Phaedra's Passions

As the tragedy concludes, the chorus issues its final words: "Pray for no more at all. For what is destined for us, men mortal, there is no escape," demonstrating how justice remains impartial to the prejudice of men; those who make imprudent judgments will ultimately suffer from the consequences of their actions. In Sophocles' Antigone, these prejudices notably surface in the form of paternalism as demonstrated through Creon's government, highlighting the importance of gender roles throughout the play. Therefore, analyzing the motif of gender roles and its effect on the definition of justice through the perspectives of Ismene, Antigone, and Creon enables the audience to understand how Sophocles' macroscopic analogy to humanity's

   Passionate lust is a blinding force. When jealousy and desire control actions, the outcome is never what it is envisioned to be. Ovid's Metamorphoses provides an clear example of love turned terribly wrong. Throughout the novel, overwhelming desire controls actions and emotions, leaving behind sadness and grief wherever it strikes. With this kind of love, nobody gets what he or she wants in the end.

The character traits of Phaethon drive the story to its tragic conclusion. In the passage “Phaethon” it says, “‘I do, I do!’ cried Phaethon. ‘Stand away, sire! The dawn grows old and day must begin! Go, horses, go!’” This shows, that Phaethon is eager trying to drive the sun chariot so he does not listen to his father's instructions. In the passage “Phaethon” it says, “I must show him that it is I driving the chariot of the sun—I alone. Apollo said not to come too close to earth, but how will he know?” This explains, how Phaethon is selfish because he chooses glory over the lives of the innocent and he doesn't even get the glory. In the passage “Phaethon” it says, “‘I’ll go to the palace of the sun right now and hold my father to his promise.

Both Clytemnestra and Antigone are driven by their passionate transgressions and desires due to conflicts within their families, and they are incapable of bearing the consequences they bring upon their nations and societies. There are times when personal sacrifices are necessary to the greater social progress, and the death of Iphigenia is an example in which case her death contributes to the victory of the Greek army. Agamemnon, the commander of the Greek army, decides to sacrifice the life of his own daughter in exchange of the wind that carries the Greek army to the land of Troy, which eventually leads to a glorious victory. However, Clytemnestra is overwhelmed by the death of her daughter, and she is not capable of perceiving the death of Iphigenia as a sacrifice to secure the Greeks’ victory with help from the Gods. Her husband Agamemnon, who lies to Iphigenia and sends her

“What cheer Hippolyta,” you have asked?Hermia’s situation connects to mine. When you told Hermia “But earthlier happy is the rose distilled Than that which, withering on the virgin thorn,” you offended not only her but me and all women. You don’t see us as equals and says that it’s better to marry, have children, than to stay a virgin our whole life. But, what’s the point of getting tied down if it’s without with true love? Moreover, it’s because I’m a woman that I’m able to understand her feelings. Theseus, as much as I don’t agree with your views, I can’t deny that I have no love for you. I am willingly marrying you. But, I hope that I can win your heart and have you see women in another perspective.

First, in the story of Phaethon, Phaethon is characterized as a thoughtless and headstrong boy. These characteristics lead to catastrophic results, and help relate back to the main theme; A prideful disregard of the warnings from those who are older and wiser can quickly lead to disastrous consequences. For example, while driving the sun chariot and contemplating flying closer to Earth so everyone will see him, Phaethon exclaims, “Apollo said not to come too close to the Earth, but how will he know? And I won't stay long, just dip down towards the villages.” (53). This implies the Phaethon does not think about his actions, nor their consequences, and only does what benefits him and his reputation. Another adjective that could be used to describe Phaethon is stubborn, which is also demonstrated in this quote. It illustrates the idea that Phaethon was being overconfident and arrogant about

In Sophocles play, Antigone, loyalty and to whom it is owed is a prominent theme. The characters show loyalty throughout the play through disobedient acts. Antigone shows her loyalty to her family by breaking the law to bury her brother Polyneices. Haemon shows his loyalty to Antigone by speaking against what his father tells him and eventually killing himself because of his fiance's death. Creon displays his loyalty to the state over family by choosing to treat Polyneices as a traitor as well as arrest Antigone and condemning her to death.

Loyalty Lives in Royalty Odysseus’ beautiful wife, Penelope, explains, “Young men, my suitors, now that King Odysseus is no more, go slowly, keen as you are to marry me, until, I can finish this web” (Homer 96). Homer, the author of The Odyssey, displays Penelope’s intelligence by revealing her sagacious plan about the shroud. Secretly, she unweaves the shroud every night to prevent herself from getting married to one of the suitors, whilst waiting upon the return of Odysseus. The event proves Penelope’s loyalty to her husband, even while the protagonist remains lost at sea. In addition to Penelope’s loyalty, Telemachus fights beside his father against the suitors and Athena guides Odysseus home.

