...Comic hero compared to a tragic hero Craig is considered to be a comic hero compared to Hamlet and Archilles who are a tragic hero. Comic heroes is a hero who recovers from their flaws, however tragic heroes do not recover from their flaw for the reason to do in some sort of heroic sacrifice. Craig seems to have a worthless life and suffers from depression. Wanting to commit suicide to end his misery he decides not to for his family. Craig shows considerate feelings and seeks for help. The support from his friends and family helps him open up to his flaw and change his view in life. Successfully, Craig is able to recover from his flaw and live. On the contrary, Achilles lives a superior life as a demi god, and is highly admired as a warrior. Unlike Craig, Archilles only cares for himself. However Archilles too suffers from a flaw, Archilles is hubris. Archilles fights for the Greeks for his name to be remembered but knows his death will come. Unfortunately Archilles does not recover from his flaw, there was none to help him, and is the reason why he dies. Similarly to Archilles, Hamlet is a prince of Denmark. With no help he too suffers from a flaw that he is not able to recover from: indecisive. Making many failed attempts to avenge his father it accumulates the problem. Although Hamlet achieves his goal, his inability to act at the beginning causes the life of himself and other friends and family. Craig, Archilles and Hamlet are all around the same age with privileged...
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...Thought and Structure of Comedy — The Tragic and the Comic fade into each other by almost insensible gradations, and the greatest beauty of a poetical work often consists in the harmonious blending of these two elements. Not only in the same drama may both exist in perfect unison, but even in the same character. Great actors generally have a similar quality, and frequently it is hard to tell whether their impersonations be more humorous or more pathetic. This happy transfusion and interchange of tragic and comic coloring is one of the characteristics of supreme art; it brings the relief along with the pain; it furnishes the reconciliation along with the conflict. Shakespeare seems to have taken a special delight in its employment. No principle of his procedure is better known or more fully appreciated. His tragedies never fail of having their comic interludes; his comedies have, in nearly every case, a serious thread, and sometimes a background with a tragic outlook. Life is not all gloom or all delight; the cloud will obscure the sun, but the sun will illumine the cloud — at least around the edges. Still, the Comic is not the Tragic, however subtle may be their intertwining, and however rapid their interaction. They rest upon diverse, and in some respects opposite, principles. Criticism must seek to explain the difference between them for the understanding, and must not rest content with a vague appeal to the feeling of beauty. Tragic earnestness springs from the deep ethical...
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...Timothy Cogan Dr. Lisa Altomari LIT-202-OL June 8, 2016 Humor in Dr. Faustas: Is it Effective? In any tragic play, or any other work of fiction, the author always attempts to offer respite to the audience by presenting comical acts or chapters. The literary phrase for such comic intervals is known as tragic relief. Tragedy or a solemn play is certain to build anxiety in the mind of the audience; and if this worry is not reduced from time to time it creates some sort of responsive sluggishness in the mind of the audience. The topmost reason of the insertion of the comical events is to offer a momentary easing of anxiety caused by the severe parts. Another theme is that there was also a insistent mandate from the side of Elizabethan audiences for such breaks. Therefore, dramatists had to present such scenes as the producers also required it for a prosperous run of the play. Christopher Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus is renowned as one of the masterworks of English theatre. This play unquestionably belongs to the tragic play, particularly the tragic past of Faustus himself, whose soul is taken off to his eternal damnation by devils at the end of the play. At the commencement of the play, Faustus is established already at the pinnacle of his worldly profession. He is already expert in all the present knowledge and talents. After receiving his degree of Doctorate, and learning all the significant branches of knowledge like Philosophy, Physics, Law, and Divinity recognizes that...
