Part I (A)
Characters, Situation, Author
The author of this passage is Sophocles, and it is from his play Antigone. Antigone, killed for burying her brother against Creon’s commands, is dead. The speaker is a chorus member lamenting Antigone’s death and reflecting on the city’s people, who secretly admired her bravery but were afraid to speak out against Creon. The paragraph emphasizes the clash between morality and authority and its disastrous repercussions.
Why The Chorus Can’t Perform Its Traditional Role
Antigone’s Chorus, comprised of Theban elders, is more active than the typical Greek tragedy Chorus. They remark on the event and represent Thebes, but they cannot just observe and comment for numerous reasons. In Antigone, the Chorus identified individuals with unique links to the major characters, who actively influence the action by speaking to them (Lane, p.118). They must participate in the conspiracy and cannot stay neutral.
The Chorus in Antigone is not a uniform bunch of faceless people but a gathering of individuals with different personalities and ideas. They disagree and argue, making it hard to speak with one voice. In conclusion, Antigone’s Chorus is more subtle (Kocijančič, p.231). They sympathize with Antigone and Creon and try to avoid the tragedy by meditating. They perform music and dance to enhance the play’s emotional effect.
Violation of Democratic Rules and Norms
Creon forbids the burial of Antigone’s brother Polynices, who fought Thebes. Nevertheless, Antigone ignores this command and buries her brother, and Creon orders her to be killed for her disobedience. In the extract, the Chorus denounces Creon for his totalitarian reign and lack of empathy for the ordinary people(Holler, p.24). They say Creon’s power has made him arrogant and unapproachable, and the people are afraid to speak out against him. The Chorus also stresses the terrible death of Antigone and the people’s adoration for her heroism and sacrifice.
Therefore, the Chorus is not necessarily suggesting that Creon has violated the rules of democracy, as the concept of democracy did not exist in ancient Greece. However, they criticize his leadership style and failure to consider the feelings and opinions of the people he governs.
Part I (B)
Characters, Situation, Author
The extract is from Act III of the drama “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller. John Proctor and Reverend Hale talk. Proctor’s former servant, Mary Warren, accuses him of witchcraft during the Salem Witch Trials. Proctor is determined to clear his reputation and show his innocence, but the issue is compounded by his wife’s past admission of guilt and her subsequent denial of their marriage, which appears to validate the claims against him. The conversation highlights the trial’s power dynamics and manipulations and the difficulty of finding the truth when everyone’s motives and loyalties are in question.
Reasons why Proctor Believes Wife Coerced.
John Proctor believes his wife, Elizabeth, did not voluntarily sign the criminal complaint against him for several reasons. He trusts her and cannot think she would betray him. Second, her uncle and cousins have threatened her recently. He thinks they forced her to sign. Finally, he knows his wife revoked her witch confession. He thinks the authorities utilized this admission to coerce her to sign the complaint(Koorey, p.133).
Moreover, he understands that his wife rejected their marriage in court to shield him from additional pain. Fifthly, he feels that the claim of him not being her spouse is an intentional deception aimed to further tarnish his name. Ultimately, he follows his instincts and thinks his wife’s conduct indicates she was coerced into the scenario.
Identifying the Husband: Testimony Analysis
Elizabeth Proctor testified that she recognized John Proctor as her husband after the incident. She says she recognizes him by his habits and presence in bed. She describes a spouse as someone who provides for his family and has a physical and emotional connection with his wife. She also reveals how John’s romance with their former servant, Abigail Williams, has damaged their relationship and made it hard for her to trust him. She concludes that John is a decent guy and that she loves him despite their problems (McGill, p.258). Her story emphasizes the significance of trust and intimacy in marriage and the difficulties that might occur when trust is shattered.
Part I (C)
Characters, Situation, Author
“Oedipus Rex” was written by Sophocles (also known as “Oedipus the King”). Thebalian king Oedipus speaks. Oedipus promises the citizens of Thebes to discover Laius’s killer in this scene. He demands that anybody with knowledge about the crime come forward. Oedipus pushes them to speak out to avoid terrible punishment and banishment. Oedipus wants to find Laius’ killer to deliver Thebes justice.
