As a king in ancient Greek literature, Oedipus was required to have a dramatically catastrophic fall, while modern literature needs a tragic hero who is an "everyman." But both suffered greatly in their own ways, and in ways that the audience both expected and regarded as essential. But while these two characters were both the central, tragic figure in their respective stories, their differences were a reflection of the role of dramatic tragedy in their societies.
The subject of ancient Greek literature was often the magnificent deeds of the gods and heroes, while everyday life was more often forgotten. As a result, the tragedies presented often had as their main character a great person, sometimes with a major personality flaw, who suffers extreme torments and a mighty plunge from an exalted position. Nothing exemplified this excessive amount of suffering than Oedipus, a man who became a king only to later discover that he unwittingly killed his own father, married and had children with his own mother, and ended up a blind beggar. His tragic journey took him from king to pauper; but this was expected by the ancient Greeks.
On the other hand is the modern tragic figure of Willy Loman, a failed salesman, husband, and father who took his own life. As Oedipus represented the society in which it was conceived, so to did Willy Loman. Ancient...
But Willy Loman is a tragic figure of the 20th century, and thus his torments and failures are a reflection of a modern commercial society. His occupation as a salesman is representative of what is valuable in modern society, mainly things that can make money. Loman's failure at what is fundamental for success in modern society is what makes him a tragic figure and his fall symbolic to everyone in modern society. Modern society may not have kings to turn to beggars, but it does have tragic figures that both reflect the values of society as well as connect to the modern audience.
Tragedy, as an art form, has existed for thousands of years; but while the misfortunes and calamities remain a constant theme, the specific tragic actions have evolved over the centuries to reflect societal values. In ancient Greece the subjects of tragedies were larger than life characters who experienced outrageous hardships. But in the modern world, the audience has a connection with the tragic characters and the tragic events are often more relative to the audience's personal experience. While the scale and notoriety of the tragic characters may have changed, as well as the types of tragic events, which makes tragedy an emotional experience, the pity and fear felt by the audience, has not.
Works Cited
Aristotle, S.H. Butcher. "Poetics." The Internet Classic Archive. Web. 8 April 2012.
http://classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/poetics.html
Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman. London: York, 1998. Print.
Sophocles. "Oedipus the King." The Internet Classic Archive. Web. 9 April 2012.
http://classics.mit.edu/Sophicles/oedipus.html
Tragedy in the Oedipus Trilogy Sophocles is considered to be one of the greatest Greek dramatists, and remains among the most renowned playwrights even today. The Greek tragedy is one of the most influential genres of literary and theatrical history on the modern drama and theatre. The theatre of ancient Greece was inspired by the worship of Dionysus, and the performance of plays was considered to be a religious experience for
Tragedy & Comedy One popular method of distinguishing between a comedy and a tragedy has always been by virtue of whether a play or film has a happy or tragic ending. Today, however, it is largely considered that a tragedy can be comic in parts, and need not necessarily result in an unhappy ending or death (Thorndike, p.2-3) Similarly, although comedies are widely defined as humorous entertainment, evoking a great deal
Tragedy of the Commons Few people would deny that overpopulation is a major problem. Even sparsely populated nations feel the brunt of the overpopulation problem because overpopulation affects the environment, politics, and the global market economy. The world currently holds six billion plus individual human beings, an unprecedented number. Rainforests are being cut down and soil depleted of their natural nutritive qualities in an attempt to please human appetites and keep
Aristotle desired a reversal because of the suddenness of the impact, which heightens the emotional impact of the plot. As a constant element, the juxtaposition of opposites is less emotional and more intellectual in its effect. There are other details of both tragedies and epics that Aristotle identifies and describes in Poetics that could be used to draw a comparison between Oedipus Rex and the Odyssey, but even more effective
Then comedy disappeared when the Roman Empire collapsed. Nonetheless, the moulds for its future development had been cast. Greek comedies were rediscovered during the Renaissance, the point of origin of comedy as we know it today. Furthermore, the Renaissance brought two major developments to the comedy: the commedia dell'arte, and plot developments and defined archetypal characters (Storey: 407). "A Midsummer Night's Dream" is what theoreticians may call a classical
Nevertheless, it was his curiosity that made him popular and it would only make sense that it would be his downfall as well. This very human aspect of the king allows us to relate to him and a persona level. The final tragic move in the play occurs as Oedipus chooses to leave his Thebes. His attempt to rid the city of contamination is brave. He realizes his failure and
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now