Dramatic Techniques in “Oedipus the King” Essay

Sophocles was one of the most celebrated playwrights of his time, writing more than 100 plays to captivate and delight his ancient Greek audiences. Today, although only seven plays remain, his work continues to be enjoyed, evoking a variety of emotions and passions from his meaningful and disturbing tragedies, proving that he revolutionised the face of drama. One of Sophocles most legendary plays, Oedipus the King, demonstrates his outstanding writing skill, by the number of techniques he incorporates, such as dramatic irony, symbolism and his usage of the Chorus. Dramatic irony is a prominent device used in many tragedies. It allows the audience to feel a sense of privilege and engagement in the play and develops an alliance between the dramatist and the spectators, so that mere curiosity is not the only aspect keeping the viewers interested. Such tragedies containing dramatic irony include Othello, Romeo and Juliet and Time in the Conways by J.B. Priestley. In Oedipus the King, everyone in the audience knows from the beginning that Oedipus has killed his father and married his mother, not only from the prologue, but due to the fact that the basic story of Oedipus was a well known myth of the time. The tension of the play, then, builds up from Oedipus slow but foreseeable advancement towards this horrifying self-knowledge. Watching Oedipus fate unfold, the audience associates with the protagonist, vividly sharing the horror of the reversal he suffers and recognising the command that fate has. By relating with the audience, Sophocles accomplished the catharsis that Aristotle thought was so essential. One scene in particular illustrates an obvious example of dramatic irony, when Oedipus is addressing his people about the plague they are suffering. And while you suffer, none suffers more than I. You have your several griefs, each for himself;But my heart bears the weight of my own, and yoursAnd all my peoples sorrows. I am not asleep.(Lines 51-54)Oedipus relates that he suffers from the fact that his people are sick, however, the viewers know its double meaning, that, although he does not know it he suffers from another type of sickness- that of being contaminated with the crimes of incest and murder, and actually, in the end  he does suffer from the shame of his people, therefore carrying their grievances. Dramatic irony increases a sense of suspense among the audience as they wait for the inevitable, foreshadowing what is to be the climax of the story; that destructive moment of realisation which is the basis of most Greek tragedies. However, apart from their base knowledge of the Oedipus legend, the audience is unaware of the order and particulars of the play, therefore a medium is needed to relate between the audience and the drama on stage. In Greek theatre this comes in the form of the Chorus. The major roles of the Chorus are to commentate and to react fittingly to the events onstage. They provide the audience with clarification and reinforce the morals of the play, reacting in a way the ideal spectators should react. The Chorus in Oedipus the King are wise Theban elders who long for stability and composure among their society, advising Oedipus to Be merciful and learn to yield in order to keep peace between himself and Creon, and in lines 875-894 they essentially exclaim that man should not try to rebel against fate, law or the gods. They also tend to keep the continuity and urgency of the play alive by summarising and foreshadowing particular events; Why has the Queen, sir, left us in such deep passion? / I fear some