¶ … organized response topic options. 1. Discuss role religion literature Ancient, Middle, Renaissance periods, work period illustrate comments. How writer view God (gods)? How work view man's place universe.
Q2.Select two works from the readings for this course and demonstrate how each fits the definition of a tragedy. It is crucial that you understand and define in your response the elements that constitute tragedy and how each work fits those conventions.
The classical definition of a tragic hero is that of a great man brought low by a tragic, fatal flaw. Such is the case with Oedipus. Oedipus begins Sophocles' play as a great and respected king, widely beloved for freeing Thebes from control of the evil Sphinx. Oedipus is so confident in his ability as a leader that when a plague strikes Thebes, he vows to get to the bottom of the problem and exile the citizen who is responsible for bringing about the wrath of the gods. By the end of the play Oedipus has discovered the source of the curse upon...
But when Oedipus was born, his father was foretold his son's fate. His father abandoned him, but Oedipus was adopted by a humble family. When Oedipus learned of the terrible prophesy attached to him, he left the people he thought of as his family, only to run into his birth father on the road, quarrel with him, and kill him. Then, after solving the riddle of the sphinx, he married his mother, the widow of the former king of Thebes.
On one hand, it would seem that Oedipus lacks some of the dimensions of a tragic hero, because even before he is born and his character is known, his fate is sealed. His tragedy comes about because of the orchestration of the gods, not direct punishment for his evil actions. But in classical Greek thought, Oedipus' determination to flee from his fate and avoid the prophesy of the gods is hubris enough, and reason enough for him to be seen as a…
