古希腊论文

成绩

学号 2014300340080

从俄狄浦斯王和哈姆莱特看人文主义

的发展

课程名称：古希腊文化

专业名称：英语

学生姓名：詹青青

任课教师：熊杰平

2016年 1 月 10 日

Analysis on the Development of Humanism from Oedipus Rex and Hamlet

Course: Ancient Greek Civilization

Subject: English Language and Literature

Name: Qingqing Zhan

Directed by: Jieping Zhan

January 2016

ABSTRCT

As the representative tragedy of ancient Greece and the Renaissance, Oedipus Rex and Hamlet are two milestones of western drama. With such great works, the authors try to explore the plight of people in their age, showing the conflict between human and fate. From Oedipus to Hamlet, the development of spiritual connotation about humanism is evident.

Key Words: humanism; ancient Greece; Renaissance; fate

Chapter One

Humanism in Oedipus Rex

1.1 Historical Background

The author Sophocles lived in an age when democratic politics was prosperous and he also set foot in politics with advanced democratic thought. He put the value on individual consciousness to his works so that the characters in his works were given the primitive humanistic spirit.

1.2 Analysis on the Drama

The tragedy Oedipus Rex tells a story that happened five thousand years ago, when human civilization was on the initial stage. The sun-god gave an oracle that the king of Thebes Laius would be killed by his son and then his son would marry his mother. So the king abandoned his son after he was born. Then his son became the prince of another city-state. The young prince Oedipus later knew the oracle. Out of protection for his parent and resistance against fate, he chose to leave his home. The drama develops on the basis of this mythology, describing the fierce duel between human will and destiny. Regardless the result whether Oedipus finally got rid of the oracle or not, he brought out the spirit of resistance from the very beginning, trying to get the control of his own life. Since the behavior of facing problem bravely but not escaping from the difficulty equals the affirmation of the strength of human, Oedipus’s trying to change his situation is just the reflection of the great power of individual will, which shows the transformation from the worship for nature to the affirmation of human value and strength.

The society had recognized the ability of human and attached more importance to individual consciousness. Facing the doomed destiny, if Oedipus didn’t believe his own strength, He would not have given up his luxurious life as a prince. Facing the plague, if he didn’t believe his ability, he would not have tried to solve the problem, no matter if it was because his real concern about the citizen. When the truth came out, he could have protected himself using his power as a king or chosen death to suffer less, but he chose to punish himself and living in darkness. All of these are his choice leading by his courage and perseverance. All his struggles are the soundless and powerful confrontation with fate.

However, the drama also shows that he believes oracles and the power of god, from which it is implied that fate is irresistible. The more drastically he fights with fate, the more miserable his failure will be. The only empathetic explanation for the tragedy is that fate is unreasonable. But there is no denying that human will and human ability have been paid much attention to. The ancient Greek didn’t purely hold their reverence for god, but also praise for the value and strength of man. This reflects