Oedipus Rex
Macbeth
The Crucible
All
content Copyright (c) 1999 Jesse, Christopher, James, Aaron and Shouyi. All
rights reserved.
The tragedies of Oedipus Rex, Macbeth
and the Crucible have many differences
between them, which could do with
the time they were written. We have
one ancient Greek play, a Shakespearean
play and a contemporary play. In
Oedipus Rex, the tragedy arises because of the mistakes of one man, the "hero", in this case Oedipus. His downfall is caused by his own tragic flaw (hamartia), in this case, his pride and ignorance. In Greek times, ignorance was viewed as a major flaw as it was one of the causes why man could not achieve happiness as defined by Aristotle. In Macbeth, the tragic flaw was even more evident. However in the crucible, what happens to John Proctor, or any of the other people, is really not a result of their own doing. In the Crucible, the flaw belonged to the society of that time, and the result was the execution of many innocent victims.
and the Crucible have many differences
between them, which could do with
the time they were written. We have
one ancient Greek play, a Shakespearean
play and a contemporary play. In
Oedipus Rex, the tragedy arises because of the mistakes of one man, the "hero", in this case Oedipus. His downfall is caused by his own tragic flaw (hamartia), in this case, his pride and ignorance. In Greek times, ignorance was viewed as a major flaw as it was one of the causes why man could not achieve happiness as defined by Aristotle. In Macbeth, the tragic flaw was even more evident. However in the crucible, what happens to John Proctor, or any of the other people, is really not a result of their own doing. In the Crucible, the flaw belonged to the society of that time, and the result was the execution of many innocent victims.