An Evolution of Tragedy
An “imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and has sufficient size, in a language that is made sweet…exciting pity and fear, bringing about a catharsis of such emotions,” is now Aristotle defined tragedy (trans. Gudeman). Basic Greek tragedies, like Sophocles’ Antigone, have transformed through the centuries. Shakespeare’s King Lear displays a blatant evolution of character, theme, and plot structure. This, in turn, caused a revolution in the genre, providing a new audience with new interests and economic stature. More complex standards were set for tragedies to come. In Antigone Sophocles created a story lacking complexity for the most part. This left the audience to simply experience the play and not have to do much contemplation along the way. There was no sub-plot in Antigone, which also aids in the simplicity of this piece. This provides a basic example of works from this time period. King Lear has a more intricate plot than that of Antigone. The main plotline of the story involves a king named Lear who banished his daughter Cordelia. Lear also has two other daughters, Regan and Goneril, who have split his former kingdom. Their marriages to Cornwall and Albany diverge into their own subplot, if you will, but th . . .
” (Watling 383) Antigone is the heroine who just wants a proper burial for her brother Polynices. This is no idle threat; the punishment for disobedience is death by stoning. And now is the time to show whether or not you are worthy of your high blood. This sub-plot is deeply involved and serves as a perfect example of the complexity of Shakespeare’s King Lear. Antigone addresses the predicament of the story when she states “But Polynices, just an unhappily fallen – the order says he is not to be buried, not to be mourned; to be left unburied, unwept, a feast of flesh for keen-eyed carrion birds. “I am sure my love’s more ponderous than my tongue. The individuals in King Lear show more personality and develop throughout the play more than those of Antigone. These classes rarely were ever in the same building, except for the day when a play was in the theater. ” (Watling 412) Unfortunately, Lear comes to his end in the final scene, while Creon is left to mourn the deaths of his wife and son forever. King Creon forced Antigone to choose between the law and her personal beliefs. The characters of Antigone and King Lear overlap in some respects and the evolution from Antigone to King Lear is evident. Through time, characters have become more three-dimensional, like real people one would meet in everyday life. “There is no man can bear this guilt but I. This also introduces a number of different emotions to the audience, and not all of these are stem from pity and fear.
Common topics in this essay:
King Lear, Plays Sophocles, Teiresias Creons, Cordelia Edgar, Creon Yes, Poor Tom, King Creon, Lear Lear, Unfortunately Lear, Antigone Sophocles, king lear, antigone king lear, poor tom, antigone king, creon lear, pity fear, shakespeares king, elizabethan times, king creon, regan goneril, everyday life, shakespeares king lear, |
Acceptance Essays
