Tragic Figures Essay Examples

136 total results

The Lack of Tragic Elements in Kate Chopin’s The Awakening (1243 words, 2 pages)

When we think of a tragedy, instantaneously the classic Shakespearean tragedy Romeo and Juliet springs into our mind. Thoughts of lost love and torments abound. The most human of emotions, sorrow, overwhelms us. We shudder, a chill creeps up our spine. We agonize over the tragedy, and the tragic figure. ... Read More

Excessive Pride in Sophocles’ Oedipus (558 words, 1 pages)

Can too much of a thing be bad? Where does one draw the line at how much is enough and what is over the top? Relating it to Sophocles, Oedipus' relentless drive to uncover the truth in Oedipus the King is both fueled by its firm determination and utter pride. ... Read More

Slavery and the Exposure of the Injustice in Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe and The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (1179 words, 4 pages)

Men or MartyrsWhen Harriet Beecher Stowe's book Uncle Tom's Cabin debuted in 1853, slavery remained a heated political concern and a day-to-day reality for millions. The novel all but promises an honest and unflinching look at slavery. It doubles as an abolitionist piece, aiming to expose the injustice of said ... Read More

Seeking Exercise towards Autonomy in a Patriarchal Society in Daisy Miller by Henry James, and Edna Pontellier in the Awakening by Kate Chopin (682 words, 3 pages)

Mankind will never be satisfied. Satisfaction for mankind can only be attained when there is harmony between the self and the relationship with others, including society and their role within society even when mankind achieves autonomy, mankind will achieve full happiness due to their inner conflict, however microscopic, between their ... Read More

An Analysis of Oedipus as a Tragic Hero in Sophocles’s Ancient Greek Play Oedipus Rex (648 words, 2 pages)

Oedipus Rex by Sophocles is a famous Greek play, where Oedipus is considered to be the tragic hero. According to Aristotle whom argues that the demise of a tragic figure " is brought about not by vice or depravity, but by some error of frailty", a tragic flaw. Oedipus does ... Read More

The Truth of Ahab’s Persona in Moby-Dick by Herman Melville (511 words, 2 pages)

Moby-Dick traces the battle of the Pequod against the forces of nature and the ships unyielding struggle against the harsh weather and treachery of the sea. At the vanguard of all these conspiring oceanic forces swims the white whale, Moby-Dick, which Captain Ahab so desperately seeks to conquer. However, shortly ... Read More

Hamlet as an Instrument of the Suffering of Others in the Play Hamlet by William Shakespeare (630 words, 3 pages)

(2003) According to critic Northrop Frye, Tragic heroes are so much the highest points in their human landscape that they seem the inevitable conductors of the power about them, great trees more likely to be struck by lightning than a clump of grass. Conductors may of course be instruments as ... Read More

Taking the Hero Out of Tragic HeroJane Smiley, in her novel A Thousand Acres, mirrors Shakespeares well known tragedy King Lear. Set in the slightly more modern setting of a small farm in Iowa, A Thousand Acres draws several parallels with King Lear, most notably in the main characters of ... Read More

The Changes in Women and Love in Jane Austen’s Persuasion (1426 words, 5 pages)

Change of ViewJane Austen (December 16,1775 July 18, 1817) lived in an era where marriage dictated the condition in which a person lived their adult life. A womans quality of life was decided solely through the status of her husband and apart from marrying, had few options in life in ... Read More

Describing the Tragic Hero in the Epic Poem, Paradise Lost (1324 words, 4 pages)

The tragic hero is a popular archetype of classic literature, generally referring to a character that embodies the qualities of a classic hero as well as a fatal flaw that dooms him to failure. In his epic poem Paradise Lost, John Milton illustrates Satan specifically as a tragic hero, which ... Read More

An Analysis of the Song America in the Movie the West Side Story (404 words, 2 pages)

The musical piece in West Side Story entitled "America" is one of the most memorable from the film. Although it may seem at first glance to be a relatively light hearted and fun song, and it's entertainment valuable is undeniable, there is also some level of satire in it. In ... Read More

An Analysis of the Character Development of the Tragic Hero Macbeth in William Shakespeare’s Play, Macbeth (1191 words, 6 pages)

Character development is one of the most important aspects of a play, and Shakespeare was extremely successful with this in most of his plays. When discussing whether Macbeth is a tragic figure in Shakespeares famed play Macbeth, the most important detail to remember is that Macbeth is a tragic play. ... Read More

Free Will vs Fate in Oedipus the King by Sophocles (1161 words, 4 pages)

The events in Oedipus the King, written by Sophocles, show an underlying relationship of man's free will existing within the cosmic order or fate which the Greeks believed guided the universe in a harmonious purpose. Man was free to choose and was ultimately held responsible for his own actions. Both ... Read More

General Information About Author Wolfgang Von Gothe (1908 words, 3 pages)

The purpose of this papers it to give general information about the author, Wolfgang von Goethe, and introduce as well as analyze the main character of one of his most influential works The Sorrows of Young Werther. The protagonist of this series of confessional letters, Werther, is in fact a ... Read More

An Analysis of Two Trains Running by August Wilson (790 words, 3 pages)

Two Trains Running, set in 1969, is August Wilson's most contemporary play to date. Like most of his plays, it unfolds in a single location--a diner in Pittsburgh. Memphis, the diner's owner, is struggling to get a fair price from the city which is buying up the entire neighborhood for ... Read More

