Anouilh’s Tragedy and Oedipus Rex
Many definitions exist for the genres of “tragedy” and “melodrama.” Similar to the distinction between fruits and vegetables, most can tell the two apart but have difficulty describing why. However, some definitions require a deeper look into a work, such as the interpretation provided by Anouilh’s movie version of “Antigone.” Whether or not Sophocles’s “Oedipus Rex” is a tragedy or melodrama has been debated since the teachings of Aristotle and strong arguments have been made for both sides. “Tragedy,” as defined by Anouilh, takes on a lifelike form, putting a new twist on an old definition that requires one to take a different perspective on the play. Though at a superficial level “Oedipus Rex” is a tragedy, its details point it towards the direction of a melodrama.
The first and most glaring problem found while attempting to plug “Oedipus Rex” into Anouilh’s description of tragedy comes with how tragedy runs in a play.
The spring is wound up tight. It will uncoil of itself. That is what is so convenient in tragedy. The least little turn of the wrist will do the job…. The rest is automatic. You don’t need to lift a finger. The machine is in perfect order; it has been oiled ever since time began, and it runs without friction (Anouilh’s “Antigone”).
Once tragedy has started to roll, it never ceases while continuing to snowball until the point of finality in the play. In “Oedipus Rex,” this is not seen. Rather, Oedipus himself works the machine, pulling each lever and pushing every button himself. Though “the god’s design is open, [and] all his oracle is clear… (Sophocles 76),” it is Oedipus himself that must hurry his fate. The gods seem to hurry Oedipus along his journey as well, catalyzing the actions leading to Oedipus’s final revelations and self-mutilation. “Friends, it was Apollo, sprit of Apollo. He made this evil fructify (Sophocles 73).” Oedipus recognizes that the gods, notably Apollo had ushered him along, leaving him with little else than to explore his origins and eventually go mad. Oedipus is not put into some fate machine and chewed around. Oedipus is subjected to his own curiosity and the play of his own gods.
According to Anouilh, a tragedy must be very clean, whereas a melodrama is sloppy in nature.
Tragedy is clean; it is restful; it is flawless.
As we saw earlier, both authors of both stories were born in different places and did many things. “The Sniper” sets in Dublin, Ireland, during a time of a bitter civil war. It was a war between the Republicans, which wanted Ireland to become ...
The basic plot of the story is based during an evening within the Irish civil wars. It tells of a republican sniper sitting on a rooftop and neutralising enemy units as the cross a bridge. When a free-states sniper shows himself on an opposite roof they wage a fierce and innovative war to see who would end up the better. Eventually the republican sniper gains the upper hand and after taking a bullet in the arm destroys the worthy opponent. After a curious inspection to the identity of the enemy sniper he finds himself looking into the eyes of his dead brother.
A Greek drama is a series of actions within a literary presentation in which the chief character has a disastrous fate. Many Greek dramas fall under the theatrical category of a tragedy due to the tragic events and unhappy ending that cause the downfall of the main character. During the famous play “Antigone” the Greek author Sophocles incorporated several features of a tragedy. These features include a morally significant dilemma and the presence of a tragic hero. The grand debate over which character can hold the title of the tragic hero has been discussed in the literary world for ages.
The story demonstrated the tough decision the snipers had to make in the war. The snipers had to go through a lot of hard training; it took a lot of dedication and motivation. Being a sniper is a very tough position they had many responsibilities. They had to protect their teammates over night while they traveled to their destination. Snipers had to stay put overnight without being able to leave their location to make sure their teammates do not get ambushed, sniped from the terrorist, or walk into a trap. The terrorist would set traps in the ground and the sniper would have to watch to make sure the Americans do not walk into it or they would catch them planting the bomb and kill them in the
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.
Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex introduced the one of the most important tragic heroes of Greek literature. First performed in the fifth century B.C.E., the play is centered around Oedipus, the king of the Greek city-state Thebes, and his struggle to conquer his emotions as he seeks out the true story of his life. This work, inspired by a well-known Greek myth, scrutinizes both the tragic flaws of Oedipus and his heroism. Examples of Oedipus’ tragic flaws abound in the play. In his condemnation of Tiresias and Creon, Oedipus is controlled by his emotions. However, the heroism of Oedipus is also an essential theme of the drama, though it is often downplayed. Despite this, careful analysis can uncover many instances in which Oedipus exhibits his heroism by attempting to control his emotions and discover the truth of his origins. In his finest moments, Oedipus is in complete command of his emotions as he searches for the truth, while at his nadir, Oedipus is completely controlled by his emotions and is absolutely unpredictable. This contrast is, in large part, what makes Oedipus a tragic hero. Oedipus, King of Thebes, is among the greatest Hellenistic tragic heroes because of his fight to overcome his greatest flaw, his uncontrollable anger, as he heroically searches for the truth.
