Poetics

What facets are necessary to deem a character tragic? Characters in Sophocles’ Greek tragedy, Antigone, wholly encompass such factors. In Aristotle’s Poetics, he describes four characteristics that help make up a tragic character. However, the main concept in understanding a tragic character is to know that the character is not a victim. Of the essence of tragic characters, Aristotle states, “[They are] between two extremes - that of a man who is not eminently good and just, yet whose…

study. Writing in the last decade of the nineteenth century and the first decades of the twentieth, Mew’s poetry straddles the fin de siècle and early modernist periods. Thus Victorian and feminist approaches are used in examining her poetry. Mew's poetic voice is an integral link in women's writing from the end of the nineteenth century into the first two decades of the twentieth century in that it enables contemporary literary criticism to trace the outline of a women's tradition spanning…

the end of “The Birthmark” was tragic, it isn’t necessarily considered a tragedy. Given the circumstances, Aylmer and his tragic flaws are to blame for the tragedy at the end. A tragic flaw, or hamartia, was first referenced in Aristotle's work “Poetics”, where his idea is that it is an “error of judgement” that brings the character’s downfall. In Greek literature, there will almost always be tragic flaws, a trait in a character that ultimately leads to their downfall. This characteristic…

The Complexity within Tragic Heroes In an era filled with multifarious heroes, we usually refer to people, who cope with challenges undauntedly and eventually overcome those adversities on their paths, as heroes. Speaking of tragic heroes, however, while they embrace the same kind of virtues as heroes do, miserable destinies are always await ahead for them. As it was suggested by Aristotle, a hero of a tragedy usually evokes audiences pity or fear, through his "underserved misfortune".…

play itself is a tragedy, as many of Shakespeare’s plays are. Hamlet, being the main, central character of the play, is regarded as the so-called hero of the story. Aristotle, a renowned Greek philosopher, invented the idea of a tragic hero in his Poetics, a work on literary, dramatic theory. Though the character Hamlet does not originate from Greek literature, he, by Aristotle’s criteria, encompasses the qualities of a tragic hero. Hamlet, too, is an Aristotelian tragic hero. “Lord Hamlet is a…

that a tragic hero must possess three characteristics, and Oedipus, being a person of high estate, acquainted with hamartia, and falling from his position and happiness would easily be considered an Aristotelian tragic hero. Aristotle, in his book, Poetics, proposed three characteristics that a character must have in order to be considered a tragic hero. The first is that the character must be “of high estate” (Kennedy and Gioia 2013). This could be achieved either by being part of the…

Tragedy is as prominent today as it was during its origins in ancient Greece. It is a dramatic and literary archetype that instills a dreary ambience within various works of literature. Through the characterization, it “treats in a serious and dignified style the sorrowful or terrible events encountered or caused by a heroic individual” (Britannica). Although, tragedy was originally intended for the stage, it has been utilized by numerous literary works. The origins of the term, Tragedy are…

Looking Closer “I care for no man on earth, and no man on earth cares for me”: a thoughtful and poetic outlook on life as we know it (89). Taking place in Paris and England, A Tale of Two Cities, a novel, written by Charles Dickens, displays an opposition of personalities between the two main characters in the novel. Sydney Carton is a miserable lawyer’s assistant who has no reason to live, while Charles Darnay is an optimistic former Aristocrat of France who makes rash decisions. These two…

Within literature, tragedy is generally exemplified by a grave and unfortunate situation that is inflicted onto a heroic figure, causing emotions of sorrow and pity for its audience. Today tragedies can be delivered in various literary forms, yet centuries ago a tragedy exclusively pertained to stage performances. The iconic plays of Oedipus the King by Sophocles and Hamlet by William Shakespeare are examples of two traditional tragedies from two different eras, Greek and Elizabethan. It’s due…

Shaneka King Dr. Reed December 27, 2017 English 201-61 Poetic Prince Most would say Prince was one of the greatest musical artists of all time. He was a great poet and lyricist. Growing up, I thought musical lyrics were a form of poetry. I have always looked at most songs as some form of poetry. There are different styles of poetry so it can easily be said that music is a form of poetry. After reading the articles and watching the videos, I still consider most musical lyrics to be a form of…