Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Othello test - Tragic vision

"According to critic Northrop Frye,'Tragic heroes are so much the highest points in their human landscape that they seem the inevitable conductors of the power about them, great trees more likely to be struck by lightning than a clump of grass. Conductors may of course be instruments as well as victims of the divine lightening.' Select a novel or play in which a tragic figure functions as an instrument of the suffering of others. Then write an essay in which you explain how the suffering brought upon others by that figure contributes to the tragic vision of the work as a whole. Avoid plot summary."

Be careful to respond to the prompt--that of tragic vision-- and not just the quotation. You should focus your answer not on Othello, but those effected by his actions and why they are so. What is it in their respective characters that make them part of the tragic vision? Make sure you define in your thesis statement what the tragic vision of this play entails.

Post by Thursday at midnight. I will grade them on Friday. If you don't post, you don't get a grade. Remember, if you use any other source or you paraphrase another source, you will receive a zero.

1 comment:

bombdotcom said...

are we allowed to use references to support our argument? like quotes about tragic heroes from other people?