Essays on Catharsis

“Oedipus Rex”, “The Glass Menagerie”, “The Angels in America”

The tragedies have always seemed to attract a wide range of audience because of the depth of the emotions revealed there and the turns of events which would be dreadful and inescapable, the complexity of its characters and main issues present in the plays, as well as because of a possibility for the spectators to connect to the events happening on the stage and empathize with the protagonists. When considering the tragedy as the work of art, it is essential to view it from historical perspective, too, and try to reveal its very origins and the basic ideas which ...

The main purpose of any tragedy, as it is claimed by Aristotle, is based on the notion "catharsis" (Milch), which is a fundamental element in the drama. Catharsis, consequently, as described by Cambridge Dictionary, is considered “the process of releasing strong emotions through a particular activity or experience in a way that helps to understand those emotions”. Thus it was expected from the Aristotelian audience to be feeling a great level of emotional connection towards the actors, greatly empathizing with them – it concerned mainly such feelings as fear and pity. The ultimate aim of this approach was for the ...

In answering how Aristotle’s definition of tragedy applied to Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex one must look at Aristotle’s definition of tragedy in Poetics. Aristotle says in chapter 6 that tragedy is “a mimesis of a high, complete action in speech pleasurably enhanced, the different kinds occurring in separate sections, in dramatic, not narrative form, effecting through pity and fear the catharsis of such emotions” (Aristotle). Aristotle most likely had the play in mind as he wrote the Poetics, since he referred to it numerous times. There are also six elements of tragedy which are, mimesis of character, mimesis ...

The media is one of the most influential aspects of the modern world. The media has been the instrument used by businesses, politicians and other prominent figures to shape public discourse. This research, however, looks to a more personal effect of media. It looks into the psychological effects of media and especially violent media portrayed on television. The two researchers point out that violence can be seen from different perspectives. These are physical, spiritual, and sexual (Bhatti and Ul Hassan 296). They go on to argue that over 80% of the TV stations have violent content. The argument is ...

David Fincher’s 1999 film adaptation of the Chuck Palahniuk novel Fight Club provides a uniquely slick, stylish filmic presentation of the book’s gritty, darkly comic sensibilities. Tracking the life of a disillusioned, emasculated, narrator (known only as Jack in the film, played by Edward Norton) and his newfound rebellion against the existential crises of modern American life with the help of charismatic lowlife Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt), Fight Club explores both the immense appeal of rebelling against the hegemonic systems set up for men in late capitalist society and the unique beauty and eroticism of masculinity. Director ...