Dionysian And Balance Essay

Shakespeare's play, “Othello, the Moor of Venice,” is a powerful example of a tragedy and it’s main character, Othello, is an excellent illustration of what Aristotle constitutes as a tragic hero. The play imitates life through basic human emotions such as jealousy and rage. In addition, Othello is far from being a perfect character - another quality that meets Aristotle's requirements. Othello also matches Aristotle's ideas of tragic hero because our Othello realizes the error of his ways, causing us to feel sympathy for him. If we carefully examine the third scene in the third act, we can see how Othello fits into Aristotle's definition of tragic hero. This passage reveals how much Othello has deteriorated as far as his ability to reason

For several centuries, tragedy is one of the many popular genres of literature. In every tragedy, there is a tragic hero who makes an error that leads to their own downfall. William Shakespeare is known to have written many tragedies, which includes Julius Caesar. Due to the many downfalls of

A “tragedy, for Shakespeare, is the genre of uncompensated suffering” (Dutton and Howard, 2003, p. 9). To really understand the play Othello is to truly understand a tragedy; thus, this researcher will analyze Aristotle’s view point and compare it to phrases (or quotes) from Shakespeare’s Othello.

A tragedy in its own right must evoke emotion and a response from the audience through effective use of several elements evident in Shakespeare’s and Aristotle’s style of tragic writing. The plot progression of a tragedy should be rather specific under the idea which leads, ultimately, to the downfall of the protagonist. Despite the sorrowful story behind Richard Van Camp’s short story “Mermaids,” the exclusion of several core elements from both styles of writing prevent this piece from being classified a tragedy. “Mermaids” lacked the development of a tragic flaw in the main character, Torchy, and furthermore did not lead the character to their tragic demise, Van Camp also excluded the idea of isolating him over time and rather brought him closer to those around him to get over his inner conflict, which is unlike a tragedy.

Again, a main protagonist, Henry, links to the theme of death through some key events involving a character who was once alive in the novel but is now dead. This theme is evident when Henry’s “friend” named Trot, dies in an unexpected car crash. “Trot was dead. Dead. The word, although Henry had not said it out loud, began to take on some form, as if it was solidifying. He’d never had to deal with the word, or the world like this before. Trot was dead. He was gone. Now. Gone. Henry sat, hands draped, the silver case of his watch glittering at the corner of his eye. He felt weak and infinitely clueless.” (pg. 174) This quote establishes how Henry was completely and utterly shocked about the death of his friend. He couldn’t even bring himself up to saying the word. This shows a huge similarity to how individuals react to the death of a friend in today’s society. Metzenthen strongly represents the theme of death using Henry’s character. Similarly, with Henry, we sense that he is weary and heartsick over the thought of death. Throughout the novel, the author is able to illustrate the idea of death, and show how many people in today’s society also see it as a horrible and heartbreaking

The idea of heroism is one often associated with virtue, courage and valour. Within Othello, Shakespeare questions the meaning behind heroism and admirability in the context of a Venetian society, in which the play is set. Through the tragic descent of Othello’s composure and his actions, the audience is left to wonder whether or not his virtue and presentation as an admirable general and hero, actually exists. Act 1 of the play presents Othello's decisions and behaviour as the epitome of virtue and valour, showing him as a high statured character - the definition of a tragic hero in Aristotelian methods, as it demands a character of greatness to suffer the greatest downfall. Although not necessarily presented as high born, he is deemed to

The chosen art piece, from Roman origin, is titled “Dionysus” and portrayed Dionysus, the god of wine, with his follower Pan. This artwork is a great example of Greek art’s influence in Roman artwork. The main elements of Greek’s naturalistic art, specifically of High Classical period, are rendered beautifully in this piece combined with distinctive elements from verism, unique to Roman art. So, the idealism of Greek art and the individualism of Roman art come together to create an art piece that is divine, mythical, and yet very human and therefore, relatable.

Amanda Stevenson Wilson High School: 0838 Works in Translation Written Assignment Word Count: 1326 Amanda Stevenson IB English Works in Translation Written Assignment Death in Venice: Works in Translation Written Assignment Throughout Death in Venice, Mann uses geographical locations and natural occurrences to prove that external conflicts are caused by a man’s internal conflict and reflection and that one event in can parallel and possibly characterize a protagonist.