Analysis of Oedipus as a Hero of Democracy
This speech’s narrator, Oedipus, is a democratic hero in several ways. Initially, he declares himself a “stranger to the narrative” and a “stranger to the crime” to seem impartial. He seeks truth without bias. Second, he promises to exile anyone who reports the murder. Oedipus supports the due process, fair trials, and individual rights. Oedipus declares that he seeks justice for “all of Thebes,” not just himself.
He also orders the truth-teller to “reveal the whole truth,” emphasizing his transparency and accountability. The potential witness has “nothing to fear,” even if they must “denounce” themselves. This demonstrates that Oedipus appreciates the significance of defending individual rights and liberties and encourages individuals to come forward with information without fear of reprisal. Oedipus also advises the witness to “speak out and thus avoid the weight of the allegation,” suggesting he is more concerned with finding the truth than punishing the guilty(OCAK and AYHAN, p.1170). This is a hallmark of a just and fair democratic society.
Jocasta’s attitude
The speaker tells Thebes that everyone who knows about Laius’ murder must confess. The speaker guarantees that the informant will not be harmed. This contradicts Jocasta’s approach to finding the culprit. Jocasta originally discouraged Oedipus from continuing his Inquiry, claiming that dwelling on the past was futile and that the predictions regarding Laius’ death had been proven incorrect. Jocasta’s anxiety and fear increase as the investigation continues.
Many causes explain the attitude difference. First, the speaker is an outsider to the incident, whereas Jocasta is a witness and prospective suspect. The speaker has no personal interest in safeguarding or withholding information. Second, the speaker’s sensible, pragmatic approach solves the crime and prevents additional damage (Beaton, p.450). Jocasta cares about Oedipus and the status quo. She believes the truth will be too painful and have dire repercussions. Thirdly, the speaker believes the truth will free the informant, while Jocasta believes it is a curse that cannot be avoided.
Part I (D)
Characters, Situation, Author
The passage is from Robert Louis Stevenson’s “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.” The characters include Mr. Hyde, an old gentleman, and a maid. The situation involves Mr. Hyde erupting in anger and brutally attacking the older man, causing the maid to faint in horror.
Hyde’s Choice of Victim: Insights Revealed
The brutal attack on the old gentleman by Mr. Hyde reveals much about the latter’s character. Hyde’s sudden eruption of anger and violent behavior suggests that he is a deeply disturbed individual, prone to extreme outbursts of rage. The fact that he chooses an older man as his victim, who appears to be physically weaker and more vulnerable than himself, suggests that Hyde may be a sadistic and cruel individual who takes pleasure in inflicting pain on others (Servitje, p.19). Furthermore, the savage nature of the attack, with bones audibly shattering, suggests that Hyde is capable of extreme brutality and violence without remorse or empathy for his victim.
Escalation of crime from the previous attack
Mr. Hyde brutally attacked the older man, escalating his previous attack. Previously in the narrative, Hyde had trodden down a little girl on the street and walked away without guilt or regard for her safety. This episode was likewise marked by Hyde’s animalistic conduct, although it was not as savage and nasty as the assault on the older man (DEMİR, p.633). Hyde now assaults, breaks bones, and causes his victim to jump on the road, indicating a new level of violence and brutality. Hyde’s crimes are becoming more violent, suggesting he’s becoming eviler.
Part II
Definition of terms
A polis: Greek polises were self-governing city-states. Its government, laws, and customs governed a city and its surrounding countryside. Ancient Greeks were supposed to control it as its chief institution.
A charivari: In medieval and early modern Europe, charivaris were public humiliations meant to enforce social standards or punish aberrant conduct. A boisterous procession with music and costumes humiliated and insulted the target.
