Life. Different people have different perception of life. Life can be viewed from many angles. Theaters or dramas also imitate life. Different writers give their own view of life in their literary works. Shakespeare has his own style in writing a play. In ‘As You Like It’, Shakespeare put the players merely, and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages. While in Macbeth, Shakespeare used another style. Macbeth at the outset of the play is an admirable man, a good warrior and a man of good conscience. He believes that he could be a king, and his ambitions to get the throne are encouraged by his wife. And yet, his conscience is close by. He cannot see behind the surface truth and distinguish the tricks that "fate" is playing on him. Compared to Oedipus Rex, by Sophocles, Macbeth knows he should not proceed and yet his ego drives him just as Oedipus is told by all around himself not to proceed, however he does, as well. In Oedipus, Sophocles wants to tell the reader that fate is inevitable, means fate cannot be changed. So whatever will be, will be. Different with William Butler Yeats in his poem, ‘The Four Ages of Man’, he divides his poem into four stanzas which is ironic to four stages of man’s life. He described the man’s life in different situation. Everyone has their own perception of life, and so do I. Life must go on but we never know what will happen in the future.
Oedipus Rex..
My children, generations of the living
In the line of Kadmos, nursed at his ancient hearth:
In supplication, with your boughs and garlands?
The breath of incense rises from the city
With a sound of prayer and lamentation.
- The Origin of Oedipus the King
My children, latest born to Cadmus old,
Why sit ye here as suppliants, in your hands
Branches of olive filleted with wool?
What means this reek of incense everywhere,
And everywhere laments and litanies?
-has been told in a story-telling fashion
In the line of Kadmos, nursed at his ancient hearth:
In supplication, with your boughs and garlands?
The breath of incense rises from the city
With a sound of prayer and lamentation.
- The Origin of Oedipus the King
My children, latest born to Cadmus old,
Why sit ye here as suppliants, in your hands
Branches of olive filleted with wool?
What means this reek of incense everywhere,
And everywhere laments and litanies?
-has been told in a story-telling fashion
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
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1 comments:
It is true that everyone has different perspectives of life because everyone encounters different experiences in their life. In my opinion, William Shakespear’s “As You Like It” and William Butler Yeats’ “The Four Ages of Man” has similarity that is about the different stages in a human’s life. Although Shakespeare puts the players merely on stage, I can see that actually there is connotation meaning in it. He is trying to use the players to portray different stages of life in a human.
I agree that Shakespeare has a different perspective of life in the play, “Macbeth”. He is trying to portray to readers that the stages of life in human can be interfere by fate. Macbeth is determined by fate that he will indeed become a king but at the end, he is beheaded and dead. It is a tragic ending for Macbeth because it is his fate that his life ends in such a way.
Finally, I perceive that our life on earth is a variety. Different people have different life’s perspective and experience. Therefore, enjoy your life and live life each day as it comes.
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