English Essay

Submitted By Jake-Larkins
Words: 1031
Pages: 5
Open Document
Heroes – Past and Present
Oedipus Rex and Spiderman 2 bring forward the concept of a tragic hero through the characters Oedipus and Dr. Octavius. Spiderman 2, based of the original comic books by Stan Lee and directed by Sam Raimi, was released in 2004 and became very popular raising over 200 million dollars box-office worldwide. Similarly, Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex was considered a masterpiece by the Greek audience. The traditional tragic hero, as constructed by Aristotle was an individual whose fatal flaw also known as hamartia, ultimately causes catastrophic tragedy leading to the hero’s death soon after his/her realisation of fate as a result of their own actions. While Oedipus is the epitome of the image this traditional tragic hero, Octavius is the representation of a more modern tragic hero. There are differences between Oedipus Rex and Spiderman 2 in regards to the power of fate, the belief in gods, and socio-cultural context but as a whole, their similarities far exceed their differences.
The audience is introduced to Dr. Octavius as an intelligent and kind-hearted man. He was well admired for his work on nuclear fusion. In a conversation with Peter Parker, he explains that ‘intelligence is not a privilege, but instead a gift, to be used for the good of mankind’. Dr. Octavius supports his claim explaining how his work would be able to provide ‘safe and renewable energy’ as well as cheap electricity for the whole world. Through his lecturing, but compassionate tone as well as morally righteous ambitions, the audience is compelled to view Dr. Octavius through esteeming eyes as he positions himself a man who acts for the good of others. Correspondingly, Oedipus initially exemplifies himself as a noble protagonist. Upon entering Thebes, Oedipus was able to solve the Sphinx’s riddle and free Thebes from its terror. Oedipus was welcomed into the hands of the people where he was given the position of King of Thebes and praised as their ‘master and greatest power’ (p.2). Being a man of swift action with excellent insight and confidence, Oedipus was great King who, similarly to Dr. Octavius, anticipates and acts for the needs of others.
Dr. Octavius’ confidence, and high ego was a part of his fatal flaw. While his intelligence and perseverance enabled him to achieve break-throughs in fusion research, he was unable to sustain the reaction that he had initiated. It was this same over-confidence, ego and perseverance that blinded him from seeing his miscalculations and the immaturity of fusion technology. However, his most significant fatal flaw was his development of the four artificially intelligent mechanical arms. With the damage to the inhibitor chip responsible for protecting his higher brain function, the arms took over a large part of his nervous system. These voices jumpstarted many of Dr. Octavius’ criminal undertakings, with the greatest being the larger rebuild of the fusion machine. In many scenes, Dr. Octavius almost seems powerless against the will of the arms. This can be viewed as a connection to the ‘power of fate’ found in Oedipus Rex. Unlike Oedipus, where the idea of fate is omnipotent, towards the end Dr. Octavius regains control of the mechanical arms and utilised them to drown his second machine at the cost of his own life. In this scene, the audience is reminded of the Doctor they witnessed initially and thus, his death elicits sympathy from the audience as he suffers a death that he may have not deserved.
Oedipus’ tragic flaw lay in his hubris, inability to be pragmatic, his temper, and obsession with truth and justice. Fate and free will are two opposing ideas that Sophocles seamlessly blends into the play. Oedipus is presented with a series of choices throughout the play, but his arrogant and stubborn nature push him to impulsively make the wrong decisions. Sophocles is able to drive this message about the pitfalls of human arrogance through Oedipus' fatal flaws and the use of metaphorical and
Show More

Related Documents: English Essay

English Essay

English essay How dose Shakespeare present love in much ado about nothing. There are many different of love and we experience them in our lives. Family love, friendship love and romantic love are parts of everyday life and this is what Shakespeare was presenting to this audience in much ado about nothing. We get a sense of the relationships presents through the dialog of the characters, for example when leonato and hero talks as farther and daughter. Shakespeare also shows us romantic love through…

