Aristotle And Dante's Orferno Character Analysis

Within the play Oedipus Rex the main character Oedipus faces many life changing obstacles. Even though the new king of Thebes is facing so many problems the man still believes that he knows everything, especially everything about himself. Inscribed above the entrance to the temple at Delphi are the words: “Know Thyself”, which is something that Oedipus must do in order to help his people. Throughout the whole play the character Oedipus is shown as a classic example of a man whose central problem is that he does not know himself.

In his essay, “Introduction to Oedipus the King”, Bernard Knox supports free will by stating that Oedipus’ downfall was not caused by fate. According to Knox there is not a doubt that, “Oedipus is the free agent who, by his own self-willed action, discovers that his own predicted destiny has already been fulfilled” (86). He clearly states that Oedipus is responsible for his free actions during the play. He insists that Oedipus’s made the decisions to discover the truth about himself.

After crossing the Phlegethon, Dante the Pilgrim and Virgil cross into a dark forest where there are “no green leaves, but rather black in color, no smooth branches, but twisted and entangled, no fruit, but thorns of poison bloomed instead” (Dante, Inferno 186). The forest is depicted this way to give a picture of the barren nature of suicide. Dante sees the Harpies nesting and tearing at the trees surrounding them, “....in Greek mythology the Harpies are storm-winds which act as ministers of Divine vengeance, mysteriously snatching offenders away out of the visible world” (Dartmouth). The Harpies are a depiction of how those who commit suicide snatch themselves away from the visible world. He hears wails of torment within the woods all around him and Dante is confused by the noise and its origin. He first thinks that the yelling comes from individuals hiding behind the trees, but learns the truth once prompted by Virgil to break a branch. Dante tears off a piece of a “great thornbush.” The emphasis on the size of the bush may be a way to signify the importance of the man entrapped inside it, possibly like Medieval art in which artists stress the importance of a specific character by making it larger (Dartmouth). To Dante’s surprise, blood began to spew out of the branch, and the tree starts to speak directly to the Pilgrim. This tree, named Pier, committed suicide after being accused of treason. Pier continues to swear on “the new roots of this tree” that

For three years past, trade had been getting worse and worse, and the price of provisions higher and higher. This disparity between the amount of the earnings of the working classes and the price of their food, occasioned, in more cases than could well be imagined, disease and death. Whole families went through a gradual starvation. They only wanted a Dante to record their sufferings. And yet even his words would fall short of the awful truth; they could only present an outline of the tremendous facts of the destitution that surrounded thousands upon thousands in the terrible years 1839, 1840, and 1841. Even philanthropists who had studied the subject, were forced to own themselves perplexed in their endeavour to ascertain the real causes of the misery; the whole matter was of so complicated a nature, that it became next to impossible to understand it thoroughly.

Two Mexican-American boys, Ari (Aristotle) and Dante, meet one summer when they are both fifteen. Ari is reserved and quiet, angry at the whole world. Dante is a kind spirit who has a unique perspective about life and people. Although they are very different, they immediately form an attachment and spend the summer together. Their friendship will be tested over a period of two years by a multitude of situations, some funny, some tragic; and so will their families. In the end, their journey together into adulthood will be filled with friendship, self-acceptance, and love.

First mate of the Pharaon, engaged, and at a young age of nineteen, Edmond Dantes was set for life. Dantes is a naive and innocent man. To him “they'll all tell you they love and respect me” (Dumas 26). No one has a reason to hate him and if they do, he hates them in return. “I'd rather not know who they are, because then I'd be forced to hate them” (Dumas 26) Dantes says as he is questioned as to whom could have framed him as a Bonaparte. Dantes is too trusting and he is innocently arrogant. He thinks he is too lowly and humble to be hated. He is prideful, but not overly so. Dantes is lucky and an outlier who happens to be in the right place at the right time. He has love, his family, his career, friends, and a good future to look forward

Dante Alighieri was a major Italian poet of the Late Middle Ages, he was born into a family with a complex involvement in the Florence political scene. In the Dante Alighieri's epic poem The Inferno, Dante, the protagonist, witnesses the Circles of Hell, guided by Virgil the character representing Human Reason. Alighieri shows compassion towards different sinners in Hell, which provides an insight on the way he feels about people who do not repent. Although they are illustrated as good people by the poet, they are punished within the different circles of Hell because they did not cleanse themselves of sin. Through the uses of diction, actions of Dante and Virgil, and imagery, Alighieri was able to show readers he felt compassion towards Farinata Degli Uberti, Pier Delle Vigne, and Count Ugliono.

