Origins of Tragedy

The roots of the modern tragedy are found in Ancient Greece. At that time, there were several theater competitions that allowed playwrights to display their work to large groups of people. Three of the most famous tragedians in Ancient Greece were Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides.

Sophocles

Sophocles wrote a very large amount of plays, and two of his most famous tragedies were Oedipus Rex (Oedipus the King) and Antigone. These are both perfect examples of the ideal structure of a tragedy.

The classic tragic hero has traits such as being of noble birth, having a hamartia (tragic flaw), and being doomed to a tragic fate.  At the end of the tragedy, there is a moment of catharsis, which is when the audience feels pity for the protagonist.

Also, the “pure tragedy” contains three unities: The unity of time (the play takes place in a short period of time, usually one day), the unity of place (any action only happens in one location), and the unity of action (there are no subplots, and all action adds only to the main plot).

In this sense, Macbeth has many similarities to a classic Greek tragedy. Comparing the characters of Oedipus and Macbeth, one can note that in concept, they are actually quite similar.

Both of these protagonists are doomed to a terrible fate, and they both receive prophecies which they choose to ignore until it is too late for them to avoid their fate. Although Oedipus eventually does try to decipher his prophecy and find the truth, it is not enough. Both characters show paranoia and arrogance as an effect of their tragic flaw. Both of them try to deny their fate, but eventually have a clear moment of anagnorisis, which is when they realize the effect of their mistakes.

Macbeth, like other Shakespearean or modern plays, does not follow the three unities exactly. However, Shakespeare’s portrayal of a tragic hero is faithful to the classic tragic heroes of Ancient Greece.

Sites used:

http://www.ancient.eu/Greek_Tragedy/

http://allwritefictionadvice.blogspot.com/2011/06/greek-unities.html

Modern Iambic Pentameter

One of the particular characteristics of Shakespearean plays is the extensive use of iambic pentameter. At first glance, this may seem like an antiquated form of writing, and one could make the assumption that it is not used today at all.

However, this assumption would be wrong. Some modern songs can contain some lines in iambic pentameter. No songs are written completely in iambic pentameter, and the way a singer performs the song can also vary, causing the pentameter to not be evident.

Iambic pentameter was convenient for actors in Shakespearean times, because it made the lines easier to understand. Its rhythm gave a pattern to the words.

Iambic pentameter could be used in songs for this reason, or sometimes it might even appear accidentally. Meters can be found naturally in many songs, but some are better examples than others. Iambic pentameter could also be found together with other meters in a song, as writing one entire song in one meter would be quite limiting.

Some modern rap songs, even though the writer might not have intended it to be that way, can be interpreted in iambic pentameter. The first line of Eminem’s song “Lose Yourself” is : His palms are sweat-y, knees weak, arms are heav-y (Stressed syllables are in bold, dashes are used in words with more than one syllable).

The very last syllable of this line actually prevents it from being perfect iambic pentameter, but it is very close. This pattern might have been accidental, but it still almost fits iambic pentameter.

As stated before, the use of a meter is limiting, so writing a song only in iambic pentameter would be very difficult. However, it is curious to note that even though normal speech does not involve iambic pentameter, the meter and its variations partially remain in song lyrics to this day.

Website used for example of modern rap song: http://mscronksclass.weebly.com/home/eminem-ic-pentameter

Image from: http://www.wikihow.com/Scan-a-Poem

The Corruption of Power

Even though it has been over 400 years since Shakespeare wrote Macbeth, the themes found in the play are still completely relevant today. One of the most important themes in Macbeth is that excessive power and ambition corrupts a leader until he or she inevitably reaches a downfall.

This is not only found in leaders, as it could affect anyone. However, the strongest examples throughout history of corruption through power are major world leaders. These are the people who have the most power in their hands, and wrong decisions from them can have an immense impact.

A relatively recent leader who actually took several actions similar to Macbeth’s was Adolf Hitler. He was the leader of Nazi Germany in World War II. Hitler was a dictatorial ruler who had full power in Germany.

Throughout World War II, this great power corrupted Hitler. Like Macbeth, Hitler was extremely ruthless and paranoid. He did not hesitate to kill anyone who he saw as an opposition or as a threat to his power. Also similarly to Macbeth, he caused suffering to his own people due to his paranoia and fear of losing power.

Hitler killed even high-ranking military officers if he perceived them as a threat. This is quite similar to Macbeth’s decision to murder Banquo.

At the end of his rule, Hitler took completely irrational decisions and ignored the advice of his best generals. Like Macbeth, Hitler led himself to his own downfall.

By the end of World War II, Hitler was completely surrounded

Hitler was not the only ruler to experience this fate, and there will most likely be more in the future. Unfortunately, many leaders cannot appropriately handle the power they gain, sometimes leading to disastrous consequences.

Macbeth serves even today as a reminder to everyone of what happens when an ambitious ruler is completely corrupted by power.

Website used: www.wikipedia.org

Image from: http://history.howstuffworks.com/world-war-ii/nazi-germany-surrenders7.htm