Antigone Journal #2: Casting Antigone
Antigone- "Justice, that dwells with the gods below, knows no such law."
"Publish it to all the world! Else I shall hate you more."
"Ismene dear, my dear Ismene!"
Kate Winslet-compassionate but focused on doing what's right, serious and driven
Brown hair, thin, pretty
Ismene- "We are women; it is not for us to fight against men"
"O sister, sister, let me share your death"
"How can I still help you?"
Rachel McAdams-normally bubbly but sobered by the serious situation, anxious
very thin, brown hair, very pretty
Haemon- "By your wise decisions my life is ruled"
"It isn't a question of age, but of right and wrong"
"Let those that will be witness of your wickedness..."
Leonardo DiCaprio- serious, a good guy, muscular
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Antigone Journal #1
Knowledge Level (The recall of specific information):
What is Antigone's sister's name?
Which of her brothers was hated by the people of Thebes?
Comprehension Level (An understanding of what was read):
Why does Ismene not want to help Antigone?
Why is it dangerous for Antigone to bury her brother?
Analysis (The comparison and contrast of the content to personal experiences):
Why does one feel conflicted about the burial of one's brother?
How does one respond to the death of a sibling?
Evaluation (The judgment and evaluation of characters, actions, outcomes, etc…):
Why does the death of a close one prompt two unique responses?
Knowledge Level (The recall of specific information):
What is Antigone's sister's name?
Which of her brothers was hated by the people of Thebes?
Comprehension Level (An understanding of what was read):
Why does Ismene not want to help Antigone?
Why is it dangerous for Antigone to bury her brother?
Analysis (The comparison and contrast of the content to personal experiences):
Why does one feel conflicted about the burial of one's brother?
How does one respond to the death of a sibling?
Evaluation (The judgment and evaluation of characters, actions, outcomes, etc…):
Why does the death of a close one prompt two unique responses?
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Journal #3: Compare the elements of tragedy in Medea and Oedipus
Tragedy is a complex theory to give an exact definition for. It is a play in which the audience goes through catharsis, or purging of fear and pity. In Oedipus, the title character is the one that the audience feels pity and fear for. Oedipus is a strong, dignified leader, and he gets these unfortunate circumstances with his parents that crushes his dignity. Interestingly enough, the audience, including myself, wants to get to the end of the story where Oedipus falls apart. It makes me feel a bit disgusting that I want to see the downfall of a dignified man, but that is what tragedy is. Medea has a similar effect, in which I want to see how the story ends, and how characters react in the end. But I am vying for Medea to get revenge in the end, because I felt pity for her about the Jason situation. But my fear that I felt in Oedipus was for Oepdipus's wife/mother, who kills herself. I feel fear toward Medea, but I feel more anger toward Jason and desire for revenge.
Tragedy is a complex theory to give an exact definition for. It is a play in which the audience goes through catharsis, or purging of fear and pity. In Oedipus, the title character is the one that the audience feels pity and fear for. Oedipus is a strong, dignified leader, and he gets these unfortunate circumstances with his parents that crushes his dignity. Interestingly enough, the audience, including myself, wants to get to the end of the story where Oedipus falls apart. It makes me feel a bit disgusting that I want to see the downfall of a dignified man, but that is what tragedy is. Medea has a similar effect, in which I want to see how the story ends, and how characters react in the end. But I am vying for Medea to get revenge in the end, because I felt pity for her about the Jason situation. But my fear that I felt in Oedipus was for Oepdipus's wife/mother, who kills herself. I feel fear toward Medea, but I feel more anger toward Jason and desire for revenge.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Journal #2: How are Jason's and Medea's attitudes and interactions with the gods different?
Jason uses the gods to justify that he is a good person, while Medea uses the gods to prove that Jason is a bad person. "O Zeus and lady daughter, Justice, O resplendent Sun! And you my friends, at last we are on the road to vengeance" (764-766). Medea thanks the gods for their help in securing her plan against Jason. "Zeus, do you hear how I'm at bay[?]" (1405) shows that Jason is speaking of the gods to show that he is a humble man, and that he believes his life is controlled by the gods. The fact that he often brings up the subject of the gods gives Jason a "holier-than-thou" complex so his image of a good, strong, dominating man is not ruined. Medea seems to find more value in the gods, and actually prays for their help instead of appearing payerful. Both Jason and Medea reference the gods often, however, showing they are a prominent aspect of people's lives in the time of Euripides.
Jason uses the gods to justify that he is a good person, while Medea uses the gods to prove that Jason is a bad person. "O Zeus and lady daughter, Justice, O resplendent Sun! And you my friends, at last we are on the road to vengeance" (764-766). Medea thanks the gods for their help in securing her plan against Jason. "Zeus, do you hear how I'm at bay[?]" (1405) shows that Jason is speaking of the gods to show that he is a humble man, and that he believes his life is controlled by the gods. The fact that he often brings up the subject of the gods gives Jason a "holier-than-thou" complex so his image of a good, strong, dominating man is not ruined. Medea seems to find more value in the gods, and actually prays for their help instead of appearing payerful. Both Jason and Medea reference the gods often, however, showing they are a prominent aspect of people's lives in the time of Euripides.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Medea Journal #1: What is the role of the chorus in Medea?
