Comparison: "Although doubt is not a pleasant condition, certainty is an absurd one." In the light of this statement, explore the impressions of doubt and/or certainty conveyed in at least two works you have studied.
In Oedipus The King and The Wild Duck, it is clear that doubt leaves the main characters in a happier position than certainty does. This is because, according to the themes in these two plays, truth can only upset a situation that is running smoothly. For example, Oedipus enjoys life as king of Thebes. He loves his wife, his people, and his power. Once he searches and finds the truth about the murderer of Laius and his entire situation, he loses all three of these things. This shows how when he had lived in doubt, not knowing the truth about the situation allowed him to keep his throne and his happiness in tact, but once the truth comes out, his life takes a turn for the worse. One of the many themes of this story is that ignorance really is bliss. This is also shown through Hjalmar's situation. He is seemingly happy with his life, his wife, and his daughter. This is when he is living in the so-called doubt. He doesn't know about the possibility of his wife having their daughter with another man. He frequently says in the play that his daughter is the most important thing in his life, if he were to find out the truth about her, his life would be ruined. This shows that the quote mentioned above is conveyed and is consistent in these two plays.
Very nice. Thematic element of the whole "ignorance is bliss" concept. It would be interesting to contrast the literary techniques used in the two plays to convey this message and see how that ties in to the time period in which the plays were written.
ReplyDeleteWell I think this is pretty neat, maybe not be so cliche with the whole ignorance is bliss, but this is a journal and think you got the general concepts. In my opinion at least.
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