vile catastrophe will out†¦ The Chorus is also a tool Sophocles used to influence and control the audiences reaction because the Chorus were, in terms of status, personality and attitudes and values, very similar to the audience therefore they felt implied to feel how the Chorus was feeling. In this respect, the spectators were taking part in the play since the Chorus represented their voice. In Oedipus the King the last words are spoken directly to the viewers by the Chorus; a final summary and confirmation of tragedy, they state that all men are to be wretched until the day they die. In this tragedy the Chorus is a symbol of the common ideologies of the time and other symbols aid in giving meaning to the drama and allowing viewers to delve deeper into the plot. Symbolism is a method of revealing ideas or truth through the use of symbols. In Oedipus the KingSophocles uses symbolism in a number of instances, proving his great ability as a playwright. As mentioned, symbolism gives depth to drama, and although symbolism may not have been evident to the  ancient Greeks when viewing the play, on reflection these clues may have come known, revealing a whole new outlook of the play. In this particular tragedy sight is a consistent symbol throughout the text and it occurs both literally and metaphorically. In the beginning, clear sighted Oedipus sees only what he wishes to and is blind to the grave truth of his past (and future). He seems to pity Tiresias physical blindness more than he marvels at his gift, treating it as a significant disability and using it against him. Living in perpetual night, you cannot harm me, nor any man else that sees the light. Consequently when Oedipus comes to know of the truth he blinds himself in order to escape the shame of his children. As soon as this happens we see a change in his character; he becomes more modest and although the chorus thinks only of the hurting Oedipus must be in- Foulest disfigurement that I ever saw! O cruel, insensate agony!(lines 1298-1300) -Oedipus makes no mention of physical pain. Another symbol is that of a crucial decisive moment in the play, the three cross roads where Laius is murdered. The symbol of the crossroads shows us how although Oedipus was destined to a certain thing he did have some free will- if his character had allowed him to stay calm in the situation with Laius, Oedipus may have been better off. A further symbol is Oedipus swollen feet and his name. The link between Oedipus name and his ankle is vital because it proves that Oedipus was the child that was left to die and therefore the one whom the oracles prediction was made to. It also gives a lasting physical proof in the form of his limp that he has had from birth. In addition to this feet are a symbol for humans in this play-the Sphinx riddle demonstrates this, therefore the meaning of Oedipuss swollen feet could also describe his flaw as a human being. Through the study of some of the techniques Sophocles engaged in his plays, his aptitude and flair as playwright has become apparent and have most definitely helped his plays succeed throughout history. Dramatic irony kept viewers interested in the plot and increased suspense, symbolism gave depth to the plot and the Chorus developed the plays ability to universalise, by enabling the audience to relate to the feelings of the Chorus and the protagonist. When it was written it was, in the opinion of Aristotle, one of the greatest tragedies. Today, although attitudes and values have changed,  it has the same effect and it is still said to be original tragedy from its universal techniques and morals.