A tragedy: Tragedies are dramas about human suffering and consequences: tragedies often include a protagonist brought down by their own defects or external events beyond their control. The tragic hero usually meets a tragic end, but their story is meant to evoke pity and fear in the audience.
A daemon: In Greek mythology, a daemon was a supernatural being or spirit that acted as a guardian or guide for a person. Daemons were considered neither good nor evil but neutral forces that could influence human affairs.
A tautology: A tautology is a statement always true in its logical form. It is a redundancy in which the same idea is expressed twice using different words, adding nothing to the statement’s meaning.
The Bow Street Runners: The Bow Street Runners were a squad of early law enforcement officials in London, England, founded in the mid-18th century by judge Henry Fielding. They were responsible for investigating crimes, making arrests, and putting offenders to trial, and they played a vital part in the formation of contemporary police.
Immurement is entombing a person within a confined space, such as a room or a wall. It has been used as a punishment or to enforce social norms in various cultures throughout history.
The Chorus: In ancient Greek drama, the Chorus was a group of actors who performed together and provided commentary on the play’s action. The Chorus often represented the voice of the community or the audience and emphasized the play’s themes and emotions.
Parricide: Parricide kills one’s parent, either mother or father. It is considered one of the most heinous crimes in many cultures and is often associated with power, betrayal, and psychological disturbance.
Carceral (Foucault’s definition): Modern cultures employ incarceration and other types of confinement to control their population. Michel Foucault developed the word “carceral.” Foucault called the “carceral society” one in which jails, hospitals, and schools serve as monitoring, discipline, and normalization centers.
Work Cited
Beaton, Caroline. “Chapter 2: To the Lighthouse and the Oedipal Triangle: Impotence, Erotic Degradation, and the Oedipus Complex from Freudian and Self-Psychological Perspectives.” Psychoanalytic Inquiry, vol. 39, no. 6, Aug. 2019, pp. 450–59, doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/07351690.2019.1637667.
DEMİR, Berrin. “THE STRANGE CASE of DR. JEKYLL and MR. HYDE by ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON, LONGMANS, GREEN and CO, ENGLAND, 1886. APOLLONIAN and DIONYSIAN DICHOTOMY: THE STRANGE CASE of DR. JEKYLL and MR. HYDE.” The Journal of Academic Social Science Studies, vol. Year: 14 – Number: 86, no. Year: 14 – Number: 86, 2021, pp. 633–37, doi:https://doi.org/10.29228/jasss.51567.
Holler, Manfred. “Antigone versus Creon: A Game-Theoretical Exercise.” SSRN Electronic Journal, 2020, doi https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3669933.
Kocijančič, Matic. “First as Creon, Then as Chorus: Slavoj Žižek’s Antigone.” Interlitteraria, vol. 25, no. 1, June 2020, pp. 231–45, doi:https://doi.org/10.12697/il.2020.25.1.19.
Koorey. “Review.” The Arthur Miller Journal, vol. 14, no. 2, 2019, p. 133, doi:https://doi.org/10.5325/arthmillj.14.2.0133.
Lane, Melissa. “Sophocles, Sisterhood, and Individuality.” Political Theory, vol. 43, no. 1, Jan. 2015, pp. 118–27, doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/0090591714566906.
McGill, William J. “The Crucible of History: Arthur Miller’s John Proctor.” The New England Quarterly, vol. 54, no. 2, 2019, pp. 258–64, doi:https://doi.org/10.2307/364974.
OCAK, Esra Havva, and Erçin AYHAN. “Deconstruction of Oedipus the King in Myth due to the Naming of the Oedipus Complex.” RumeliDE Dil ve Edebiyat Araştırmaları Dergisi, no. 30, Oct. 2022, pp. 1170–1083, doi:https://doi.org/10.29000/rumelide.1193090.
Servitje, Lorenzo. “The Not-So-Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in Antibiotic Research: An Interdisciplinary Opportunity.” Antibiotics, vol. 10, no. 1, Dec. 2020, p. 19, doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics10010019.
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