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Hamlet compared to Oedipus Rex
Comparison and contrast of Oedipus Rex with other dramas
Analysis of the play oedipus rex
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Recommended: Hamlet compared to Oedipus Rex
Comparing Oedipus Rex and King Lear
Oedipus Rex and King Lear are, as their titles announce, both about kings. These two plays are similar in theme and in the questions they pose to the audience. The kings in each play both fall from the pinnacle of power to become the most loathed of all classes in society; Oedipus discovers that he is a murderer and committer of incest, and Lear becomes a mad beggar. Misjudgments occur in both plays, and the same questions about the gods, fate, and free will are posed. In spite of these similarities, however, the final effects of these two plays differ greatly.
For me, as I read Oedipus Rex again this fall, I experienced a sensation nearly of agony. Because I had already known the myth as well as read the play, I was in the Greek's position of foreknowledge. This caused me to feel acutely the irony of Oedipus' confident declarations that the murderer of Laius should be "driven from every house, / Being, as he is, corruption itself to us," and again on the next page,
As for the criminal, I pray to God-
Whether it be a lurking thief, or one of a number-
I pray that that man's life be consumed in evil and wretchedness.
And as for me, this curse applies no less
If it should turn out that the culprit is my guest here,
Sharing my hearth. (13-14)
Oedipus has absolutely no idea that the murderer he is denouncing so vehemently is, in fact, himself. The fact that the reader knows that, and he does not, becomes increasintly painful, especially in the line where Oedipus says, "And as for me, this curse applies no less...." Oedipus means only that he will not protect the guilty, even under the constraints of hospitality; he has absolutely no ...
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...n has already occurred, is concentrated fully on them. King Lear comes to a much more acceptable resolution.
At the end of Oedipus Rex, I felt nothing but relief that the worst was finally over. King Lear also made me sigh heavily with relief, but it was more cathartic than the other. There is less agony in the experience of the play, and the ending is more resolved. While Sophocles leaves the audience with a burden of unresolved issues, Shakespeare, though not resolving them, makes them less cumbersome. In this way, King Lear, though no less a tragedy than Oedipus Rex, seems less ponderous and sad.
Works Cited:
Shakespeare, William. King Lear. Ed. Russell Fraser. Newly revised ed. New York: Penguin Group, 1998.
Sophocles. "Oedipus Rex." Trans. Dudley Fitts and Robert Fitzgerald. The Oedipus Cycle. New York: Harcourt Brace and Company, 1939.
Oedipus can be argued to be a sympathetic ruler of his people, "my heart must bear the strain of sorrow for all." (4). He shows a strong desire to rid the land of its despair. Yet as the reader captures a more in-depth glimpse into Oedipus' soul, we find him to be a jealous, stubborn, "blind", guilty, and sinful man. Oedipus' character outwardly seems to want nothing more than to find the guilty persons involved in the murder of Laius, yet when given obvious clues he turns a blind eye, not wanting to know the truth behind the prophecy.
Bruce Wayne, Batman’s secret identity, is an American billionaire, playboy, philanthropist, and owner of Wayne Enterprises. Batman is one of the most well-known and well-liked superheroes of all time probably because of all of the comics, TV shows, movies and video games with him in it. Many are interested in Batman mainly because he is human, has no super powers and no special abilities just like a normal person but continues in many super human things using his gadgets, a body suit and a brilliant mind. Not only are these some of the differences between him and some other super heroes but he wants to see justice served and to defeat his enemies because he focuses on what is right and what is wrong. Batman has starred in about fourteen films both as a starring character and as an ensemble character beginning in 1943 and the latest in 2012 with two more coming in 2016 and 2017. Having earned a total of U.S. $1,900,844,295, the Batman series is the fifth-highest-grossing film series in North America. The first full-length movie of batman made in 1989 shows that to overcome great diversity one must step out of the bounds of what is socially and morally acceptable though the characterization of Batman, the contrast between
Batman occurs in a time period and setting location different from Beowulf. Batman takes place in a city named Gotham city that resembles much of that in modern New York city. Gotham is a modern city congested with buildings and people. Beowulf setting is in Denmark during a more medieval period with a less number of people. Another Difference between both heroes is their personality. Batman is more of hypocritical man who cares for the good of the people. Batman also does not believe in killing people no matter the situation or the individual. Overall Batman is more of a modest man who does not care for fame neither does he care for money. Batman uses a mask so his face remains concealed and free from the public and his enemies. Beowulf is more of an arrogant character with lots of pride and unafraid to kill, he likes to show off and only fights battles that have rewards for him. Often the rewards being money and fame. Batman relies on knowledge, gadgets and his sidekick Robin unlike Beowulf who relies on strength and agility with little to no weapons and no combat partner. Comparing batman with Beowulf bring out a great differentiation between both, nevertheless still having similarities and being
Have you ever wondered who the man is under the dark knight mask? Bruce Wayne, is a wealthy American playboy, philanthropist, and owner of Wayne Enterprises, who after witnessing the murder of his parents Dr. Thomas Wayne and Martha Wayne as a child, he swore vengeance against criminals, an oath tempered by a sense of justice. Bruce Wayne trains himself physically and intellectually and crafts a bat-inspired persona to fight crime. But the man riddle to this amazing “Cape Crusader” is brought along with many interesting facts about this dynamic crime fighter, such as, while Bruce was growing up, he learn he had an older brother, or that Batman is actually afraid of something, how about Bruce Wayne’s no drinking alcohol diet, or even batman’s
...e truth. This scene is the single greatest and most powerful scene of the play, and possibly all of theatre because it captures the very essence of the entire work. However, it is not the apparent climax. Instead, this scene completes the characterization of Oedipus as he conquers his tragic flaw and fully exhibits his most heroic traits. However, the ultimate irony of the play occurs at this point as well. Oedipus emerges both victorious and beaten. By triumphing over himself and his tragic flaw, Oedipus has begun the rapid descent into the deepest reaches of tragedy ever performed. This scene epitomizes Oedipus as one of the greatest tragic heroes ever created by chronicling the completion of the battle between Oedipus’ searing, sizzling, scalding anger and his attempts to control, expel, or extinguish it as he finds the truth he searches for throughout the play.