Conflict and Reconciliation Essay

A state primarily consists of three vital things, without which a state would no longer be called a state. These three things namely – people, territory and government. The three of them are dependent and interdependent on each other. It is difficult to have them separated and be considered as the sole cause of a problem. The territory is not in our hands, this is the land that we got after independence. The government is what runs the country, but, there is nothing that we, citizens can do. All we get to do is elect a representative party of the government every four years. And lastly, we have the people of the country. This is yet another vital component of a state. Without this, a state would be a deserted piece of land. (Muller, 2005) There have been instances where the so-called people of the land are not one. In fact, there have been conflicts between the people. Well, there are a lot of conflicts. But it is never the conflict that is harmful, it is never the clash of ideas that breaks the country, but the behavior of the conflict is what drives people away from being one. Once there is a rift between them, there is no going back. It is difficult to bring the people out from their then built in schemas. After a conflict which has taken out peace form one sect of the country, it is difficult to have them stop stereotyping the other one. There is a key word that I have used in the previous sentence. The word sect caught my attention as soon as I was done writing the sentence. I ask myself, is our country divided into sects? Is that what is causing the conflict? Is it the cause of the rifts that take place every day? Is it the cause of the grudges built in people? Is this what makes them stereotype others that are not in their sect? Well, after hours of pondering, I say yes. This is why we are not one. This is exactly why we can not have a civil discussion among people of different sects without having any clash of ideas. The division of sects in the country is the very reason of as to why we give the term â€Å"Many Americas† to this country. Let’s consider a couple of examples that might invoke us and might bring us to a conclusion that the division of people into sects is not the only cause of the so-called â€Å"Many Americas†. There is no doubt that we have different communities in this country. Well, every nation does, it is not like our nation is different from the rest. It is just that we do not have to over look the priorities and the benefits of the sects that are small in number. It is human nature to consider the things that are obvious and are right in front of us. Although it is not right not to consider the sects that are in minority. Lets take an example of the people contemporarily living in the country. We have a lot of Indians present, some are working, some are studying and some are living as illegal immigrants. In fact a lot of them are living as illegal immigrants. Definitely, the clash of ideas and compromise has to be there. Without compromise, the clash of ideas between them, will grow and will soon develop into huge unsolved rifts. This is just one trivial example. Just to mention that I am not considering the illegal immigrants, who are staying in the country because they want to and not because they can stay? Their story is pretty different. If they can not be hired for any job because they do not hold a passport or a green card or hold a long expired visa – well, they are to blame. There are different cultures, different religions, different races, cultures, beliefs, doctrines, creed, color. There is so much that has been separating us. This is what people usually say. I do not second their notion. It is highly incorrect for them to say that if some one is in the minority, they do not belong to this nation. If some one has a different skin color than me, they are just different. Well, I say such people are nothing but shallow. There is not much that we can do to make them turn around and understand that although there are people of different doctrines living in the same piece of land as us, but they are still Americans, they are still a part of us. Just telling them that they are wrong is not going to change any thing. The schemas that people develop and stick to the fore front of the minds of the people, do not just develop in a day. It takes a lot of years to develop them and it takes just seconds to make them even worst. By this I mean that it is difficult to drive the schemas out, however, it is not difficult to build upon them. It is easier said than done. Many Americas is not many, its just one. It’s a matter of perception. Let’s take a trivial yet crucial example of the positive instances never being counted or accounted for. I was with my friends at the beach. The Indians at school are known for stealing trinkets from the kids at school. My friend’s watch got stolen from our spot. We were all worried and the first thing that she did was point â€Å"I† for stealing it. Lets take â€Å"I† as the Indian girl who was blamed. Just because she was around our spot at the beach does not necessarily mean that she stole it. Well, she was embarrassed and humiliated in front of all the kids there. It was a school trip so all the kids from school were there. Her entire bag was toppled; all the things inside it were forcibly thrown out of it. I tried to stop my friend but, she would just not let it go; it was an expensive watch. Well, at the end we found out that some one’s dog took it. But the point of the entire story is that she did not do it. Even after the incident, they all still blamed the Indians for taking away things ever time something got lost. It is not a matter to be proud of. We are all one. We are all one nation. It is ok to share the same piece of land with some one who is a little different from us. Although this was just one example, there are many others that I will be mentioning about in the final paper. The entire point of this rough draft is that no matter how different one may be, we are all living and sharing the same piece of land. The belief that this is my land more that it is yours just because there are more people like me on this land than you; this idea is to be driven out of our heads as soon as we can before matters worsen. There is not much that we can do to make them forget the existing schemas and understand that although there are people of different doctrines and beliefs, living in the same piece of land we are, but they are still Americans, just like us and they are still a part of us. We all together make this nation. It is not just one sect or two, it is many Americas that make this beautiful, peaceful country, our country. And just telling those people that they are wrong is not going to change any thing. The schemas that people develop and stick to the fore front of the minds of the people, do not just develop in a day. It takes a lot of years to develop them and it takes just seconds to make them even worst. By this I mean that it is difficult to drive the schemas out, however, it is not difficult to build upon them. Hence, we are altogether one nation no matter how many creeds and sects our nation has. Reference: David J. Whittaker, Conflict and Reconciliation in the Contemporary World Gilbert H. Muller, Many Americas Reading and Writing across the Cultural Divides

