Oedipus the King, by Sophocles, is renowned as one of the most edifying tragedies of its era and its influence on both theatre and society is still evident today. Through the development of one of the most profound characters in literature, the play offers an insight on themes such as fate, free will, recognition, relationships, religion, and duty. The play was first performed in about 429 B.C in the City Dionysia, where it secured second place, and it continues to be performed today through different platforms including films, plays, and operas. This paper will provide an in-depth analysis of Oedipus the King. It will also include an overview of Sophocles’ biography, examine the plays’ historical context, provide an overview
I was fairly engaged in the play, because I was able to relate to it. I also liked when the director came from the audience, it made me feel like I was taking a sneak peek at a rehearsal of a production. The playwright seemed to be attempting to make a lighthearted statement about theatre. He seemed to have been making a point to say that it is not easy to deal with people in theater and sometimes life happens and people make mistakes, but, the show goes on. I think it was done well and it was worth doing because it wasn’t something that was depressing but something everybody could feel connected to even if you’re not engaged in the theater
In literature, juxtapositions are useful devices for writers to portray their characters in the exact way they desire. Using juxtapositions help to provide a better perspective of the characters that are being portrayed. Not only will juxtapositions help the increase depth of knowledge to the audience about the characters, but it will create a sense of surprise. It will create a spark in the story that will increase the mystery and may advance a person's interest in the story. William Shakespeare uses many techniques in his play, Romeo and Juliet, to create a better chemistry between the audience and his characters.
There was one thing I would change about the play. That is the music that was played while the cast was singing. The music over powered the sound of their voices. You could hear there what they were saying. You really had to pay attention to be able to hear the songs.
Olivia Lynch Mrs. Butterfield AP Lit 5/1/16 When you are ready to dive into the vast world of Shakespeare, you can begin by using what is known as a critical lens. The lens that may help you understand the background details of one of Shakespeare’s plays would be the Historical lens. Although there are many different lens that you can use to interpret a story, the Historical Lens is a great lens to dive into to find what really influenced the great ideas of William Shakespeare as he wrote Hamlet including the role gender plays, the comparison of Elizabeth Tudor, and the religious incorporation throughout the play. First, we can take the Historical Lens and dive into the idea of how gender roles were highly represented in Hamlet
and you can relate to that person. This is how our entertainment is now, we want to feel a connection. Whether it be through movies, songs, poems, or in this case Shakespeare’s plays. When Shakespeare was writing his plays and he couldn’t find the right words to fit what he was trying to say he would make up a word. We still unknowingly use these made up words from him.
I think that allusions are a great tool for literature. They provide information such as what the character believes in and what society is like to the audience. I think that the Shakespearean audience would have understood the allusions because it is during their time period and they understand what everything is like. Yet, if this play was acted today, I don 't think that all of the allusions would be understood. This is because of how different the worlds are today.
I believe that the use of rude mechanicals in “Midsummer Night’s Dream” is a crucial factor in Shakespeare’s play. Shakespeare is trying to get a point across to the viewers and readers of the play, and by utilizing rude mechanicals as his main characters it allows the viewer to see and understand things without Shakespeare having to write about it or include it in a scene of the play. This is one of the benefits of performing a story instead of writing it, it allows the author to use different ways of getting points across to the viewer or reader. Now, in “Midsummer Night’s Dream,” the rude mechanicals are portrayed as just “normal” people that work and do manual labor jobs instead of being a part of royalty. Shakespeare really emphasizes
By watching Fordham’s adaptational production of Magnolia, a play by Regina Taylor, before reading it, helped me understand the play in a comprehensive way. The elements provided by the designing, lighting, set, props, cues and emotional intensity the actors portrayed shed an all-embracing experience to the script. The outcome of the production did the play justice. Yet, the plotline was somehow arduous to follow in terms of the plot details and in identifying each the characters though the actors portrayed their characters quite individualistically. At the beginning,, the characters were singing all together, blacks and whites, to the tunes of “The Times They Are A-Changin” by Bob Dylan, setting the tone that times were changing, particularly
Following the life of Macbeth through these years, we must take into account the historical context of MacBeth as both a play and as a historical figure, we must also take into account the context of the performance history. With Macbeth rebothered being originally a radio play we had to devise and develop the staging independently from the script and the original source material. During the pre production we use improvisation to devise the scenes, this helped us out greatly as we could change and adapt things on the fly, we could also see how the script developed throughout the play and adapt our improvisations and the scenes to make this clear to the audience and to ourselves. The historical context of Macbeth as a real person and also as a fictional character was something that we were adamant should be used during our devising process. As a result of this I believe our characters are well-rounded and developed as all the actors have read and discussed the historical accounts of the people involved for example I am playing the character Macbeth and during my research I discovered that he was not King of Scotland but
The third claim is how Shakespeare 's work gives literature professionals a strong basis for how literature is or should be. Actors are performers, and performers know about literature and how to present that literature in the most appealing way possible. Actors from the film "Why Shakespeare?" by Lawrence Bridges, present a soliloquy from any work of Shakespeare, and they present with professionalism. Chiwetel Ejiofor performs Hamlet from Hamlet with a vigorous tone yet perfect speed, he knows how to give a professional act. Most of the actors cited a piece of text from Shakespeare and gave their reason on how it is important to their life and others.
Within this article, Konkle analyzes the quote, “Good, better, best, bested”, from the play and its relevance to George’s character in society. Konkle’s analysis is effective through the multitude uses of critics’ quotes and quotes from the play. Critic quotes are useful because they can show that someone else reached the same conclusion as the argument’s author. This leads to readers trusting the claims more and more. Quotes from the play show that the person analyzing the play had effectively understood what the author meant by the line of the play.
A Magical Journey Back Home The version of The Odyssey, adapted by Marry Zimmerman, tells the story of Odysseus, in a new and intriguing way. The generality of the concept that the original Homer’s Odyssey has, exists in the play, but it is expended in a way, to which the modern audience can relate and enjoy. The production of The Odyssey, presented in Temple theatres and directed by Brandon Mcshaffrey, follows the Marry Zimmerman version of the play. There are varieties of originality added in forms of music composition and dance choreography that further expand the excitement and mystery associated with the play. The production of The Odyssey in Temple Theatres stands out with a remarkable set design.
Truly, the only sure way to advance toward the better world of which we speak is through acknowledgement of the past and consideration for the present in the future, which will become the past. There’s an unbelievable surplus of talent in the world and experiencing it firsthand, through the student body of Davidson Fine Arts and other places, has accelerated my perspective on life and artistry. To see the human body work in ways that are not common or to explore the world through a character’s eyes who uses its actor as a vessel is incredible-always
Arthur Miller’s Death of Salesman is a play meant to be performed on a stage in front of a live audience. Not only does Miller have to develop a story with dialogue, but he also has to write stage directions for actors in the play. What the actors do on stage are just as important as reciting lines properly for audiences. Directors and producers would have difficulties portraying characters and actions on stage in Miller’s Death of a Salesman because of the setting and background changes, and Willy’s hallucinations. Most of the play takes place in the house of the Lomans but there are scenes that are outside of the house.