Comparing the Tragedies of Hamlet, Oedipus the King, and Death of a Salesman The tragedies Hamlet, Oedipus the King, and Death of a Salesman have strikingly different plots and characters; however, each play shares common elements in its resolution. The events in the plays’ closings derive from a tragic flaw possessed by the protagonist in each play. The downfall of each protagonist is caused by his inability to effectively cope with his tragic flaw. The various similarities in the closing of each play include elements of the plot, the reflection of other characters on the misfortune of the tragic hero, and expression of important themes through the dialogue of the characters.

Throughout time, the tragedy has been seen as the most emotionally pleasing form of drama, because of its ability to bring the viewer into the drama and feel for the characters, especially the tragic hero. This analysis of tragedy was formed by the Greek philosopher Aristotle, and also noted in

The tale of Oedipus and his prophecy has intrigued not only the citizens of Greece in the ancient times, but also people all over the world for several generations. Most notable about the play was its peculiar structure, causing the audience to think analytically about the outcomes of Oedipus’ actions and how it compares with Aristotle’s beliefs. Another way that the people have examined the drama is by looking at the paradoxes (such as the confrontation of Tiresias and Oedipus), symbols (such as the Sphinx), and morals that has affected their perceptions by the end of the play. Nonetheless, the most important aspect is how relevant the story is and how it has influenced modern ideas like that of Freud and other people of today.

Another work, Death in Venice, written in 1912 by Thomas Mann, is ironic in its storytelling regarding how death and beauty are, at times, linked. Much of the story revolves around the main character’s association between art, beauty, and death. It is interesting to note that the main character views the young boy he falls in love with as an exquisite work of art. He sees the boy as exuding youth and perfection, yet the reality is that the main character is weak and sickly. The belief the main character holds that youth, art, and beauty are the divine keys to life are ironic in that, again, the reality is that humans are mortal and death is inevitable, regardless of the beliefs an individual holds.

The Supernatural in Shakespeare’s The Tempest And Marlowe’s The Tragical History of D. Faustus The supernatural forces are at once alike and distinct in Shakespeare’s The Tempest and in Marlowe’s The Tragical History of D. Faustus. The supernatural is kind to Prospero and his daughter Miranda in The Tempest, while the devils in Dr Faustus eagerly wait for the day that Faustus would join them in Hell. In both plays, the supernatural provides recurrent waves of sounds and feelings, lending special atmospheric qualities to The Tempest and Dr Faustus. The supernatural serves as a reminder of the hierarchies that exist in both plays, and it also illuminates the human heart, revealing the characters’ thoughts and wishes. Often appearing

Tadzio as an Illuminator In Thomas Mann’s Death In Venice, Tadzio is likened to the sun and thus represents an illuminating force for knowing what is truly good and just and by consequence represents a “higher truth.” This quest for knowledge on what is good becomes apparent as Aschenbach becomes more and more infatuated with Tadzio, not in a romantic sense, but rather a sense of seeking what he believes is right, a platonic relationship which ultimately sparks Aschenbach’s demise. Aschenbach’s motives are somewhat muddled as he enters the second half of his life and seeks to find what is true. To do this he decides to take a vacation to Venice where he meets Tadzio. After being a rather stoic and cold person, this all melts away as he basks in Tadzio’s presence as one would in the sun. Tadzio as a representation for light is why Aschenbach is so drawn to him, because he believes that the child could be the illuminating figure for him. While Tadzio himself is not the “higher truth” personified, he does act as the ray of light for seeing what Aschenbach’s wants in his life, what he sought after since the beginning of the story. Examples of this relationship and its representations include how Tadzio is likened to Helios who is the sun giant in Greek mythology, the imagery associated with sun and Tadzio, such as Tadzio rising from the sea and how ever-present he is in the environment around Aschenbach, how Tadzio is described as Aschenbach’s “Mirror and image” suggesting that

Death in Venice by Thomas Mann, was told from the point of view of Gustav von Aschenbach. The main theme of the novel was Aschenbach following around a little Italian boy, Tadzio. Tadzio reminds Aschenbach of himself when he was a child. Aschenbach and Tadzio were ill as children which is why Aschenbach becomes infatuated with Tadzio. Aschenbach was home schooled as a child because he was very ill and his parents decided that it was best for him to remain isolated from the other children. He came from a wealthy family which allowed him to live this lifestyle. The difference between the two is that although Tadzio is ill as a child he was still presented opportunities to play with other children and gain experiences. Part of the reason that Aschenbach as an adult has writers block is because as a child and as a young adult he didn’t have communication with the outside world. The remainder of this essay will be focused on the fact that if Aschenbach lived a normal life like Tadzio then the consequences of Aschenbach’s legacy wouldn’t have been tarnished .