Blog #33
June 11, 2020
Maya Zhorov Freshmen Period 1
Aim: How can an analysis of both Aristotle’s definition of the “tragic hero,” and an evaluation of the main themes found in Julius Caesar, be applied to the character’s in the play?
Today’s lesson was the analysis of Julius Caesar’s play and Aristotle’s definition of the “tragic hero”. We started off the lesson with a do now asking why do you believe that some author!s like to utilize having a tragic hero in their stories. I believed that a tragic hero can make the storyline more entertaining and appealing to audiences. Secondly, a tragic hero can show character growth which gives the plot story more depth. After, we discussed the literal definition of a tragic hero and how it can be interpreted in different ways as some conflicts that heroes face are internal while others are external. We had a class discussion on how a tragic hero isu destined for failure in certain situations, however, the point of one is to portray the lessons the main character learns after dealing with the terrible situation. It teaches the audience that sometimes you need to have bad experiences to teach you and prepare you for anything to come in your life. It also teaches people about strength, internal and external, and how you have to be determined and strong throughout any situation to get through it.
There are a lot of comparisons between a tragic hero and Odysseus because Odysseus was born into nobility as he was Ithaca’s greatest and mightiest and he had a beautiful wife and amazing sin. He did have a tragic flaw as at first he was too overconfident and was not humbled. Then he embarked on a journey that had its ups and downs, he lost six of his loyal crew mates and became humbled in the process. He protected all of Greece and returned back to his wife Penelope, and son Telemachus.
Our Classwork started with discussing the characters Brutus and Caesar and their roles of justice and their influences on each character’s choices when analyzing “judgment error”. This officially began our topic of Julius Caesar. I think that their judgment was wrong as they had bad intentions and wished ill upon each other. Their competition and hope for failure of each other drove them both to a terrible fate. This play teaches the audience about how you have to support and wish success upon your friends no matter what and know your morals of right and wrong. After this question, we had to fill out a chart of the character’s characteristics and actions to determine which characters fit under Aristotle’s definition of a “tragic hero”. I believe that a “tragic hero” doesn’t have to be completely innocent but has to be morally right, and Caesar and Brutus did not fit under my interpretation. However, they did make decisions that led them to have a terrible fate which taught the audience a lesson.
Then we learned of how themes are incorporated in these literary works and their purposes. I believe that a person should benefit spiritually from watching a play or reading a book and should learn something that will make them become a better person in all. In the Odyssey, you learn how you have to be humble and mental strength plays a big role in being a hero. After, we had a class discussion on the definition of a theme and how it applies to literary works and even real life. We had a class activity to learn and apply our knowledge of themes to Julius Caesar.
Reflection:
I found this lesson really helpful as not only did we start analyzing Shakespeare’s work, Julius Caesar, but we also learned about topics that can be applied to other literary works like the phrase “tragic hero” and themes. Then we had a homework assignment to watch Julius Caesar, the movie, or certain clips of the movie and analyze the actions of the characters to learn about themes and the different roles each character played. This activity helped us think a step further into really grasping the topic and incorporating it into certain situations and circumstances.
To reflect on our current situation of the Corona virus and remote learning, I would say that it has been a challenge keeping up with school work and still having additional time to do out of class activities like preparing for exams and projects. I found out that it is much more helpful to have a schedule where I dedicate time to each activity so I have time to do schoolwork, workout and spend time with my family. Also, having deadlines for myself helped me organize my schoolwork and have time to complete everything.
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