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...in its audience an accompanying catharsis or pleasure in the viewing.(Banham 1998, p. 1118.) Then what are Shakespearean tragedies? "Show me a hero and I will write you a tragedy." (F. Scott Fitzgerald) I also think this quote applies very well to William Shakespeare's works, for he has created such beautiful pieces of literature in the form of tragedies. There are several elements of Shakespearean tragedy. For example, Tragic hero, Tragic(Fatal) flaw, Internal and external conflict, Comic relief, The supernatural, The abnormality, Revenge, and Death etc. I am going to take a look at some of the elements of Shakespearean tragedy used in very famous plays, 'Hamlet' and 'Romeo and Juliet'. First of all, a 'Tragic flaw', by definition, is a personality trait that leads to the downfall of the protagonist. Hamlet is well aware of his fatal flaw from the beginning, he constantly questions himself on why he continues to delay the fulfillment of his duty. Hamlet finally acts to kill Claudius only after realizing that he is poisoned. But by putting off, his tragic flaw, leads to multiple death such as Polonius, Ophelia, Gertrude, Laertes, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern and himself, too. Second, Use of 'supernatural' elements is one of common characteristics of the Elizabethan drama. In Hamlet, the ghost of Hamlet's father who tells his son to avenge his death is introduced as a supernatural. Supernatural powers contribute to the fate of the protagonist. However, this is not solely...
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...Comic plays by William Shakespeare. Famous Comic Plays: As You Like It Comedy Of Errors Much Ado About Nothing Loves’ Labour’s Lost Merchant of Venice Two Gentle Men of Verona Taming of Shrew Tempest Twelfth Night Measure of Measure “Professional entertainment consisting of jokes and satirical sketches, intended to make an audience laugh”. Synonyms: light entertainment, comic theater, frace , situation comedy, satire, pantomime ,comic, opera “A movie, play, or broadcast program intended to make an audience laugh.” plural noun: comedies The Tragic and the Comic fade into each other by almost insensible gradations, and the greatest beauty of a poetical work often consists in the harmonious blending of these two elements. Not only in the same drama may both exist in perfect unison, but even in the same character. Great actors generally have a similar quality, and frequently it is hard to tell whether their impersonations be more humorous or more pathetic. Shakespeare seems to have taken a special delight in its employment. No principle of his procedure is better known or more fully appreciated. His tragedies never fail of having their comic interludes; his comedies have, in nearly every case, a serious thread, and sometimes a background with a tragic outlook. Life is not all gloom or all delight; the cloud will...
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...Measure and three other Shakespearean comedies, The Merchant of Venice, As You Like It, and Twelfth Night, also help to classify Measure for Measure as a comedy. In Measure for Measure, like in The Merchant of Venice, As You Like It, and Twelfth Night, an arbitrary law or obstacle is eventually overcome; a disguised character affects the outcome of the play; a clown adds humor to the plot; a female character bears a large responsibility for the final resolution; and forgiveness and reconciliation mark the conclusion of the action. Some critics consider Measure for Measure a "dark" play because of the serious obstacles encountered by the characters. However, doesn't The Merchant of Venice also have near-tragic hindrances that affect the comic plot? In The Merchant of Venice, Antonio's life is at stake because of his bond to Shylock, and in Measure for Measure, Claudio awaits execution for his fornication with Juliet. Comedy often begins with some kind of irrational...
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...Types of Drama Tragedy- a play written in a serious, sometimes impressive or elevated style, in which things go wrong and cannot be set right except at great cost or sacrifice. Aristotle said that tragedy should purge our emotions by evoking pity and fear (or compassion and awe) in us, the spectators. The tragic pattern: 1. a theme of fatal passion (excluding love) as a primary motive 2. an outstanding personality as center of conflict (classical tragedy demanded a “noble” character) 3. a vital weakness within the hero’s character (his tragic flaw which precipitates the tragedy) 4. the conflict within the hero is the source of tragedy. However, since Nietzsche, the tragic flaw is often found to be in the universe itself, or in man’s relationship to it, rather than in the hero himself. Comedy- a play written in a kindly or humorous, perhaps bitter or satiric vein, in which the problems or difficulties of the characters are resolved satisfactorily, if not for all characters, at least from the point of view of the audience. Low characters as opposed to noble; characters not always changed by the action of the play; based upon observation of life. Comedy and tragedy are concerned more with character, whereas farce and melodrama are concerned more with plot. Melodrama- a play in which the characters are types rather than individuals, the story and situations exaggerated to the point of improbability or sensationalism and...
