Literature

Posted: August 5th, 2013

Literature

Question 1

            Literature is derived from humans’ activities, beliefs and practices. Literature features like poems and plays contain themes with teachings for people. They instill virtues and other values, which people need. Literature is used to address political issues. It criticizes the evils of politics and upholds constructive politics. The play of Oedipus the king has political theme, which is a reflection of what is happening in the society. For instance, Polynices and his brother are killed as they fight for leadership over Thebes.

Question 5

Some of the conventions in these two plays are comedy, romance and tragedy. The comedy of errors has a central theme of comedy. The confusion in the play is subject to comedy. For example, Adrian takes home the wrong twin thinking it is his husband. One of the Antipholus twins is caught in a scandal of gold. He is required to pay for it yet he is his brother who purchased it. It is comic how he tries to defend himself and his wife thinks he is mad. Both plays are characterized with tragedy. In Comedy of errors, the merchant of Syracuse is involved in a shipwreck with his family.

They are separated and do not know the where about of each other. The Dromio twins are slaves and they were separated from each other for many years. One of twins lived in Syracuse and the other was in Ephesus. In Oedipus the king, Sophocles is cursed and he kills his father unknowingly. Polynices and his brother are killed in war. Sophocles marries his mother unknowingly and after realizing it his mother commits suicide.