Antigone Vs Midsummer Night’s Dream Within the scope of this research, we will discuss the role of irony in the two plays Antigone and Midsummer Nights Dream. Although the plays are written by different authors, and are quite different in their nature, irony plays a significant role in understanding the plays at large. In Antigone, Antigone displays the tragic flaw of disproportionate ambition. The irony of the play is in the fact that while Antigone appears to be a tragic hero, she herself is responsible for this. Besides that representation of irony, there are also some other aspects of her character which are emphasized ironically. At the beginning of the story, Antigone and her sister, Ismene, are discussing the death of their brother, Polyneices. Creon, the king of Thebes, has issued a diktat that no one shall bury him, and that his body must lay in the fields as carrion for birds. The penalty for burying him is stoning in the public square.
However, Antigone is determined to bury him. She asks for help from Ismene, but Ismene is against the burial, which is also rather ironic, since her sister asks her to perform a rather noble deed. Ismene reminds her of the danger of what Creon will do and refuses to take part in burying Polyneices. The scene ends with Antigone’s retorting that she will not want Ismene’s help, even if she asks to come. Antigone leaves the scene with her mind made up, disregarding Ismene’s arguments. A tragic hero must have family of noble rank or high class, however the structure of Antigones family is also ironic.
The Essay on Antigone Women Ismene Play Sister
Antigone by Sophocles is one of the most distinguished pieces of theatrical work that reflects upon Greek mythology and culture. Antigone has several themes and circumstantial settings that can be indirectly referred or related to in modern society. Sophocles uses various and strategically placed characters to present his play as well as his themes. The play mainly revolves around Antigone who ...
Antigone and Ismene are the daughters of Oedipus and Jocasta, the former King and Queen of Thebes. At birth, Oedipus was sent off and left to die. However, a shepherd gave Oedipus to the King and Queen of Corinth, and as a young man, Oedipus traveled to Thebes, where he married Jocasta, his mother a very unusual fact. Jocasta and Oedipus married and had four children: two sons, Polyneices and Eteocles, and two daughters, Antigone and Ismene. Antigone is also the niece of Creon, Jocasta’s brother and now the king of Thebes. Until now, Antigone has always been loyal to Creon, but his decree to keep Polyneices unburied disturbs Antigone. This aspect is ironic as well Creon first demands that his relative is left unburied, and then he is willing to stone another relative if she attempts to bury the first one.
In order to become a tragic hero, the person has to be notorious for living a good life and not participating in vile acts. However, if we take Creons diktat as a legislature, and Antigone is about to disregard it, it means that she will commit a crime, which is another representation of irony a tragic hero committing a crime. If a person has been a murderer or unswerving crimes, then he would not be deemed as a tragic hero to begin with. In Antigone’s plans to bury her brother, she uses her heart and aptitude well. She plans the burial of Polyneices well and listens closely to her sister. Although she does not agree with Ismene, she does listen closely to her arguments and contradictions.
Trivial details like listening and understanding are very important to judge someone as a good person. Antigone also proves to be very thoughtful. She regards her brother, Polyneices, highly, and knows that he deserves a burial. She also compliments herself and her own opinions by completing her goal to bury Polyneices. Consideration and respect are especially important traits of being a fundamentally good person. Sophocles Antigone contains much thought and opinion.
Sophocles stresses the arguments and feelings of the entire characters well. Although Antigone’s life of aspiration, family of noble rank, and display of good mentality depict her as the tragic hero of the story, the irony Sophocles uses throughout the play makes her character rather ambiguous. The Midsummer Nights Dream also is filed with irony. Shakespeare uses great symbolism and irony in portraying the blindness of love. When Puck and Oberon apply the juice of the pansy to the eyes of the Athenians and to the eyes of Titania, the fairy queen, they are quickly enveloped by a magical love spell. This spell causes them to fall deeply in love with the first living creature that they set eyes on. The spell can only be reversed by applying yet another herb to the eyes of the victims.
The Term Paper on Full Moon Spell Love Chant
1: At dusk 3 days after a full moon, gather all the things you need for the spell and sit crossed-legged in your room. Close your eyes, then with your right hand, pick up the stone and hold it to the centre of your forehead - an area known as the third eye. Visualize your third eye opening, as if it had just woken up from a long sleep. At the same time, imagine your psychic powers increasing. When ...
