202.11 25 February 2015 Hamlet and Oedipus the King According to Aristotle’s characteristics of a typical tragic hero, which are described in his Poetics, the tragic hero is the one that belongs to nobility or high class, does not wholly deserve his or her misfortunate, and partially responsible for his or her own hamartia, which is a tragic flaw that leads to the downfall of a hero. What is more, Aristotle points out that, “The change of fortune [of a tragic hero] should be not from bad to good…
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by William Shakespeare and Oedipus in "Oedipus King" by Sophocles In Aristotle's literary discourse, "Poetics," he discusses his theory of tragedy, wherein he introduces the concepts of tragic flaw or "hamartia," which serves as the catalyst for the protagonist's downfall or the tragedy of the story to happen. He determines a tragedy as a "drama" that brings about a "sorrowful conclusion, arousing fear and pity in the audience" (Roberts and Jacobs, 1998:1189). Tragic stories are identified through…
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A tragic hero, a literary character who makes a judgment error that inevitably leads to his or her own destruction. Many tragic heroes generate overly tragic stories because they become instruments of suffering for others. In Sophocles Oedipus the King our tragic hero is Oedipus as the reader watches the irony unfold around Oedipus because they know the true outcome of the play but Oedipus is oblivious to all events to come. Northrop Frye examines the many faults in Oedipus’ disposition, as it appears…
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In the play Oedipus the King by Sophocles the protagonist Oedipus is the tragic hero - Oedipus embodies many characteristics but the two most important are the reversal of fortune and the realization of errors. Tragic heroes have to hold these traits to be a great developed character. He has these traits and these traits makes the character a tragic hero. For example, Oedipus was once a great king but met his downfall when he realized he was the killer of Laius showing his realization of errors…
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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…
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Messerschmidt LIT 1000 September 14, 2014 Assessment of Hamlet and Oedipus Oedipus and Hamlet are two characters that are comparable even though they have different authors. In the Elizabethan era, which Hamlet was written in, tragedy was customary in most plays. Yet Oedipus Rex was written 2000 years before Hamlet. The intrigue in these plays, keep the audience and reader engrossed till the very end. Oedipus and Hamlet brought upon their own demise by their egos and their quest for the…
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In the demonstration of Oedipus the King by the great playwright Sophocles the protagonist is Oedipus who is also our tragic hero. Oedipus is living the life that everyone wants to live he is royal and powerful, but his past comes back to haunt him like most heroes in history. He is a man of character, morals and honor, but he has tragic flaws that lead to a past so dark that it was locked in the deepest depth of his mind this past is his downfall. In addition the king’s nobility ranges out much…
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those with Hubris, particularly the Tragic Hero. These characters in the story, usually royalty, suffer from a Tragic Flaw which is ultimately responsible for their descent unto their inevitably untimely death. Hubris is a Tragic Flaw which can impede the Tragic Hero and become the main reason for their decline. In “Antigone” by Sophocles clear examples of Tragic Heroes, Tragic Flaws, and Hubris can be seen. Antigone, the princess of Thebes and daughter of Oedipus, receives news that her brothers,…
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Oedipus Essay A hero is an ordinary, everyday, run-of-the-mill person, who is willing to rise to an occasion in which a hero is vital to solve a conflict. In many works of literature, author tend to gravitate towards heroes as the main character of their works. Sophocles, the author of Oedipus Rex, focuses on Oedipus, the main character consumed by the plot which revolves around his personal conflict or a conflict in which he must attempt to solve. Oedipus is a tragic hero, a theory created by Aristotle…
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Heroism and Hell Oedipus and Odysseus are two of many widely recognized characters known for their outstanding, and, at times, tragic stories. The Odyssey, by Homer, is an Epic poem about the great journey of Odysseus and his perilous journey home to Ithaca. Oedipus the King, by Sophocles, is a Greek play about Oedipus’ self-discovery and fulfillment of a prophecy in which he hopes to avoid. While the stories share many similarities and qualities, they also reveal significant differences in…
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