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...Types of Drama Tragedy- a play written in a serious, sometimes impressive or elevated style, in which things go wrong and cannot be set right except at great cost or sacrifice. Aristotle said that tragedy should purge our emotions by evoking pity and fear (or compassion and awe) in us, the spectators. The tragic pattern: 1. a theme of fatal passion (excluding love) as a primary motive 2. an outstanding personality as center of conflict (classical tragedy demanded a “noble” character) 3. a vital weakness within the hero’s character (his tragic flaw which precipitates the tragedy) 4. the conflict within the hero is the source of tragedy. However, since Nietzsche, the tragic flaw is often found to be in the universe itself, or in man’s relationship to it, rather than in the hero himself. Comedy- a play written in a kindly or humorous, perhaps bitter or satiric vein, in which the problems or difficulties of the characters are resolved satisfactorily, if not for all characters, at least from the point of view of the audience. Low characters as opposed to noble; characters not always changed by the action of the play; based upon observation of life. Comedy and tragedy are concerned more with character, whereas farce and melodrama are concerned more with plot. Melodrama- a play in which the characters are types rather than individuals, the story and situations exaggerated to the point of improbability or sensationalism and...
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...If a struggle in the heart of the hero was introduced, it was like that of Morality plays. It was external as in the Jew of Malta because it was between the hero and his adversaries. Doctor Faustus attempted something different. It is a drama of spiritual combat within the soul of man. This struggle is certainly somewhat primitive in its expression but it is a foretaste of those inner characteristics towards which a drama in its development inevitably trends. Faustus in this respect is unquestionably the greatest tragic figure in sixteenth century outside the work of Shakespeare. It is also a modern tragedy because Marlowe broke away from the old Aristotelian concept of tragic hero as being a royal figure of some very lofty stature. He introduced Faustus who is not a prince or a king but a common learned man whose parents are base of stock. Tragic Flaw – cause of his tragedy According to Aristotle, the tragic hero must have some inherent weakness – a tragic flaw which he referred to as Hamartia. He should be neither totally vicious nor good. As per Doctor Faustus, he is puffed with pride and his wisdom. He has studied all branches of knowledge and wants to get infinite knowledge. The boundless mastery of all sciences. So, he acquires necromancy in order to gain the ultimate. He says, A sound magician is a mighty god: Here, Faustus, tire thy brains to gain a deity. Despite all his scholarly personality and his learning, we witness how he surrenders his soul to the Devil...
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...Looking to them to congratulate, to console, to argue, etc, they just need each other. Reproduction and protection from harm are obvious reasons to need someone, but greater meaning and understanding exude true reliance among people. This can be seen in the Peanut Comic, human nature, although Lucy tricks Charlie often he still believes in her. If Charlie Brown didn't believe here then he would indirectly see humanity as a failure. Later on in the Peanuts comic strip author Schultz introduces bible verses and Christianity showing the magnitude of his story's morals, if people can't believe In one another the way Charlie believes in Lucy then how can they believe in a superficial being? Schultz genius shows through his ability to convey meaning from a simple action of removing the ball when Charlie goes to kick it. This subtle failure leaves the reader to have a prerequisite belief that Lucy will move the ball every time, but each time the reader has a very small curiosity on whether she will love the ball. In society the human condition can be linked with tragic optimism, but is optimism truly tragic? Answers to these questions stem from humans need for reasoning. People...
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...however, there is more to these concepts than can come to one’s mind especially in drama. In tragedies there is often the downfall of a tragic hero whereas in comedies the unexpected rise of the comic protagonist is to be laughed at due to the wit and humor used. Tragedies end in catastrophe as seen in the death of Romeo and Juliet unlike in comedies where the conflicts are to be made fun of, for example in Sure Thing, Bill the comic protagonist, makes every possible mistake when trying to pick up a girl in a café, but somehow still ends up getting the girl after many attempts. Tragedies and comedies are mostly defined by the emotions they evoke in the public...