Titania serves as a good example of the power of the spell when she falls in love with Nick Bottom, a character who, at the time, has the head of an ass the first ironic accident that comes to mind. In her mind, she has no conception that she is in love with a man who has a donkey head. She does not realize that this is not a thing to be desired. All that she knows is that she is in love. Lysander also demonstrates child-like actions when he tells Hermia, his true love, that he hates her. Before he is under the spell of the pansy, he and Hermia are en route to his aunt’s house to be married.
However, because of the spell, Lysander can not be held responsible for his misanthropic behavior toward Hermia. The spell is used to convey Shakespeares irony; he shows the blindness of love using this very irony. The spell of the pansy also makes the characters lose control of their actions, as is evident through Demetrius. The woman he scorns at the beginning of the story is the woman he loves by the end of the story. This is because when Puck reverses the effects of the spell on the characters, he does not reverse the spell on Demetrius. Helena has loved Demetrius from the beginning of the story, so the relationship works out well. Again, Titania not only is oblivious to the appearance of Bottom, but she has no control over her feelings for him.
When she is under the spell, it is as if she sees him, but does not care what he looks like. Now that she is released from the spell, she wants no part of Nick Bottom. Shakespeare uses this to express that true, unadulterated love is from the inside and is not based on outward appearance. The four young lovers who find themselves in the midst of the woods are vulnerable to the fairies chaotic behavior. Although the fairies actions are sometimes accidental, they only add to the chaos that causes harm to the lovers. During the first act of the play, Hermia wants to marry Lysander and Egeus, her father wants her to marry Demetrius. Helena, the last of the lovers, treasures Demetrius and wants to be with him.
The Research paper on Midsummer Night Love Demetrius Helena
Midsummer Night's Dream After Midsummer Night's Dream Essay, Research Paper After a night of wandering through the woods, chasing fairies, having various potions rubbed over their eyes, falling in and out of love, and threatening each other's lives and limbs, the four lovers of A Midsummer Night's Dream wake up in the forest to the trumpeting of horns and find themselves surrounded by nobility. ...
This plot is introduced at the beginning of the play. The audience is then notified that Hermia and Lysander are going to elope against her fathers wishes. Circumstances bring all of the lovers to near woods in Athens, where Oberon overhears Demetrius demanding that Helena stop following him. Oberon, feeling pity for Helena instructs Puck to drop a love potion into the eyes of Demetrius so he can love Helena as much as she loves him. Puck however, mistakenly thinks that Lysander is Demetrius and drops the potion in his eyes instead another ironic accident. Now, Lysander says that he loves Helena and clearly professes his love to her. Lysanders dramatic change in devotion is unmistakably due to the potion that Puck was ordered to put in Demetrius eyes.
Although Pucks intentions are good this time, he still nevertheless manages to deprave Hermia from Lysanders true love, thus proving once again that their fairy world can be as corrupt or even more corrupt than the factual world the four lovers occupy. Another example of irony in the play is when Oberon has been made fully aware of Pucks mistake. He instructs Puck to correct it by now placing the potion in the eyes of the person it was intended for, in this case Demetrius. Oberon makes the comment that Puck has turned a true love into a false one (Lysander who truly loved Hermia now falsely loves Helena) and has not turned any false love true (Demetrius still loves Hermia instead of Helena).
However, this all changes when Puck does as he is told. Everything is now opposite of how it was in the beginning of the play. Presently, both Lysander and Demetrius love Helena instead of Hermia.
This leaves both women feeling violated and mistreated. Helena thinks that this is a cruel joke that they decided to play on her and Hermia is devastated that her true love has mysteriously devoted himself to Helena instead. Words Count: 1,451.
The Term Paper on Character Demetrius Hermia Love Lysander
The Underpinning Of Demetrius Thesis: A Midsummer Night's Dream Character, Demetrius Is Very Diff icu The Underpinning of Demetrius Thesis: A Midsummer Night's Dream character, Demetrius is very difficult to identify except by his relation to the one he loves, or, more particularly, to the one who loves him. Helena's ridiculous chasing after him and his irritation with her are the primary marks of ...
Bibliography:
Shakespeare, W. The Midsummer Nights Dream. New York: Harper Collins, 1989.
Sophocles. Antigone. New York: Random House, 1993..
