...The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet Critique The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, set in the city of Verona, Italy, was written in the 1500's by William Shakespeare where two young people fall in love in rebellion to their parent's rules because of a feud that has lasted many years between their two families. In the play, Juliet's furious cousin Tybalt wants to kill Romeo, and in the process ends up killing Romeo's cousin Mercutio. In this series of events, Romeo kills Tybalt for revenge of his cousin's death and is banned from the city. This causes bad communication between the lovers and Romeo kills himself thinking Juliet is dead, which makes her kill herself because she is grieved by the loss of her beloved Romeo.By using irony, Shakespeare's...
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...The Tragedy of Death in Hawthorne’s “The Ambitious Guest” When writing “The Ambitious Guest” Nathaniel Hawthorne follows a complex course through characterization, an awful catastrophe, and an ironic ending to express sentiments about death and how it is seen by society. Hawthorne wants the reader to see that death occurs all the time, even when we do not know it. However this does not make it any less tragic, and in fact, may make it more so. In this short story, Hawthorne portrays a lonely mountain family who discovers the spirit of an ambitious traveler, and is then caught in a catastrophic landslide that destroys them all. He uses the family as a practical comparison for his message about death, and he uses the traveler to portray this message. The family’s story is a conceivable one, and one that actually did occur. However, this does not change the message of the story. The traveler is what brings out this message, which is obvious through the inquiry in the last paragraph, and it is this inquiry that brings final meaning to the characterization, and the appalling incident. Hawthorne opens his story by giving personality to both the family and the traveler so that the reader can relate to them and, eventually, begin to care for them. He writes that “[t]he faces of the father and mother had a sober gladness; the children laughed; the eldest daughter was the image of Happiness at seventeen; and the aged grandmother, […], was the image of Happiness grown old” (Hawthorne...
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...Who or what is to blame for the tragic outcome of Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet? In the tragedy of Romeo & Juliet, a play written by the famous playwright William Shakespeare, many new themes, concepts and ideas are explored, that range from questioning the basis of society right to the concepts of fate, love and death, and addresses everything in between. They play gravitates around a central, tragic plot—starts as simple as boy meets girl, but little do they know the one cajoling a kiss from the other is the youth of their family’s greatest adversary, and this reluctance to let go leads on to a sequential chain of ill-fated events. As much as the tragedy covers many new ideas, it also leaves room for many unanswered questions. One of which...
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...is sympathetic toward Romeo and Juliet, and in attributing their tragedy to fate, rather than to a flaw in their characters, he raises them to heights near perfection, as well as running the risk of creating pathos, not tragedy. They are both sincere, kind, brave, loyal, virtuous, and desperately in love, and their tragedy is greater because of their innocence. The feud between the lovers’ families represents the fate that Romeo and Juliet are powerless to overcome. The lines capture in poetry the youthful and simple passion that characterizes the play. One of the most popular plays of all time, Romeo and Juliet was Shakespeare’s second tragedy (after Titus Andronicus of 1594, a failure). Consequently, the play shows the sometimes artificial lyricism of early comedies such as Love’s Labour’s Lost 1594-1595, . 1598) and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (. 1595-1596, . 1600), while its character development predicts the direction of the playwright’s artistic maturity. In Shakespeare’s usual fashion, he based his story on sources that were well known in his day: Masuccio Salernitano’s Novellino (1475), William Painter’s The Palace of Pleasure (1566-1567), and, especially, Arthur Brooke’s poetic The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet (1562). Shakespeare reduces the time of the action from the months it takes in Brooke’s work to a few compact days. In addition to following the conventional five-part structure of a tragedy, Shakespeare employs his characteristic alternation, from scene...
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...Irony is a part of our everyday life, and most times we fail to even realize it. It can be difficult to notice if you are not expecting it. Irony plays a great role in William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Othello. Most of the irony in the play relates to the main villain in the play, Iago, who is motivated by his jealousy. Iago is jealous of Othello’s military success and Cassio being promoted to Othello’s lieutenant position instead of himself. Iago plans to take revenge against Othello by manipulating Cassio and Desdemona, who is Othello’s wife. Iago is a well respected character in the play, so he would not be suspected to be the culprit. He tries to fake an affair between Cassio and Desdemona that would surely be tragic for Othello. The...
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...Abstract: This essay discusses the ironic qualities of Sophocles' Oedipus Rex. The play is very ironical in that it entwines the themes of free will as well as predestination. Even though we are sickened by the tragic life of Oedipus and the other characters, we are still able to appreciate the ironic characteristics of the play itself. Indeed, we eventually come to realize that man is free and yet he is also fated. Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex The primary characteristic of Sophocles' Oedipus Rex is that it is an ironic play. The play’s irony grasps the audience in a profound way because of the awareness that occurs regarding everything that is going on. Even though we, as observers, are sickened at the tragic life of Oedipus and the other characters, we are still able to appreciate the ironical characteristics of the play itself. The irony primarily exists in the context of man being free, but at the same time, fated. Without doubt, this play very much reflects the Greek vision which emphasizes the immediacy of experience and the nature of man. We see that man is free and that he has free will. At the same time, man also must reconcile himself to a certain fate. Irony is inherent in this very concept. Indeed, as demonstrated in Oedipus Rex, while there is free will in the human condition, there is also predestination to one’s life. In this play, we see how the main character Oedipus is free to run, but ultimately he cannot run away from himself. Oedipus was once a man...