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...limitations rather than on human greatness” (John Morreal Comedy Tragedy and Religion). To what extent does Jez Butterworth focus on human weakness and ineptitude in his play ‘Jerusalem’? Jez Butterworth’s ‘Jerusalem’ creates a comic vision focusing on the ambiguities, turmoil and hypocrisies of the society presented on stage. Butterworth focuses on the characters’ degeneracies in which the form of humour tends to be the exposure of their unruly behaviour and their reluctance to conform to social norms. “The most basic difference between comedy and tragedy lies in its central characters, who are not heroes, and often, as with Shakespeare’s Falstaff, are anti-heroic” The key character Johnny ‘Rooster’ Byron partially embodies the idea of human limitation and anti-heroism; throughout the play this is uncovered between his portrayals of superiority. Butterworth has also constructed characters with significant weaknesses and flaws to be used as a tool of exploitation but also as a form of laughter to highlight his philosophical thoughts about the truths of society. The difference between this and any typical Shakespearean comic drama ensures that in every way possible the play is subversive and goes against norms not only within the text- but with universal comic traditions. The central protagonist Johnny, has otherworldly attributes linking back to elements of mythological rural England with ideas that he was “built into the land” with an overtone of Christian allegory ; he is also...
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...spectacle can be overdone, especially if a reason for the spectacle cannot be found. Language is the dialog or speech that makes up the story, and is used by characters to present the play to the audience. Aristotle lays out a very specific definition of what a tragedy should include, and how each element should be presented. He tells us that the tragedy must include these six elements and that they must be laid out in a logical manner. Aristotle sets up the framework for a tragedy that is used with or without the playwright’s knowledge for innumerable classical and modern plays. 3. Along with giving us the six elements of a tragedy, Aristotle also gives us four parts that should be included in a tragic hero. Sophocles’ character Oedipus is considered to be the classic example of a tragic hero. This is attributed to...
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...Famous people and works Ancient Greek society placed considerable emphasis on literature and, according to many, the whole Western literary tradition began there, with the epic poems of Homer. In addition to the invention of the epic and lyric forms of poetry, though, the Greeks were also essentially responsible for the invention of drama, and they produced masterpieces of both tragedy and comedy that are still reckoned among the crowning achievements of drama to this day. Indeed, there is scarcely an idea discussed today that has not already been debated and embroidered on by the writers of ancient Greece. The epic poems attributed to Homer are usually considered the first extant work of Western literature, and they remain giants in the literary canon for their skillful and vivid depictions of war and peace, honor and disgrace, love and hatred. Hesiod was another very early Greek poet and his didactic poems give us a systematic account of Greek mythology, the creation myths and the gods, as well as an insight into the day-to-day lives of Greek farmers of the time. The fables of Aesop represent a separate genre of literature, unrelated to any other, and probably developed out of an oral tradition going back many centuries. Sappho and, later, Pindar, represent, in their different ways, the apotheosis of Greek lyric poetry. The earliest known Greek dramatist was Thespis, the winner of the first theatrical contest held at Athens in the 6th Century BCE. Choerilus, Pratinas...
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...themselves with the inborn, unargued stupidity of older people and the life-affirming gaiety and resourcefulness of young ones. The lovers thread their way through obstacles set up by middle aged vanity and impercipience. Parents are stupid and do not know what it best for their children or themselves . . . [Romeo and Juliet] begins with the materials for a comedy - the stupid parental generation, the instant attraction of the young lovers, the quick surface life of street fights, masked balls and comic servants" (Wain, p. 107). Indeed, one could view Romeo and Juliet as a transitional play in which Shakespeare merges the comedic elements perfected in his earlier work with tragic elements he would later perfect in the great tragedies -- Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth, and King Lear. This mixture of styles ultimately hurts Romeo and Juliet, exposing the immaturity of the playwright. The heroes of the play must contend with external forces that impede their relationship, but, unlike the great tragic heroes, they are devoid of the inner struggle that makes for great tragedy. The influential Shakespearean scholar, A.C. Bradley, went so far as to neglect the play entirely in his well-known collection of lectures on the great tragedies, Shakespearean Tragedy. While no one can deny the merits of Shakespeare's powerful, inspired verse, the themes Shakespeare stresses in Romeo and Julietalso seem to reflect his immaturity as a writer. To understand properly who this is so, we must examine each...
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