Sophocles. "Oedipus Rex." An Introduction to Literature, 11th ed.Eds. Sylvan Barnet, et al. New York: Longman, 1997. 800-836.
The antithesis of Batman - The Joker, a terrorist and deranged killer. He is madness incarnate. However there is a profound simplicity, a calm at times within The Jokers brutal character “Why so serious?” (Joker The Dark Knight). The character treads a fine line between insanity and great brilliance. It is this menacing attitude that makes him such a prolific villain, he wants nothing but to be “an agent of chaos” (Joker The Dark Knight). He stands for anarchy and madness, the creation of a changing society post 9/11, a terrorist threatening to voice out and defy the government going against the dominant system. He sets about knocking out the system from the ground up, one by one creating fear and anarchy “the only sensible way to live in this world is without rules”...
In “Oedipus the King” by Sophocles, Oedipus, the king of Thebes finds out that he kills his father and that his wife is his mother. Oedipus is very concerned for his kingdom and his people. He wants to “drive the corruption from the land” (Sophocles 109) by finding Laius’s murderer and killing him. Through his curiosity, Oedipus finds out that the man he kills long ago is Laius, who is his father, and that his wife is his mother—all in accordance with Oedipus’ prophecy. After coming on this realization as well, Jocasta, Oedipus’ wife, commits suicide, and Oedipus gouges out his eyes as a result of this. In his search for the murderer, Oedipus strives to be a fair king. Ironically, he often is not fair to the people he sees or things that are essential to him. This play demonstrates the theme of justice through Oedipus’ denial of justice in three situations—Oedipus’ meeting with Tiresias, Oedipus’ gouging out of his eyes, and Creon’s asking of Oedipus to adjudicate fairly
In the earliest 1940 's superhero films started to become popular on the big screens. One of these popular films is known as Batman, which came out first as a comic book called "The Killing Joke". Batman is considered to be a superhero possessing great talents and for being a true example of hope towards Gotham city. Although these superheroes are one of the main characters in movies, they also have enemies to confront with which are also known as super villains. In this case, the Joker known for his criminal mastermind plays an important role as a villain. Having a huge impact through films, film viewers have had the chance to appreciate different versions of the Batman 's movies. The Joker, being one of the most classical villains in DC Universe is portrayed in different aspects. Analyzing Tim Burton 's Batman (1989) and Christopher Nolan 's The Dark Knight (2008), viewers can assimilate but also differentiate the Joker in couple ways.
Boston: Pearson, 2013. 1396-1506. Print. The. Sophocles. “Oedipus the King” Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing.
While the Batman character grown into an international franchise, many of his fellow superhero peers have fallen by the proverbial road side. Riding on his mysterious and dark persona, he is one of the most famous fictional characters of modern times. It is a unique blend of super-hero fantasy and realism that has allowed him to be accepted by such a wide audience, and it is to the credit of his producers that they have been able to mould the character the character to fit their needs while capitalizing on the character’s essence.
Matt Morris claims that "the story of Batman is a great cautionary tale concerning the price we risk paying if we are unable to keep things in balance". He cautions that we should not take Batman's "lessons to heart, and exercise as much care as we can not to let our work, and our service to the world, take away from us the most basic necessities of a good and happy life”. The Batman series is about Bruce Wayne, a billionaire playboy who, under the guise of a high-tech anthropomorphic bat, takes it on himself to protect the residents of Gotham City from the antagonistic forces which plague it. This is an enormous responsibility, one which comes with constants affronts to his physical and psychological well-being, as well as an inherent sense
In the two thousand since “Oedipus Rex” was written, it has been analyzed and dissected innumerable times and in every possible way. Usually the analysis has been within the context of the play itself or within the context of other Greek tragedies. Perhaps it would be more relevant and interesting to evaluate the play within the context of the modern world.
The purpose of this paper is to provide the reader with an insight into the Super Hero Series Batman. This crime fighter originally appeared in Detective Comics issue #27 in 1939. It later became a comic book series, a TV series and a movie series. The character Batman is second only to Superman as a Super Hero. Amazingly Batman has no super powers, but he does have a lot of neat crime fighting gadgets. In this paper, we will explore the creation of Batman, his supporting cast of characters both good and bad and the gadgets he used.
Sophocles. "Oedipus the King." Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Ed. X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 7th ed. New York: Longman, 1999. 1902.