*sniff sniff* What's that awful smell? All I did was sacrifice like I usually do. Boy, come and tell me what is wrong. What? What do you mean there's no fire? Wait, what do you mean it's seeping fluid? And where are all these birds coming from? This must mean only one thing. Creon. That hardheaded buffoon is really starting to get on my nerves. Why must he insist on always being right, even when he is obviously in the wrong? Doesn't he know that his stubbornness cannot possibly lead to anything good? Of course not! Because all he cares about is the unquestioned obedience of his subjects. And if anyone steps out of line, even his own niece, it's 'off with their head!' I mean, for the gods' sake, it is just a body! Someone has got to talk some sense into this man before he does something he will really regret.
Of course, that "someone" has to be me. It always has to be me. Do you think this is the way I wanted to start my weekend? Of course not! Why must I always be the bringer of bad news? Why can't somebody else be the one to tell him that his pride is going to cause the deaths of everyone he has ever cared about? Do you think I like this "gift"? Why would I? All the people who I try to help always do is shoot me down, curse me, and send me away. They all understand that I'm never wrong, and yet whenever one of my prophecies isn't good for them, I am a fraud. I am getting too old for this nonsense. But, alas, it is my duty to inform the king of the consequences coming his way unless he changes, which he won't. I should just get this unpleasantness over with. *Sigh.* Come, boy. Take me to Thebes.
Nathan, I really like your perspective on this. It's fresh and really causes me to wonder why people even doubted Teiresias in the first place! It truly shows that the supporting characters aren't necessarily less crucial to the plot than the main characters, and I think you did a good job with this colloquial approach at describing Creon. It helps make it modern, and that makes it much easier to really comprehend and evaluate. This is well written, and I really feel for Tereisias because he was also assigned to me. Again, great blog nathan.
ReplyDeleteNathan I loved your imagery of a short tempered old man in the beginning. It cracked me up! Anyways, I like how you thought of Tereisias as a victim. It is hard for us to look at someone who tells the brutal truth as a good friend, but in fact these are the best friends. Thanks to you, I now laugh when I think of Tereisias and feel pity for him. He reminds me of an old man who just wants to be left alone to his National Geographic shows. Overall, you're a great story teller, well done.
ReplyDeleteGreat job with this, Nathan! I thought it was funny how you made Teiresias sound like a grouchy old man to start; it definitely added some depth to his character. I could also see how he could be portrayed as the one being wronged in all the action of the play, and you really made it sound convincing. He's always right, but always deemed wrong when inconvenient, and you showed that well. Well, done!
ReplyDeleteNathan, I did really enjoy this characterization of Teresias, even though I wish you had included quotes and elevated the diction to try to emulate what you read from Sophocles. Know that there are always intentional reasons I ask you all to do those things-- in this case, the quotes were assigned to help you pin down key quotes for review at the end of the year, and to ensure your characterization was grounded in facts. The diction aspect was to challenge you to reach for vocabulary and style you don't ordinarily employ and stretch your versatility and artistry as writers. If you ever think an assignment component seems unnecessary, please feel free to ask me why I've given it and I'll fill you in on my reasoning. :) If that seems like too much work, trust that the assignment components are there for a reason and that I believe you will improve if you adhere to them!
ReplyDeleteWith that said, your characterization of Teresias is amicable and funny. I enjoyed the fact that he was speaking to his boy-helper, and also appreciated his simultaneous sense of duty and feeling of reluctance-- there's the complexity. :) This reminded me of some of the prophets from the Bible, who were also a pretty grumpy bunch. Pretty thankless job, prophesying!
(-5 for no quotes; -1 for diction)
9/15
yeah, my mistake was skimming the directions. i totally missed the quote and diction part until it was too late.
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