Exposition: The story is set in Athens, Greece. Theseus and Hippolyta are both noble and wealthy and they were planning their wedding in 4 days. Hermia and Lysander were in love, but another guy named Demetrius was also in love with Hermia. Helena loves Demetrius but is all alone, because he does not love her. Egeus who is Hermia’s father is not happy about her relationship with Lysander, he wants her to marry Demetrius. Hermia and Lysander plan to run away to another city to be married. Helena tell Demetrius the plan hoping that he will forget Hermia and fall in love with her.

Purposely difficult and intentionally obsessive, Plato’s Phaedrus is an exceedingly difficult read that defies all conventional logic as a piece of discourse. The text is extremely subjective, open to interpretation and individual creativity as to what or whom the narrative is about. Written by Plato, a close disciple of Socrates, this text is set along the Illissus river where Phaedrus and Socrates meet for a day of speech, debate, rhetoric and okay…flirting. Phaedrus leads of the day and recites a speech by his close friend Lysias, who Phaedrus considers to be a top speechmaker. Socrates then, after chiding by Phaedrus unleashes two speeches of his own that overshadow and refute Lysias claim so boldly that Phaedrus is so taken by the

Early on in the play, Phaedra does not yet fit the model of the deceitful

In Athens, women had very little rights. Womens fathers were the ones who got to choose whom they married, and that caused trouble for the lovers. Hermia’s father, Egeus, strongly believed in this rule. At the beginning, Egeus decides that he wants Hermia to marry Demetrius, which is good for Demetrius but bad for Hermia. Hermia, daringly refuses her father’s wishes, so they seek the help of Theseus, the Duke of Athens. Theseus listens to their situation, and being the authority in the situation, tells Hermia: “Either to die the death, or to abjure for the society of men. Therefore, fair Hermia,... if you yield not to your father’s choice, you can endure the livery of a nun...”(24). This shows how authority, in this case the law, gets in the way of “the course of true love…”(28). Egeus’s decision to have Hermia marry Demetrius does not only affect Hermia but also affects Helena. When Hermia’s father chooses Demetris to be her

Many crimes of passion are the result of jealousy. “Othello” shows readers how the jealousy of one or two people can result in violent actions and even death. In “Othello,” Roderigo was in love with Desdemona, who was already married to Othello. He teamed up with Iago, who possessed envy because Cassio had been promoted to the position Iago desired. Together, Iago and Roderigo plotted to destroy Cassio’s image and reputation as well as Desdemona’s marriage. As Iago began setting Cassio up, he began to develop feelings of his own for Desdemona. Iago and Roderigo’s actions resulted in numerous deaths throughout the play. First Iago stabs and kills Roderigo. Then, Othello’s jealousy leads him to smother Desdemona because she was “false with Cassio” (Shakespeare 767). After Emilia outed Iago, he pierced her with a knife, killing her. Lastly, Othello knifed himself. All of these deaths occurred because two men were desirous of things other people had. These acts exhibit the abominable effects jealousy can have on people’s

downfall, slowly his passion for Elmire and greed infest his way of thinking and leads to

He needs her too, so he wins the boy for himself to make her feel inferior. In other words, Titania gave up something that she loved to make her husband happy. This is seen in everyday life, women give up their wants to make their men happy. Titania's sacrifice for Oberon cost her to lose both her Indian boy and his mother, her women lover. When men don't make women happy, they turn to their friends for what they need, whatever it may be. (Scott 370-373) Male domination not only exists between husband and wife, but also between father and daughter. Theseus will not allow Hermia to marry Lysander. Theseus wants her to marry Demetrius. Egeus, a ruler, will force Hermia to become a nun unless she marries Demetrius. In retaliation to his demands, Lysander and Hermia run away together. Hermia is scolded by Egeus for being in love with the man she chooses. This suggests that men cause women to feel forced and obligated to do as they say. (Scott 373) Another example of male domination is the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. Theseus' first wife was frail and yielding, and he divorced her. Hippolyta has been a warrior, and Theseus' victory over her makes her unable to resist. By conquering the female warrior and marrying her, he fulfills his need for the exclusive love of a woman while satisfying his homoerotic desires. Close bonding fulfills this homoerotic desire with a male companion, such as Demetrius and