The first section of our course is about discovering the patterns and archetypes in art and literature. Archetypes are the deeper lessons and themes that art attempts to teach us. For example, in drama, the two masks- Tragedy and Comedy- represent the two forces of humour and sadness, goodness, and evil, light and dark, comic and tragic.
Within Tragedy, are themes such as revenge, ambition, and love and hate.
"Romeo and Juliet" is a tragic story of love and hate. Because the story deals with such a 'timeless' theme, the play never stops being relevant. Its relevance is a result of art dealing with universal human patterns of love and hate. "Macbeth" show us unbridled ambition; "Hamlet" show us revenge, existential angst, and insanity.
Let's take a look at a few pieces of writing on the subject of universal themes.
We'll be reading pages 164-192 in the text "Viewpoints 12" in order to learn about timeless themes in art (literature).
Are there timeless themes in music? Drama? Painting? Poetry?
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