“The Sniper” is a short story written by Liam O’Flaherty that was released on January 12, 1923 in an issue of a weekly socialist publication, called The New Leader. It’s a very easy read with a surprise twist at the end that I felt complimented what the author was trying to convey about civil wars. I enjoyed reading this story because of its militaristic and subtle political theme. It shows what humans are when conflict stirs. A huge downside to civil war is brought to the surface with this story’s surprise ending. I would recommend reading this because I believe it really shows the true nature behind wars and the effect it can have upon humans involved in wars. Being threatened for your life, a human can overcome unsurmountable feats with critical thinking and wit, but it’s not without its downfalls as this story shows.
Myths and religious doctrine are generally recognized as two entirely different things. Myths are usually referred to as a fictitious story or a half-truth; often they are stories shared between groups of people that are part of a cultural society. Religion is a set of beliefs concerning the cause, and purpose of the universe, and often containing an ethical code dictating appropriate human conduct. Although they differ in certain aspects, they still hold similarities. Comparable to parables within the Bible, myths have different versions which are both motivating, as well as entertaining. There are not only parallels to the idea of the stories but specific tales hold similar morals and equivalent characters.
The most common mythological theme across different cultures is the creation of humankind because everyone has always questioned how the earth was created and so forth. Creation myths are “usually applied to a mytho-religious story which explains the beginning of humanity, life, the earth and the universe as being the result of a deliberate act of supreme beings or being” ("Creation myths," 2007). Individuals from different cultures believe in a higher power known as God and they believe that the higher power is the creator of earth, animals and humankind, however each culture believe in different Gods but they all believe that God is the creator and that is the universal theme across different cultures.
The great Sophoclean play, Oedipus Rex is an amazing play, and one of the first of its time to accurately portray the common tragic hero. Written in the time of ancient Greece, Sophocles perfected the use of character flaws in Greek drama with Oedipus Rex. Using Oedipus as his tragic hero, Sophocles’ plays forced the audience to experience a catharsis of emotions. Sophocles showed the play-watchers Oedipus’s life in the beginning as a “privileged, exalted [person] who [earned his] high repute and status by…intelligence.” Then, the great playwright reached in and violently pulled out the audience’s most sorrowful emotions, pity and fear, in showing Oedipus’s “crushing fall” from greatness.
Mythology is defined two ways: a collection of myths, especially one belonging to a particular religious or cultural tradition (Oxford Dictionary) and as the study of myths (Oxford Dictionary). Myths are stories that are based on tradition and have significance to a culture. They are sacred tales that explain the world and a person’s experience. Some myths may have factual origins, while others may have fictional origins that explain religion or natural phenomenons. Many philosophers and scientists all over the world have tried to answer the questions that truly can’t be answered: what is the universe and how did it all begin, who am I, where did I come from, and why am I here? Myths and mythology try to provide people with heroic figures such as gods and goddesses—representing a person, place, or thing in a past, present, or future event—to help explain natural phenomenon’s and control civilization giving people a grasp on some type of reality.
Owen, E. T. "Drama in Sophocles' Oedipus Tyrannus." 20th Centruy Interpretations of Oedipus Rex. Ed. Micheal O'Brien. Englewood Cliffs, N. J.: Prentice-Hall, 1968. 33-35. Print.
This essay will illustrate the types of characters depicted in Sophocles’ tragic drama, Oedipus Rex, whether static or dynamic, flat or round, and whether protrayed through the showing or telling technique.
A modern tragedy of today and a tragedy of ancient Greece are two very different concepts, but ironically, both are linked by many similarities. In “Poetics”, Aristotle defines and outlines tragedy for theatre in a way that displays his genius, but raises questions and creates controversy. Aristotle’s famous definition of tragedy states:
“Oedipus the King” by Sophocles is a tragedy of a man who unknowingly kills his father and marries his mother. Aristotles’ ideas of tragedy are tragic hero, hamartia, peripeteia, anagnorisis, and catharsis these ideas well demonstrated throughout Sophocles tragic drama of “Oedipus the King”.