History of the U.S. - Iran relations Term Paper

History of the U.S. - Iran relations - Term Paper Example The diplomatic relationship between the two countries were not established till 1857, and by 1930, the two countries had minimal but cordial contact. After the Second World War, since 1953, America was the strongest ally of the Shah of Iran.It is important to understand that Iran was undergoing tremendous internal political and social changes during the late nineteenth and twentieth century. It was hitherto a stable nation resistant to change. During this time, the foreign involvement of Britain and Russia signaled radical changes in the social and political systems of Iran. It was perhaps for this reason that Iran tried to improve diplomatic relations during this period with the US because of its anti-colonizing stance and its attractive foreign policy towards Third World Countries. The establishment of the American Diplomatic Mission in 1833 was a result of the increasing missionary presence in Tehran. It also sought financial expertise from the US in 1911 and 1925. In the early 19 20’s, Reza Khan overthrew the ruling Ahmad Shah and the traditional Iranian system, both. He secularized Iranian politics and attempted to lay down the foundation of modern economy and infrastructure. However, he did not have the tools to bring about this radical transformation in the social as well as political systems organically; therefore: ‘Force became the method to achieve political and economic ends’. (Alikhani, 2000, p.6) In spite of this, Iran prospered under the rule of the new Shah and his son, Muhammad Reza Pahlavi, who ascended the throne in 1941. At that time, western Iran had fallen under the control of Soviet Union and the United Kingdom. The Soviet troops had stationed themselves after the war and refused to leave the country. However, under the pressure of the UN and the US, in 1946, it withdrew its troops. The US continued its support to the Shah under the Kennedy administration that brought about tremendous economic growth, also known as the W hite Revolution, by exporting oil from the vast petroleum reserves of Iran, which at that time were the third largest in the world. However, the Iranian people were not happy and extreme poverty, particularly in the rural areas instigated hatred for the ruler of Iran and its ally, the US. It was believed that the Shah was an American agent and the huge American army deployed in Iran was not to defend the nation from external interventions; rather it was there to protect the Shah from his own people. It paved way for the Islamic Revolution in Iran and Imam Khomeini came into power. By then, people had had developed deep hatred for America for whatever evil had happened to their country during the past 25 years. So, the seeds had been planted long before November 1979, when the Shah of Iran was overthrown and Islamic Revolution in Iran was heralded. When the radical Muslim students of Tehran seized the US embassy and took the staff hostage in 1979; that proved to be the turning point in the US-Iran relationship. While the American diplomats were made hostage for 444 days, Khomeini availed this time in reforming the system of the government, and having done all such tasks like holding the presidential and parliamentary elections in Iran, which have been otherwise impossible. On the other hand, it destroyed whatsoever diplomatic relations the two countries had, and the US imposed economical and other sanctions on Iran. The punishment of Iran by the US continues even today. Since 1981, the Swiss government assumed representation of US interests in Tehran; while the embassy of Pakistan in Washington DC handles Iranian affairs in the Iranian Interests Section. The Islamic Republic of Iran also has a permanent mission to the United Nations in New York. Description of the Current Situation Since 2002, IAEA is striving to convince Iran to abide by the Non Nuclear Proliferation Treaty Safeguards Agreement in order to ensure peace in the region. However, it continues to d isregard the few agreements it has signed with IAEA. The

To which Performance Appraisal Meets the Requirements of the Essay

To which Performance Appraisal Meets the Requirements of the Organization for Improved Performance from Employees - Essay Example This paper discusses the pertinent understanding of the performance appraisals and how these have meant pure value for the organizations when they are trying to encourage their employees as well as to keep a check in terms of uplifting their morale. The performance appraisal system has gained worldwide recognition because it is accepted everywhere. It is the basis of determining which areas are the most strongest and where a general sense of lacking was observed throughout the year. The employees are monitored annually which means that their entire year’s working regimes are scrutinized properly and then only a solution is found out which shall solve their quandaries if they had any during the last year (Booth, 2006). If they met their targets and achieved outstanding results, then there is reason enough to believe that the performance appraisal worked in essence, and it gained what it really had to achieve in the long term scheme of things. The performance appraisal is such a n important barometer for finding out the areas where more success could be achieved and where negativities could be subsided. This is the reason why the performance appraisal system has been given the legal cover that it richly deserves, and its clauses have been backed up by research, evidence and logic. The past records have been adequately understood before a decision is made to find out where the employees went wrong and what have been the areas that they have not been able to tap (Donovan, 2011). Moving further ahead, these performance appraisals highlight how good the employees have been as well. Even the minutest of their successes and achievements are highlighted and projected to the employers who now have to make a decision as to whether the employees deserve a raise, a promotion or any other financial lift-up. This is because the performance appraisals are usually very daring and look to find the positives and negatives in a cut throat fashion. There are not any negatives that will not be covered during the length of the performance appraisals and this has been duly mentioned within the coining up of the performance appraisals. The people who are drafting these performance appraisals have to take into consideration a number of areas so that the employees do not feel left out of the whole equation and believe in getting what they truly deserve (Shaw, 2011). It is their collective effort which counts for the work to become better and more organized within the contexts of the organization. The employees therefore receive what they want to achieve if they have given their best and made the organization aware of their endeavors, efforts and undertakings. This shall solve quite a lot of problems that other performance related systems might just skip. Maximizing individual performance is the need of the hour as far as the organizations are concerned. This is because individual performance can only be enhanced and improved upon if whole-hearted and concerte d efforts are put into place (Beer, 2011). This has been proven true with the advent of time and much success will eventually