uncomfortable he is with accepting his true sexuality. Near the middle of the story, when Ari and Dante are sitting on Ari’s front porch, after the two friends have been healed from the accident, they have a laid back conversation on how they’ve changed since the accident. As they talk about swimming, Dante states that the “two things [he] loves the most are swimming and [Ari]” (151). Ari tells Dante that “[he] shouldn’t say that” (151). After Dante confirms that his initial statement is, in fact, true, Ari repeats what he said previously, telling Dante that “[he] shouldn’t say it.” Even though Ari believes that Dante has a “perfect face”, Ari refuses to accept that he is in love with Dante. In this quote, the reader is caught is between shock seeing how open Dante is and how bogged down and closed off Ari is. Even when speaking to his close

Dante is very an interesting man. While observing his internal persona, he seems to get caught up in the small details that make his person. How often, though, I find myself in such a situation and think, “What am I to do?” Dante creates a character in which we might see ourselves while also building this character into an unexpected “hero.”

victim of fate and his own psychology. His curiosity brings about his downfall. Ancient Greek plays weren't just portrayals of some obscure tale, but were insights into human nature. Oedipus, although a victim of circumstances, digs his own grave by curiously unravelling his past. Jocasta foresees his doom and begs him to stop, but to no avail. The curiosity of Oedipus forces him, almost like a drug, to explore the mystery regarding his birth. This curiosity is not something extraordinary in Oedipus - it is an intrinsic attribute of human nature.Knowledge is not always desired - whether it is Adam or Oedipus, their curiosity caused their eventual downfall. Oedipus was ill-fated since birth. He did not know that Laius was his biological father and therefore killed him. He arrived at Thebes, solved the riddle of the Sphinx, and married Jocasta without knowing that she in fact was his biological mother.He begot children and was living happily with his family when a sudden calamity struck Thebes. The calamity, though at first seemed public in nature, but later proved to be very personal for Oedipus. It drives home the fundamental truth about uncertainty of human life. That Laius was slayed by his own son, even after much precaution, proves the helplessness of humans in front of the designs of fate.Oedipus's mutilation of his eyes is also fated. It was committed by him in the heat of the moment and was certainly not a rational decision. It is evident to any modern reader that

The main character in “Was it a Dream?” is a very complex man, with many attributes hidden within the story. He seems to be in denial about the truth, naive when it comes to others actions and indecisive with the split decisions that he makes. Firstly, the man seems ignorant to what people are actually like during their lives, when the truth is right in front of him. There is a few points in the story where you can infer that he ignores the issue at hand.

Aristotle and Dante discover the secret of growing up, most specifically the secret of “expectations”. Ari and Dante learn that if they have faith and trust in the expectations they have for themselves and the expectations there family and peers give them. It will only positively impact themselves as people. They learn expectations should be followed because they are small goals that turn you into the type of person you want to become later in life. In the book, Ari and Dante learn that growing up is hard but everyone must go through it. Everyone has expectations they are expected to complete whether it's from your family, friends, coaches, or yourself. Aristotle is expected to make friends, get out of the house more, and he expects himself

There are many facets of personality of a minor character that authors may utilize to supply contrast to the main character of their work. Some of these contrasts are extremely noticeable and some are not. One such facet is with the use of a neutral character; to not only showcase the main character’s flaws, but so not to detract from the moral of the story. Creon, from the play “Oedipus the King” by Sophocles is used for both of these reasons. Sophocles wished to show that one cannot escape fate, yet did not want to cloud this issue with a possible coupe against his main character Oedipus. He also showed how, at times one character can act completely irrational, while one remains calm in the face of serious accusations.

Othello is one of the greatest plays due to its variety of character and themes. The immorality seen in Iago, the gullibility in Othello, and the desperation of Desdemona make the story. The theme of social status plays a huge role in the story. In addition, the theme of appearance versus reality also plays a huge role in how each tragedy happens. In the critical essay “Othello” it discusses the idea that the characters are cast as outsiders due to false interpretation of what is happening or what is being said. On the other hand, the piece “Othello Character Analysis” emphasizes how characterization reflects the greatness of the piece.

Oedipus the King is a Greek tragedy play written by Sophocles, and it made its first debut