What brings about the protagonist's suffering and reversal of fortune? Aristotle suggested that a character's tragic flaw (an excess of pride, ambition, passion, etc.) lead to disaster. However, misfortune can also be caused by external forces (misunderstood events, mistakes, etc.).
In any case, the protagonists in such tragedies accept responsibility for their downfalls and accept their suffering with grace and dignity. Tragedy. in the Aristotelian tradition, serves the purpose of purging the soul of the "fear and pity" which most of us carry around (Aristotle called this catharsis)
Unlike modern theatergoers. ancient audiences didn't go to the theater to be surprised by a production; they already knew what was going to happen. They were familiar with the stories about to be played out before them. This awareness added to the ironies of the plays. Dramatic irony occurs when "the meaning of a character's words or actions is understood by the audience but not by the characters" (607).
If you are not familiar with the story of Oedipus, you'll want to read the condensed version on page 608 of our text so that you can be aware, as a Greek audience would have been, of the irony in what Oedipus says and does. Questions 1.0EDIPUS HIMSELF Look at the opening scene. What does the priest's speech reveal about how Oedipus is regarded as a ruler?Describe Oedipus as a character. What kind of person is he? Point to specific speeches or actions that reveal his character. 2.DRAMATIC IRONY --A central feature of Oedipus the King is its use of dramatic irony. Point out one speech by Oedipus that has a different or larger meaning for the audience than for Oedipus himself and additional meaning.
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