The chorus is interesting in the amount of sympathy it has for Medea. In Oedipus, the chorus gave overviews of what happened, but there seemed to be a disconnect. Oedipus was a twisting, confusing play, however. The chorus was necessary in order to keep everything straight, and I think that was its primary role. But in Medea, the chorus is like a trusted friend of Medea, whispering its sympathies in our ear. Euripides does this because the story begins with Jason leaving Medea and Medea mourning this. There was a lot of backstory to this event happening, in which Medea saves Jason twice, even killing her own brother. Then Jason leaves her for another woman, and Medea is frighteningly angry. If one did not know the backstory, one might think that Medea is unreasonably angry, and ther would be no sympathy for her. But the chorus provides this, and pity is put into place. But then Euripides twists our feelings again, as Medea lashes out on her sons. The audience feels pity and fear at the same time, the sign of a true tragedy. The chorus is an important role in this precarious balancing act, as the provider of sympathy.
The chorus is interesting in the amount of sympathy it has for Medea. In Oedipus, the chorus gave overviews of what happened, but there seemed to be a disconnect. Oedipus was a twisting, confusing play, however. The chorus was necessary in order to keep everything straight, and I think that was its primary role. But in Medea, the chorus is like a trusted friend of Medea, whispering its sympathies in our ear. Euripides does this because the story begins with Jason leaving Medea and Medea mourning this. There was a lot of backstory to this event happening, in which Medea saves Jason twice, even killing her own brother. Then Jason leaves her for another woman, and Medea is frighteningly angry. If one did not know the backstory, one might think that Medea is unreasonably angry, and ther would be no sympathy for her. But the chorus provides this, and pity is put into place. But then Euripides twists our feelings again, as Medea lashes out on her sons. The audience feels pity and fear at the same time, the sign of a true tragedy. The chorus is an important role in this precarious balancing act, as the provider of sympathy.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Journal #5: How does Sophocles evoke fear and pity in the reader/audience and what significance does this have?
Pity and fear are very necessary in tragedies. Catharsis is crucial to giving the audience pleasure in watching characters suffer in the play. That way, people will keep coming back to watch it. Pity is brought about by characters receiving misfortune that resulted from a lack of judgement. Oedipus wrongly leaves his fake parents when he hears the oracle, and he kills a man that he had no inkling could be his father. The character loses his dignity, evoking buckets of pity. He fights elements that are outside his control, like the fact that he was born of different people than he thought, and loses, spectacularly. People feel pity in the play because they fear that their dignity can be taken away as well. Oedipus's fall from grace is, ironically, graceful, and deserved. A character receiving underved suffering is not tragic, it is sad. Tragedy is not about sadness.
Pity and fear are very necessary in tragedies. Catharsis is crucial to giving the audience pleasure in watching characters suffer in the play. That way, people will keep coming back to watch it. Pity is brought about by characters receiving misfortune that resulted from a lack of judgement. Oedipus wrongly leaves his fake parents when he hears the oracle, and he kills a man that he had no inkling could be his father. The character loses his dignity, evoking buckets of pity. He fights elements that are outside his control, like the fact that he was born of different people than he thought, and loses, spectacularly. People feel pity in the play because they fear that their dignity can be taken away as well. Oedipus's fall from grace is, ironically, graceful, and deserved. A character receiving underved suffering is not tragic, it is sad. Tragedy is not about sadness.
Journal #4: Tracking Eyes
The image of eyes have been repeated several times throughout the play. Teiresias makes comments about eyes several times when he tells Oedipus of his fate. "He that came seeing, blind shall he go... When you can prove me wrong, then call me blind." This is paradoxical, because Teiresias himself is blind. Sophocles uses eyes to portray knowlege. Teiresias is blind, but he can see much about life. Oedipus has his vision, but he is arrogant and prideful, and discovers his fate too late. When he learns his fate, he blinds himself, reflecting Teiresias. Oedipus's path to blindness reflects his descent to a pitiful situation and a loss of dignity that tragedies specialize in. "What should I do with eyes where all is ugliness?" Oedipus says these words after he blinds himself. He discovered that he impregnated his mother four times and murdered his father. Everything he would see would remind him of the disgusting things he did, and he did not want to face his troubles. Sophocles lowers Oedipus to the most base of characters.
The image of eyes have been repeated several times throughout the play. Teiresias makes comments about eyes several times when he tells Oedipus of his fate. "He that came seeing, blind shall he go... When you can prove me wrong, then call me blind." This is paradoxical, because Teiresias himself is blind. Sophocles uses eyes to portray knowlege. Teiresias is blind, but he can see much about life. Oedipus has his vision, but he is arrogant and prideful, and discovers his fate too late. When he learns his fate, he blinds himself, reflecting Teiresias. Oedipus's path to blindness reflects his descent to a pitiful situation and a loss of dignity that tragedies specialize in. "What should I do with eyes where all is ugliness?" Oedipus says these words after he blinds himself. He discovered that he impregnated his mother four times and murdered his father. Everything he would see would remind him of the disgusting things he did, and he did not want to face his troubles. Sophocles lowers Oedipus to the most base of characters.
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