tragedy in america comparing oedipus, hamlet & willy
TRANSCRIPT
College Reading
Answer the following questions about Oedipus:
1. Social position:
2. Personal Qualities:
3. Weaknesses:
4. Goal:
5. Fate:
Answer the following questions about Hamlet:
1. Social position:
2. Personal Qualities:
3. Weaknesses:
4. Goal:
5. Fate:
Answer the following questions about Willy Loman:
1. Social position:
2. Personal Qualities:
3. Weaknesses:
4. Goal:
5. Fate:
Answers for Oedipus
1. Social position: King of Thebes
2. Qualities: clever, responsible, decision-maker; basically good; well-respected
3. Weaknesses: too quick to judge others; egotistical; ambitious; proud
4. Goal: to find the killer of Laius and do the right thing for the citizens of Thebes
5. Fate: blindness/banished – he lost his throne & wife/mother because of his own actions
Answers for Hamlet
1. Social position: Prince of Denmark
2. Qualities: lover, clever, loyal to family, basically good, well-respected
3. Weaknesses: quick to use others for his own purposes; egotistical; proud
4. Goal: to avenge his father’s murder
5. Fate: murder is avenged, but he dies through the cunning of Claudius, his nemesis.
Answer the following questions about Willy Loman:
1. Social position: lower/middle class2. Qualities: devoted to sons, dishonest,
disloyal to his wife, immoral3. Weaknesses: dishonest, thought he could
make big money w/o work; he does not understand how his choices affect others
4. Goal: to make Biff successful regardless of the sacrifice
5. Fate: death; devotion to money affects his decision making; he thinks Biff will benefit from insurance benefits which is not true