Hamlet is More Tragic than Antigone - 1065 Words

Aristotle views tragedy as an â€Å"imitation of an action that is serious,complete and of a certain length and scope in language pleasurably embellished with each kind of artistic ornament† (Gassner 23).The audience should be introduced to a story which, even when merely told, it produces a thrill of horror and pity and a kind of pleasure and is most effective between kindred . Aristotle lays out Aristotle lays out specific ingredients to a tragedy including a plot, characters, thought (intellect), diction and song. This paper will analyze William Shakespeare’s Hamlet and how it is more tragic then Sophocles, Antigone, by reflecting on the ingredients in Aristotles view of tragedy. Aristotle believes that the most†¦show more content†¦Creon orders guards to find the buried body and unbury it. Antigone finds her brother’s uncovered body and tries to rebury it again. Creon sentences Antigone into a cell. Teiresias orders Creon to bury the body, Creon listens to him and finds Antigone’s body dead in the cell. Haemon, Antigones fiancà © and Creons son, kills himself with his own sword upon seeing. These actions lead into one another, they are all actions of suffering and dismay. Again, Aristotle believed that â€Å"a tragedy is defined as an imitation of an event that is serious, complete, and possessing magnitude...(Gassner 19). In Hamlet it is evident that this is a serious play that possess much magnitude. The actions, consequently, revolves around the event of a king, and the seriousness present in the play involves Hamlets desire to enact revenge on his fathers murderer. Hamlet being the protagonist in the play, is the agent of the action, he is revolved around sets of chains of events that eventually decides Hamlets fate. Tragedies according to Aristotle, must effect â€Å"through pity and fear† (Gassner 23), in the play Hamlet this play certainly evokes pity and fear to the situations he was in. In particular his fathers murder, his mothers marriage with his uncles, he accidentally kills the wrong person,Ophelias death and his death is plotted theseShow MoreRelatedAristotle s The Tragic Hero1561 Words   |  7 Pagesclaims four requirements for the tragic hero. The hero must be good. The hero must have appropriate quality of his or her gender and class. The hero must be true to life. Lastly, the hero must be consistent. These four characteristics are present in many tragic heroes. However, there are so many different authors with different interpretations of the tragic hero, that to define the tragic hero with merely four traits is not plausible. Aristotle defines the tragic hero in a way too simple manner.Read MoreThe Tragic Hero Of Sophocles Antigone1805 Words   |  8 Pagesforefront of Greek tragedies was Sophocles. One of Sophocles most famous pieces of work is, Antigone. Written in 440 B.C in Athens, Greece, Sophocles uses this play to dramatize a series of events that unfolds when pride becomes more important than loyalty to family. Contr oversy still remains today of whom the tragic hero of Antigone is, but some scholars believe that Antigone herself is the tragic hero. Antigone goes past conventional expectations to stand up for her brother, Polyneikes. The decisionRead MoreA Long Narrative Poem That Is About Heroic Deeds And A1631 Words   |  7 Pagesinterested in the story. A tragic hero is defined as a literary character looked at as a hero but makes poor judgment and end up at their demise. A tragic hero has the ability to perform great actions but at the same time their flaws can be the downfall of a story. They end up either dead or in jail. Many factors can play a major role in why they fell but as a reader we look for key points. Two major epic poems that represent a tragic demise would be â€Å"Antigone† and the story of â€Å"Hamlet†. Both heroes haveRead MoreThe Importance Of Tragedy In Hamlet769 Words   |  4 Pagesobservation that a tragedy is something that is more than just sad. Mil ler argues that tragedy is not a ‘pessimistic’ view on an event, but it allows for â€Å"the reinforcement of the onlookers brightest opinions of the human animal†. Since humans are not in control of his/her own fate, unfortunate things are bound to happen. However, the human spirit that is able to withstand catastrophe allows for hope. In the play Hamlet, Shakespeare presents his tragic hero, Hamlet, as a noble figure who is to be admiredRead MoreClassical Tragedies And Romantic Tragedies2060 Words   |  9 PagesRomantic tragedies were not bound by stories of myth and legend. Morality had ebbed and flowed and was now more lucid than ever before. Playwrights were given the opportunity to take from a wide selection of human events and create new forms of tragedy rather than producing sterile imitations of overdone myth and legend. â€Å"He may even mingle the serious and the comic and produce tragic-comedy, like Hamlet, or serious comedy, like Measure for Measu re† (Gerhard 18). This provides spectacular comparisons inRead MoreTragic Hero1598 Words   |  7 PagesTragic Hero From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia A tragic hero is a protagonist with a tragic flaw, also known as fatal flaw, which eventually leads to his demise. The concept of the tragic hero was created in ancient Greek tragedy and defined by Aristotle. Usually, the realization of fatal flaw results in catharsis or epiphany. The tragic flaw is sometimes referred to as an Achilles heel after the single fatal flaw of the Greek warrior Achilles. [citation needed] Aristotelian tragicRead MoreThe Tragic Heroes Of Hamlet And Oedipus1801 Words   |  8 PagesThe Tragic Heroes Hamlet and Oedipus A hero in a drama is the focus point throughout the story, someone who technically saves life’s and carries pride within them. In Hamlet by Shakespeare and Oedipus Rex by Sophocles they simply create a tragic hero due to their stories having a twist in what a hero turns out to be at the end of the dramatic stories. They have similar issues as well as they have their differences in their stories. Shakespeare and Sophocles create a similar touch to their dramaticRead MoreThe Renaissance and It’s Affect on William Shakespeare’s Works2369 Words   |  10 PagesRenaissance practices and beliefs to make his plays more relatable and sophisticated; and by using Greek and Roman influences, the ability to explore new characters, and incorporating many different Renaissances ways, that is what he accomplished. William Shakespeare is often referred to as Englands â€Å"National Poet† due to the amount of work he has produced and the widespread love of it, Shakespea re has written 38 plays, 154 sonnets and many more poems and all of his plays have been translated intoRead MoreHumanities Test4641 Words   |  19 PagesA famous speech by Shakespeares Falstaff questions the value of: honor 1.   ( T or F ) Aristotle considered plot more important than character or thought. True 2.   ( T or F ) Aristotle was both a theater critic and a philosopher. True 3.   Aristotles famous analysis of tragedy is found in a work called: The Poetics 4.   Aristotles work on comedy is how long? 5 acts long 5. What did the Commedia dellearte specialize in? 6.   What is satire? a literary genre or form, although in practiceRead More Hamlet and Horatio Essay2353 Words   |  10 PagesHamlet and Horatio  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚   When reading Shakespeares Hamlet, one becomes involved with a number of relationships involving Hamlet (the tragic protagonist) and the main characters supporting the play. The characters involved include, but are not limited to, Hamlet (the ghost), former King of Denmark and deceased father to the protagonist; Horatio, friend to Hamlet; Gertrude, Queen of Denmark and mother to Hamlet; and Ophelia, daughter of Polonius and romantic interest to Hamlet. Although all