Humanities Test

Satire describes the literary technique that combines dark humor and irony to criticize and expose humanity's stupidity. The purpose is to entertain readers with perverted humor while illustrating the horrors of war that Vonnegut consistently describes, “anyone who seeks glory and heroism in war is deluded” (Vonnegut 26).

Question: 6) Compare and contrast the following pairs of characters: Oedipus and Tiresius, Ismene and Antigone, Polynieces and Eteocles. In doing so relate physical characteristics, varying beliefs and behaviors between these groups of characters. What is similar about each and what are the differences? Be sure to use specific examples where possible.

The novel 1984 by George Orwell is considered to be a timeless political and cultural satire. It expresses many different opinions and observations about the evolution of government power, and how much it has the potential to control people. Many people argue that the predictions made by Orwell are becoming a reality in today’s society. These arguments force all of us to ask ourselves an important question. Is the society we observe in 1984 a mirror image of our society today?

Next on the list of elements of a drama is thought. The element thought is used to support character and is evident in the speeches’ of the characters (Aristotle). These speeches reveal the thoughts and feelings of the character; further allowing the reader to develop a relationship with the character. In “Oedipus Rex” thought is illustrated in the speech Oedipus makes when he realizes the truth about his situations.

In his Poetics, which serves until today as a guide to evaluate drama, Aristotle argued that a dramatic piece of literature must appeal to ethos, logos and pathos. They should use the literary devices of emotion, logic and a sense of ethics/morality in their appeal to readers. Both Sophocles’ Oedipus The King and Shakespeare’s Macbeth, employ these literary strategies, as shall be explored below but, it is safe to say that comparisons end there. Both Macbeth and Oedipus have earned their reputations for bravery, both act rashly and commit the ultimate crime of regicide, which comes back to haunt them however, Oedipus’ course of action was fated by the gods whereas Macbeth acted freely and upon his own ambitions, which were awakened by Lady Macbeth.

Aristotle is a Greek philosopher who is famous around the world for his plays. The specialty enclosed in Aristotle’s plays is that it determines the statuses of the characters created by setting rules on what each character should portray, such as tragic hero. Poetics discusses Aristotle’s definition of tragedy and lists the traits required for a character to be considered a tragic hero. William Shakespeare also diversifies his characters to have various roles for his characters similar to Aristotle’s character traits for tragic hero. Based on Aristotle’s definition of tragic hero, Marcus Brutus is the tragic hero of the play, thus justifying the title of the play Julius Caesar.

Aristotle was a philosopher who revolutionized the world of theater with his essay entitled Poetics. Poetics is focused on what Aristotle viewed to be the ultimate form of theater, Tragedy. Aristotle thought that Theater should be a representation of real life. Shakespeare also followed this line of thinking as described in As you Like it, “All the world 's a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances,” In the essay, Poetics, the six basic elements of a great tragedy are outlined; the most important parts being plot, character, and thought. Aristotle’s essay can be used to critique classical theater as well as more modern theater such as films. The film Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix can be classified as a great tragedy, according to Aristotle, because it utilizes complex plot, invokes pity and fear on the main character’s behalf, and is connected by plot instead of by character.

Aristotle, the great Greek philosopher, and William Shakespeare, the most famous English author of all time, are both names that the majority of the world today would recognize. Born over 1,500 years apart, one would think that the philosopher and the playwright would have no common ground to stand on. In reality, it is quite the contrary. Many of the structural and literary elements of Shakespeare’s plays were first outlined in Aristotle’s The Poetics (Aristotle’s Ideas). Using the ideas of Aristotle, Shakespeare wrote some of the most iconic and well known tragedies of all time. Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet both embody Aristotle’s definition of tragedy through the use of a hero’s hamartia, an anagorisis, and peripeteia in the

The play Oedipus the King by Sophocles explores themes of prophecy and knowledge. In this paper, I shall discuss the interactions between Teiresias and Oedipus in Oedipus the King, and I will elaborate on how Teiresias is more knowledgeable than Oedipus, but does not posses any greater wisdom or practical knowledge. I shall argue that Sophocles does not see Teiresias as superior to Oedipus, in fact they are both in the wrong when it comes to morality and the truth. Throughout the play, Sophocles emphasizes that the acquisition of knowledge is futile in circumventing fate and prophecy, thus he presents a nihilistic argument in matters of agency and choice.

Also Aristotle identified the basic six parts a tragedy as being plot, character, thought, melody, diction and spectacle which he considered the least important. Therefore the controversy of Sophocles modeling his play Oedipus Rex on Aristotle's analysis of tragedy can

Thought comes third in Aristotle’s order of importance for tragedy, serving as the “faculty of saying what is possible and pertinent in given

At first Oedipus’ intelligence is revered as a heroic trait. In the opening section of the play it is stated that Oedipus had

Aristotle (384-322 B.C. believed that tragedy, as an imitation or mimesis of life as it could be, held more importance than history, which simply records the past. He considered that performance of a tragedy provided the perfect cathartic experience for an audience, leaving them spiritually purified and inspired. He felt spectators seeing and experiencing great hardship befall the play’s hero or heroine would achieve this emotional state and benefit from it.

11. Oedipus promises to find the murderers of the deceased king not only to help the town, but to help himself from getting murdered by the same criminals.

Throughout Poetics, Aristotle describes what traits a tragedy must have to be successful. To support these choices, he makes use of a small analysis of many tragedies, including many of Sophocles’ plays; Oedipus Rex is one of the plays mentioned in Aristotle’s Poetics. Some of these traits include a successful plot structure, recognition scenes, and a correct choice for its hero. In Oedipus Rex, Sophocles fulfills all of these requirements.