An Analysis of Oedipus the King by Sophocles (2720 words, 4 pages)

Oedipus the King is perhaps one of the most famous and influential of Sophocles' plays. It is a tragic play which focuses on the discovery by Oedipus that he has killed his father and married his mother. On the surface of this drama there is, without a doubt, a tone ... Read More

The Pain of Looking Back in Oedipus the King by Sophocles (840 words, 1 pages)

Sophocles is perhaps one of the greatest tragedians ever. Sophocles said that a man should never consider himself fortunate unless he can look back on his life and remember that life without pain. For Oedipus Rex, looking back is impossible to do without pain. This pain stems from his prideful ... Read More

Dysart’s Character Analysis in Peter Shaffer’s Play Equus (1657 words, 3 pages)

David Siren4300BastienDysart, The Common Tragic Figure?Peter Shaffers play Equus reads like a true tragedy blending religion and adolescence while questioning societys civilized norms. Although Alan Strang seemingly suffers the most throughout the story, the true tragic figure in the play is Dysart, Alans psychiatrist. Dysart is forced to question everything ... Read More

A Literary Analysis of the Reasons for the Oedipus’ Ruin by Sophocles (837 words, 2 pages)

Oedipus' RuinSophocles is perhaps one of the greatest tragedians ever. Sophocles said that a man should never consider himself fortunate unless he can look back on his life and remember that life without pain. For Oedipus Rex, looking back is impossible to do without pain. This pain stems from his ... Read More

An Analysis of Conscience in Macbeth by William Shakespeare (531 words, 2 pages)

What Transforms Both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth Into Tragic Figures Is The Fact That They Both Have Consciences. Discuss.At the end of Macbeth, Malcolm refers to Macbeth and Lady Macbeth as, a dead butcher and a fiend like queen. Malcolm bases this judgement on the tyrannical rule and bloody murders ... Read More

The Influence of Laertes and Horatio to Hamlet’s Character (877 words, 2 pages)

In the play Hamlet, William Shakespeare uses the characters of Laertes and Horatio as foils to the tragic figure of Hamlet. Because Hamlet's character is in contrast to them, he becomes more vivid for the reader.In the lawless and poisonous "unweeded garden" , that is the court of Denmark, it ... Read More

An Introduction to Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman, a Play by Arthur MIller (1140 words, 5 pages)

Death of a SalesmanIn the play, Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman Willy Loman, asympathetic salesman and despicable father whos life is a casting off has some traitsthat match Aristotles views of a tragic hero. Willys series of ups and downs is identicalto Aristoles views of proper tragic figure a ... Read More

Triumph Over Tragedy in William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet (1256 words, 2 pages)

Andrew CappelloEnglish 181-11PMrs. McphersonNovember 12, 1996Triumph over tragedy When we think of a tragedy, instantaneously the classic Shakespearean tragedy Romeo and Juliet springs into our mind. Thoughts of lost love and torments abound. The most human of emotions, sorrow, overwhelms us. We shudder, a chill creeps up our spine. We ... Read More

Definition of Dream in Webster’s New World Dictionary as a Fanciful Vision of the Concious Mis (950 words, 4 pages)

Jay Gatsby The Dissolution of a DreamA dream is defined in the Webster's New World Dictionary as a fanciful vision of the conscious mind a fond hope or aspiration anything so lovely, transitory, etc. as to seem dreamlike. In the beginning pages of F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby, ... Read More

An Analysis of the Works of Sophocles (835 words, 1 pages)

Sophocles is perhaps one of the greatest tragedians ever. Sophocles said that a man should never consider himself fortunate unless he can look back on his life and remember that life without pain. For Oedipus Rex, looking back is impossible to do without pain. This pain stems from his prideful ... Read More

The Portrayal of Hedda Gabler as a Tragic Figure (804 words, 3 pages)

Hedda Gabler is a more modern tragic figure. Like Job, she has gone through pain and suffering. Just as many of the Greek tragic figures and Job confront their Gods, Hedda Gabler confronts the controlling forces in her life. She needs control and in order for her to gain control ... Read More

An Analysis of Oedipus’ Ruin In “Oedipus Rex” (943 words, 2 pages)

Oedipus' RuinSophocles is perhaps one of the greatest tragedians ever. Sophocles said that a man should never consider himself fortunate unless he can look back on his life and remember that life without pain. For Oedipus Rex, looking back is impossible to do without pain. This pain stems from his ... Read More

An Analysis of the Events in Oedipus the King by Sophocles (1150 words, 2 pages)

The events in Oedipus the King, written by Sophocles, show an underlying relationship of man's free will existing within the cosmic order or fate which the Greeks believed guided the universe in a harmonious purpose. Man was free to choose and was ultimately held responsible for his own actions. Both ... Read More

An Analysis of the Events in Oedipus the King by Sophocles (1152 words, 2 pages)

The events in Oedipus the King, written by Sophocles, show an underlying relationship of man's free will existing within the cosmic order or fate which the Greeks believed guided the universe in a harmonious purpose. Man was free to choose and was ultimately held responsible for his own actions. Both ... Read More

The Central Theme Is the Concept of Heroism in Greek Mythology (1248 words, 2 pages)

The concept of heroism is a central theme in Greek mythology. Achilles, the main character in Homer's The Iliad, accurately depicts the concept of a tragic hero. Throughout his many experiences during the Trojan War, he reflects heroic qualities, and earns his name as the purest, the highest and "the ... Read More