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...group of people they were trying to get rid of was the Jews. There were many different reactions from the survivors/victims of the Holocaust. I know if it was me that was caught up in a disaster the scope of the Holocaust that I would have many different feelings and reactions. I know a few people who have suffered a personal tragedy, me included. In some ways there are similarities to Night whereas some of it is not. Some people say that the Holocaust should be seen as different in kind from the tragedies common to human life. A good question to ask oneself is, how great of a tragedy would it take to lead you to question the goodness of God? As the story of Night develops Eliezer’s understanding of God changes. Eliezer’s relationship with his father changes as the story progresses. Some might say this change is related to his understanding of God. His reaction to his father’s death is different than how most people would react. The scene at the mirror at the end of the story suggests that something happened to Eliezer during the story. Wiesel makes the remark “man questions God” which has a suggestion on Judaism’s attitude toward God. I believe that it is ironic in light of the story. The story of Night suggests that there is a problem with being a survivor. Some people believe that Wiesel was justified in his change of attitude toward God whereas others do not. There are two questions that come up when thinking about the story. The first is why do bad things happen to good people...
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...In his Poetics, Aristotle outlined the ingredients necessary for a good tragedy, and he based his formula on what he considered to be the perfect tragedy, Sophocles’ Oedipus the King. According to Aristotle, a tragedy must be an imitation of life in the form of a serious story that is complete in itself. A good tragedy will evoke pity and fear in its viewers, causing the viewers to experience a feeling of catharsis. Catharsis, in Greek, means "purgation" or "purification"; running through the gamut of these strong emotions will leave viewers feeling elated, in the same way we often claim that "a good cry" will make one feel better. Aristotle also outlined the characteristics of a good tragic hero. He must be "better than we are," a man who is superior to the average man in some way. In Oedipus's case, he is superior not only because of social standing, but also because he is smart ? he is the only person who could solve the Sphinx's riddle. At the same time, a tragic hero must evoke both pity and fear, and Aristotle claims that the best way to do this is if he is imperfect. A character with a mixture of good and evil is more compelling that a character who is merely good. And Oedipus is definitely not perfect; although a clever man, he is blind to the truth and refuses to believe Teiresias's warnings. Although he is a good father, he unwittingly fathered children in incest. A tragic hero suffers because of his hamartia, a Greek word that is often translated as "tragic flaw"...
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...Irony Used By Sophocles in Oedipus The King Sophocles’ play Oedipus The King is filled with many situations of Irony from beginning to the end. There is irony in Oedipus’ name itself; also Oedipus’ entire life from birth is set up to be a tragedy spoken by the god’s. In the end of the play there is also irony in the way Oedipus becomes blind, both literally and metaphorically. Another example of irony in this play is the three-way crossroads where Oedipus slain his own father. Oedipus gets his name, as the Corinthian messenger tells us in Oedipus The King, from the fact that he was left in the mountains with his ankles pinned together. Jocasta explains that Laios abandoned him in this state on a barren mountain shortly after he was born. The injury leaves Oedipus with a vivid scar for the rest of his life. Oedipus’s injury symbolizes the way in which fate has marked him and set him apart. It also symbolizes the way his movements have been confined and constrained since birth, by Apollo’s prophecy to Laios. There is irony in the way Sophocles picks this name for Oedipus because it shows how he is marked and doomed for the rest of his life. Another instance of irony in this play is when Jocasta says that “Laios was killed by marauding strangers where three highways meet” (1081). This crossroads is referred to many different times during the play, and it symbolizes the crucial moment, long before the events of the play, when Oedipus began to fulfill the dreadful prophecy that...
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...group of people they were trying to get rid of was the Jews. There were many different reactions from the survivors/victims of the Holocaust. I know if it was me that was caught up in a disaster the scope of the Holocaust that I would have many different feelings and reactions. I know a few people who have suffered a personal tragedy, me included. In some ways there are similarities to Night whereas some of it is not. Some people say that the Holocaust should be seen as different in kind from the tragedies common to human life. A good question to ask oneself is, how great of a tragedy would it take to lead you to question the goodness of God? As the story of Night develops Eliezer’s understanding of God changes. Eliezer’s relationship with his father changes as the story progresses. Some might say this change is related to his understanding of God. His reaction to his father’s death is different than how most people would react. The scene at the mirror at the end of the story suggests that something happened to Eliezer during the story. Wiesel makes the remark “man questions God” which has a suggestion on Judaism’s attitude toward God. I believe that it is ironic in light of the story. The story of Night suggests that there is a problem with being a survivor. Some people believe that Wiesel was justified in his change of attitude toward God whereas others do not. There are two questions that come up when thinking about the story. The first is why do bad things happen to good people...
