Jul 09 2008
A quick history lesson in drama, two important tales
In my musings, I had to review two literary works that are important to not only cinema but to the world themselves.
The works I read this year that are very important to both literature and historical society as a whole are; Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare and Oedipus Rex by Sophocles. These plays shape the very foundation of storytelling and sets up major ar tales.
Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is an important piece of literature, because of the fact of this classic story is a tragedy. A tragedy is defined as the central character in a story that meets an unhappy or disastrous end. Romeo and Juliet’s unhappy ending has inspired many contemporary works, which have used the same controlling idea. Sopocles Oedipus Rex is important historically because it was written in the B.C. era (Before Christ). The impact of Oedipus Rex is felt beyond theatrically and literary; it’s impact has been used in many schools of psychology.
The two of these tragedies are essential not only for our literary prosperity but for are social way of life.
In theater both Oedipus Rex and Romeo and Juliet are important not only because of their very early works but both of their main characters suffer tragic fates. In the earliest stages of theater a majority of works were considered historical and comedic. In contrast to that not all play written back in the early era (Either B.C. or William Shakespeare’s time) were actually written down and saved for prosperity. The endings of both Oedipus Rex and Romeo and Juliet were so memorable that scholars and productions companies were obligated that these two works had to survive.
Tragedies although not the happiest fare are deemed important because they say something about human strength and the human spirit. Oedipus plays on the old theme of divine will or if people have control over their fate. One side of this play would say that Oedipus was designed by divine right to rule over his kingdom regardless of his past or how he got there. The other controlling force of that play is someone’s obsession taking over every action and ability. Oedipus Rex was the controller of his domain the most powerful in the universe and yet he had to know his past. This led to Oedipus and his family’s downfall.
With Romeo and Juliet, the main characters themselves aren’t the main tragic focus of the work but the idea of harsh coincidences. The coincidences and happenings worked against there favor that to their deaths. The Friar not being able to send the message to Romeo in Verona, Romeo killing himself before Juliet wakes up, these examples are some of the odd slippery slop incidents that make this work a great tragedy. The reason why this work is historical is because of the martyrdom that is apparent at the end of the work. Romeo and Juliet’s death, tragic because it was in the name of love, stopped a long inner-city feud between two wealthy families.
Oedipus Rex is also associated with many schools of psychology. The characters and concepts of Oedipus Rex are used in clinical studies and treatments. The Oedipus complex, which is a condition where a son wants to have inappropriate relations with his mother. These leads to another condition defined by another play written by Sopocles “Elektra.” The Elektra complex is a complex where as a daughter wants to sleep with her father. These complex examples were summarized and used into applications by famous psychoanalyst – Sigmund Freud. Doctor Freud uses these plays to explain the subconscious relationships between a child and his mother.
In conclusion, historical plays especially tragedies are more memorable the lighter fare. The tragedies have more meaning with their darker paths then comedies. Through the use of these examples of these literary works there have been many leaps and achievements in both psychological, science and historical studies. These plays will have a guaranteed shelf life for many years and many centuries to come. When you sit down to the next Incredible Hulk movie or romantic Julia Roberts film just think that drama had to start somewhere.
