Compare Oedipus And Willy Loman
880 Words4 Pages
Tragedy has been a part of drama since the time of the ancient greeks, an example of such a tragedy is Oedipus Rex by Sophocles. Since then tragedy has been adapted to adhere to different societal views and conventions, such that of the american theatre. Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, is an example of that. Both plays fall into the category of tragedy, but exemplify it through different aspects in their respective heroes. The roles of Oedipus and Willy Loman as tragic heroes convey the meanings of the works as wholes through the use of the literary devices dramatic irony and imagery. Throughout both plays, dramatic irony is used to portray the protagonists as tragic heroes and deliver their meanings as a whole. The heroes are not necasarilly aware of these events of dramatic irony, but they are apparent to the audience. One example is when Oedipus refused to believe Teiresias the blind prophet about the truth of his actions and the prophecy. Oedipus called him a “… sightless, witless, senseless, mad old man,” when ironically Oedipus , “with both [his] eyes”, was the one blind to the prophecy and the severity of his actions (Act1. ll 154, 196) . Afterwards when Oedipus’ parenthood was questioned, he had not yet realised or accepted his biological parents as Iocastê and King Laïus, and the truth of his actions towards them. The audience had inferred the truth long before Oedipus, thus giving them a sense of suspense, waiting for the truth to be revealed. This conveys