Manets painting The Ragpicker Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Manets painting The Ragpicker - Essay Example Instead, they find no problem and spend that money on beautiful and attractive architecture buildings that is everyone’s envy. And in this poem, the elder boy comes to the realization that it is only those people who are not like him who enters this beautiful house. Precisely, it is not for the poor to enter the facility. Further, the poem points out at the wide division between the poor and the rich. The poor is viewed as dirty and vile. Baudelaire’s Poem enlightens the readers of the problem existing in the society, the impoverished v.s. The wealthy but leaves it upon to people to do what they feel about it. Similarly, the communist manifesto discusses the division of the society into two social classes: the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. It goes even deeper to define the division by espousing the other perspectives like free man and slave; plebian and patrician; serf and lord among others (Engels, Friedrich, & Karl Marx, 2). The communist manifesto vents out about the antagonism between the bourgeoisie and proletariats. It discusses how the differences bring about conditions of oppression meted out at the poor in the society. It highlights how to struggle to become rich is killing values social ties among families and religious morals that the society had.   The struggle between the two social classes has made the relationship between people be defined by money. Both readings tackle the realism of life and how social classes brings about suffering and struggles in the society.

Analyze and interpret the piece answering the appropriate questions Essay

Analyze and interpret the piece answering the appropriate questions from the Questions to Ask of Art - Essay Example This paper basically analyzes the first movement, which follows the â€Å"Adagio sostenuto (slow and sustained)† tempo, which is played in â€Å"pianissimo (very soft)† with the loudest tune being â€Å"mezzoforte† (Miller 2). The song follows a â€Å"dotted rhythm melody† and comprises the technique of â€Å"lamentation,† which is accompanied by a â€Å"triplet rhythm ostinato† (Miller 2). The song makes use of a sole instrument, the pedalier piano, with no additional instruments or voices performing the piece. While analyzing the song, composed in sonata form, a listener notices a second theme at 1:10, the development which starts around 1:51 and the recapitulation  at 3:04. Interestingly, there is a transition between different keys, however the basic melody and rhythm remain the same, thus giving the â€Å"impression of grave meditation† (Miller 2). The Moonlight Sonata was published and performed in the year â€Å"1802,† and dedicated to Beethoven’s beloved, his seventeen year old pupil â€Å"Countess Giulietta Guicciardi,† (Miller 2). Listening to this piece of music truly makes me understand why it has grown so popular since its composition more than 200 years ago. The unusual form of the composition makes it standout from other sonatas and I agree with Rellstab, as he says that the song reminds him of a â€Å"boat visiting, by moonlight, the primitive landscapes of Lake Lucerne† (Silverman 15). Although I have not visited that particular lake, I can still relate to that image and the song somehow inspires in me a feeling of self reflection, where I want to revisit the painful events of my past and simply let go of them. This composition is truly a work of art that portrays the internal struggles Beethoven faced with his hearing loss. Across the Universe is a hit song from the album ‘No One’s Gonna Change Our World,’ released by The Beatles on 1969. There are different versions to the song, however, the psychedelic folk appeal coupled

Torture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Torture - Essay Example It is as follows: †¦Ã¢â‚¬Ëœtorture’ means any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity. (UNCAT cited in IRCT). Such forms of torture as threats of murder, rape, kidnapping or even humiliating do no less harm to the psychological peace and stability of an individual as physical pain does. At times, there may be no physical harm at all to the victim in torture. â€Å"Psychological pain is suffering caused by psychological stress and by psychological traum a rather than stimuli that activate physical pain† (Mefor). A lot of debate has occurred in the past regarding the ban of torture because of its physiological vs psychological impacts.