. The Greek, as with many other cultures, honored their gods and did much to please and placate them. The Dioynsia Festival, which honored their god Dionysus, is proof of this. Sophocles, the well-known playwright, emerged and thrived in the fifth century. He frequently competed in the festival, with some of the oldest tragedies and his most famous being performed there. While only seven of his plays have survived, many, like Oedipus the King, are still prevalent today. It definitely meets the five main criteria for a tragedy: a tragic hero of noble birth, a tragic flaw, a fall from grace, a moment of remorse, and catharsis. Oedipus the King is seen as a perfect tragedy. It features a hero with a tragic flaw, Oedipus, and highlights many common themes in Greek tragedy such as fate or destiny, love, pride, loss, the abuse of power, and a tense relationship between man and God. It also meets the five main standards for a tragedy: a tragic hero of noble birth, a tragic flaw, a fall from grace, a moment of remorse, and catharsis [HubPages]. In this play, the audience learns of Oedipus’ past and hears foreshadowing of his future all while we see him trying to figure it out for himself. HeShow MoreRelatedThe Tragic Hero Of Oedipus The King1528 Words   |  7 Pagesdescribes the tragic hero as having three components which should be present in order to influence the audience. The audience must become involved emotionally with the hero so they become fearful for his welfare or well-being. The concluding suffering of the hero draws pity from the audience. Aristotle describes this emotional transition a s â€Å"catharsis† which refers to the purging or releasing of emotions. This is what Aristotle believes entices audiences to watch tragedies. The hero must also beRead MoreOedipus The King : A Tragic Hero1541 Words   |  7 PagesAristotle (384-322 B.C.) defines a tragic hero as one who possesses the characteristics of hamartia, peripeteia, anagnorisis, and that the characters fate must be greater than deserved (Else). Since the main character in Sophocles’ classic tragedy Oedipus Rex or Oedipus the King matches up to Aristotle’s definition, Oedipus certainly exemplifies what it is to be a â€Å"tragic hero.† The play’s protagonist Oedipus is revered as a good man and intelligent ruler who acts quickly to support Thebes- a cityRead MoreThe Tragic Hero Of Oedipus The King987 Words   |  4 PagesWhile exemplifying the high estate, noble character, and flawed nature of Aristotle’s tragic hero, Oedipus fails to have a personal mistake become his undoing, hence denying him the status of Aristotle’s tragic hero. A key criteria of Aristotle’s tragic hero is that he or she comes from high estate, such as a royal family. Aristotle’s definition of the tragic hero is well thought out in this manner. High status is important as it gives the character a long way to fall (Kennedy Gioia, 2013). ThisRead MoreTragic Hero In Oedipus The King1502 Words   |  7 PagesThe idea of a tragic hero was first thought of by the philosopher Aristotle in his work, â€Å"Poetics†. In article discussing the philosopher’s ideology of a tragic hero, with emphasis on hamartia, the author states: The function of a tragedy is to arouse the emotions of pity and fear and Aristotle deduces the qualities of his hero from this function. He should be good, but not perfect, for the fall of a perfect man from happiness into misery, would be unfair and repellent and will not arouse pity. SimilarlyRead MoreOedipus The King : A Tragic Hero987 Words   |  4 PagesLike most greek tragedies, Oedipus the King had a tragic hero whose downfall was the result of a tragic flaw. Oedipus, like other greek characters, did not see his errors until his reign was coming to an end. Oedipus, the man who saved Thebes did not understand that every good thing must come to an end. A tragic hero defined by Aristotle has five characteristics that lead to their downfall and their understanding of why the situation happened. Oedipus is the ideal tragic hero because his downfall followedRead MoreThe Tragic Hero Of Oedipus The King1156 Words   |  5 Pages The topic I chose is the tragic hero topic. There exists a number of parameters that describe a tragic hero and thus it was my desire to get to understand these parameters. It was also my desire to be in position to give the difference between normal heroes and a tragic hero and give see the main dimensions of the two figures. I preferred to work with the book by Sophocles Oedipus, the king, in order to portray the attributes of a tragic hero. The book contains adequate information concerning theRead MoreThe Tragic Hero Of Oedipus And King1060 Words   |  5 Pageshowever, Oedipus and Dido lost much more than that. These were two great leaders that both, suffered by losing their reputations, their sanity, and their kingdoms. These are two great examples of what a tragic character displays, according to Aristotle’s conception. Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero is a distinguished person occupying a high position, living in prosperous circumstances and falling into misfortune because of an error in judgment. King Oedipus and Queen Dido are tragic charactersRead MoreOedipus the King a Tragic Hero936 Words   |  4 PagesEnglish 1302-6504 Mrs.Weatherford 21 November 2011 A Tragic Hero Indeed! In Sophocles tragedy Oedipus the King, King Oedipus swears to solve the murder of former King Laios in order to free the city from the plague. The plague taunts the city destroying crops and livestock and making the women unable to bear children. A seer, Teirsias tells Oedipus that he himself is Thebes’s pollution for killing his father and marrying his mother. Oedipus ignores his words and is blind to the truth until he discoversRead MoreOedipus : The King Of Thebes And Tragic Hero Essay728 Words   |  3 PagesOedipus: The King of Thebes and Tragic Hero Ancient Greek Literature encompasses an assortment of poetry and drama to include the great masterpieces of tragedy. In Classic Literature, tragedies were commonly known for their elaboration of a protagonist fitting the classification of a tragic hero. This type of a tragic hero often collectively described as a character of noble birth, facing an adversity of some nature and a fate of great suffering. The characteristics of what encompassed a tragic heroRead MoreThe Tragic Hero Of Sophocles Oedipus The King1518 Words   |  7 Pagesaudiences so well. A tragic hero plays the most essential role in this. Tragic heroes can be defined differently for whoever is trying to force a character into the tragic hero mold. However Aristotle, the great Greek philosopher, established an outline of the requirements a tragic hero has to meet in order to be considered one. These requirements include a downfall, a hamartia, and recognition of said tragic hero’s condition. Oedipus, the prot agonist of Sophocles’ play Oedipus The King fits the mold.

Grading Machines free essay sample

There has been a push to evaluate English essays through online grading machines recently. Teachers would virtually have no role in judging student writing and only need to submit the essays to the site. The process is quite meaningless; the site would scan for plagiarism, check the writing formulas, and ensure that the structure is precise. Therefore, the process would be entirely based on the structure  ­essentially without any focus on the actual content. As long as the grammar and vocabulary are correct, the student would receive a stellar grade. If grading machines were introduced, it would make writing essays much easier and save students a lot of time. However, such an innovation would be a major setback and an atrocity for our literary future. The unique style of each student would disappear once online grading sites are instituted. Since the essays would be based purely on structure, the desire to articulate thoughtful and profound content will inevitably fade. We will write a custom essay sample on Grading Machines or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page  ­Essays will not represent the students voice; instead they will essentially become simple mathematical equations. The inner core of true literature, an expression of the soul and innate creativity, would soon be forgotten. Writing devices would become vestigial. Why write a complex simile or metaphor when a simple sentence would suffice? Though essays based on a formula would make English class decisively easier, they would be detrimental to the students inner growth and reflection. The true purpose of writing is to form personal  ­perspectives and personal identity. Such values must not be collectivized and disregarded. Once the formula becomes the most important part of an essay, each will sound same as the next. Furthermore, essentially every subject is objective; math problems each have one answer, history has one story, and science has one solution. However, English takes on many forms with its many styles. People can view a story based on their own interpretation. In literature, you can say that 2+2=5 and that 1 is infinite. Grand possibilities only exist through writing, in which there is no defined right answer, but instead an opportunity to create something that is truly unique and phenomenal. Scholars do not study great writers like Shakespeare for his formula of a play. They do not care the most about his structure of a love story. Instead, they care about how the story is presented, the emotions of the characters, and the creativity of the story. Leo Tolstoys War and Peace is not a classic because its formulaic. George Orwells Animal Farm has not achieved notoriety for being simple or straightforward. True classics are assembled with marvelous artistry, which online sites would cause to die. A successful movement to install grading machines would be a detrimental move toward uniformity. Great literature thrives on creative, progressive, and convoluted thoughts. Simply grading based on structure would destroy writing and make it truly objective. Literature without creativity is like a painting with no color or flamboyance; it loses its meaning, its dramatic nature, everything. To protect the sanctity of writing, these corrupt grading machines must be abandoned. The future of literature depends on it. If these ghastly machines become popular, the entire world will become one cliche.