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...Sports and Retirement A tragedy is a play dealing with tragic events resulting in an unhappy ending, especially one concerning the downfall of the main character. In the play Romeo and Juliet, the hero suffers a tragic death. The play is a tragedy because the death could have been avoided at several points throughout the play. As a result, a tragedy can result in one’s life being altered forever. The same principle can be applied to retirement. One could argue that after retiring, one’s life is altered forever. Retirement is the starting of a new life, after working for long, agonizing years. In some cases, a retirement is luxurious however in other cases a retirement can be seen as a death wish. In the anthology “The Best American Sports Writing...
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...Antigone is credited as one of the best works of Sophocles, ranked by most modern critics above Oedipus the King. There are many aspects of Antigone that make it the play critics love to ramble about. “Antigone must be received as the canon of ancient tragedy: no tragedy of antiquity that we possess approaches it in pure idealism, or in harmony of artistic development” says one critic named Berhardy. Tragedy is usually concerned with a person of great stature, a king or nobleman, who falls because of hubris, or extreme pride and Antigone is no exception. Pride and its effects are a central part of Antigone’s plot and theme. Pride, being part of their character and morality, overran in to their literature and was a complex and multifaceted concept in Greek tragedy, exemplified by Sophocles’ Antigone. In the play both Creon and Antigone were incredibly proud and unwilling to back down once they took their stands. Creon had made a decision and was unwilling to compromise. Antigone was to die for her violation of the law,the sin of burying her brother. Antigone’s gender had a profound affect on the meaning of her actions. Creon had disliked for her disrespectful and rebelling nature. His need to defeat her was all the more pressing because she was a woman. “The ideal of the female character in Antigone is boldly and severely outlined. The freedom of Greek women was extremely limited and restrictive. Antigone’s rebellion is threatening because it upset the gender roles and hierarchy...
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...The ancient Greeks often regard fate as being an influential and powerful factor within their lives. Fate is known as an unchangeable force that shapes the course of events which the Greeks typically define as being the will of the gods, who have ultimate control. In the Greek tragedy Oedipus the King, Sophocles writes about a man who was the victim of such unfortunate fate. Some may argue that as a result of irrational anger and impulsiveness, Oedipus’ tragic flaws, in addition to other decisions he makes throughout the course of his life, Oedipus is a victim of his own hand. However, there are a number of other characters and situations that prove this theory wrong and demonstrate that Oedipus’ tragedy is ultimately a result of fate. Fate...
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...William Shakespeare is known for being the world’s greatest playwright due to his use of dramatic irony. Dramatic irony occurs when the audience knows more than the characters in a play. It is amazing how Shakespeare uses irony to grab the audience’s attention. It leaves the audience wanting more. One of his greatest works of dramatic irony is in the play Macbeth. Throughout Macbeth, the audience is given the advantage of knowing more than the characters due to Shakespeare’s technique of dramatic irony. Shakespeare has given the reader some key examples of dramatic irony throughout the first act. The most notable one is where the second witch says, “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor!”(Macbeth, 1.3.50). This is ironic because Macbeth does not know that Duncan has named him Thane of Cawdor. The witches have given Macbeth his prophecy and he does not know whether he should listen to them, or to ignore them. Later in this act, he hears the news of becoming Thane of Cawdor and he slowly begins to trust the witches. This will lead Macbeth into doing villainous acts to make his prophecy come true. Most importantly, Shakespeare’s use of dramatic irony helps show the beginning of Macbeth’s downfall as he does whatever it takes to become king....
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...Elianne El-Amyouni Dr. Sabah Ghandour English 244 Comedy and Tragedy in Drama “All tragedies are finished by a death. All comedies are ended by a marriage,” (Byron, N.D.). To some degree, Byron is somewhat correct. Of course, there are dramatic texts considered under the category of “tragedy” that do involve death while there are also those that do not. In Lorca’s The House of Bernarda Alba, the play tragically ends with the death of one of the main character’s daughters. On the other hand, Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, although including tragedy and sadness in the ending, did not involve death. Likewise with comedies, although some classics do end in marriage as in Chekhov’s The Brute, comic endings can vary greatly. Moreover, plays over time have varied greatly in their morals, structure and form, and belong to a much larger scale than only death and marriage. Musical Greek dramas, biblical re-enactments of Medieval drama, pastoral drama of 16th century Italy and the “Theatre of the Absurd” are all contributors to the definition of drama. While Byron may not have been completely serious when coming up with this saying, it is unfair to limit the end of all tragedies to death and of all comedies to marriage, especially since the categories of drama vary greatly. First of all, a common genre in dramatic plays is tragedy. Garcia Lorca’s The House of Bernarda Alba is an ideal example of Byron’s “tragedy”. The play discusses the sexually repressed lives of a group of young women...
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