Words 867 - Pages 4

English Essay

English Essay THESIS- These texts reflect the experiences of men and women in previous society’s Intro – Introduce texts dramatic SCND, and poetic in MLD and PL Displays imbalance of power, gender (female repressed in pat society) Text explores beliefs and values of love, poverty, social repression and class structure. Study texts Power structure within pat society Time period Renaissance and post modern Thesis. MBP-1 Street Car Named Desire By Tennessee Williams - Topic sentence- In…

Words 962 - Pages 4

English Essay

English Essay Thomas Jefferson once said, “The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only object of a good environment.” However, in ‘Lord of the Flies’, William Golding precisely portrays the truly destruction within humans. He also illustrates the collapse of society and peaceful civilization through dissension among the group. In addition, the ‘Lord of the Flies’ is an extraordinarily fierce and bloody novel that illustrates a group of British boys, from…

Words 734 - Pages 3

English Comparison Essay

English 101 FG Fall 2013 Tuesdays and Thursdays: 9:20-10:50 Instructor: Jamison Spencer Email: jspencer36@ccc.edu Office: 2753 Office hours: By appointment and: MW 9:45-10:45 and Tues 11:00-12:00 Truman College Mission Statement Our Mission dedicates us to deliver high-quality, innovative, affordable and accessible educational opportunities and services that prepare students for a rapidly changing and diverse global economy. Truman College General Education Goals In this course…

Words 1820 - Pages 8

English Essay

When analyzing a commercial, one should be aware and have a speculative mind. Commercials can attract many different audiences. It depends on how it is directed and what assumptions the director makes about the audience. There are multiple things that could appeal to a certain audience such as different types of scenarios that the audience can relate to and the way people react in those situations. Sometimes to express these concepts a commercial needs to be crazy. Throughout the years, the…

Words 1017 - Pages 5

English Essay

15/04/2014 Dr Louise Fitzgerald Education Development Unit ECON1101 In-class Test, week 8 The goals of Test 2 Knowledge (ASB Learning Goal) Explain the assumptions of standard models of microeconomics. Explain the different market environments in which individual, social and government decisions are made. Explain the reasons for and outcomes of government intervention in the economy. 1 15/04/2014 The goals of Test 2 Critical thinking and problem solving (ASB Learning…

Words 991 - Pages 4

English Essay

Julius Caesar The responsibility of power effects the environment of human nature by causing destruction and heartbreak; readers also learn that power damage a majority of all relationships. In the play, Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare the theme of corruption can make someone so arrogant that with the right amount of power it can lead to death. First, Brutus is a man whose motive is honorable even if people do not understand it. Next, Cassius envies Caesar's authority and power Last Anthony…

Words 681 - Pages 3

English essay

The late night sky glistened in the lights of the stadium. The full moon glared at me as I prepared myself for the toughest challenge that I will ever have to face, which stood between me and a grand final victory. 53 metres out, 15 metres from the sideline, 1 point down, siren had already blown, adversity staring me straight in the eyes. I try to bloke out the millions of screaming fans yelling at the top of their lungs. Half are holding their breath whilst others are trying to put me off my game…

Words 1332 - Pages 6

english essay

Katy and Becky were two typical American teenaged girls. After school, they spent all of their time together, watching scary movies, having sleepovers, shopping for new clothes. They liked partying, keeping up with their friends , having fun and enjoying life. They had no way of knowing the horrible fate that life had in store for them. Then one stormy, cold night katy and chloe decided to have a girls night out. They planned to sneak out to a nightclub as soon as their parents went to sleep.…

Words 1062 - Pages 5

English Essay

* 作文替换词 得到，付出 付出 给 Give, offer, endow, endue, present, bestow, provide, supply, furnish Impart, instruct, apprise, teach, instill, inculcate, Proffer, confer, donate, contribute, subscribe, bequeath, Issue, flow out, release, 支出 Cost, spend, pay, pay out, expend, disburse, Prodigal, profligate, splurge, spendthrift, dissipate frugal, scrimp, skimp, abstemious, Expenditure, subvention, 归还,偿439 Return, hand out, restore, reciprocate, remunerate, revert, Compensate, reimburse, indemnify…

Words 995 - Pages 4