Lyric Literary Essay-- Catharsis

 

While reading Oedipus Rex, Sophocles had me thinking about a term I was not familiar with—catharsis. I had heard the words “cathartic experience” before but never truly knew what it meant. Merriam-Webster defines catharsis as “purification or purgation of the emotions,” but I prefer the synonymous version of “blowing off steam,” because if I were to explain what catharsis is to a child, this is what I would tell them. To further go into depth, I ended up finding a song called “Blowing Off Steam” by Abney Park. The following lyrics sum up the definition perfectly; “Should I run? Should I hide? Should I change my life completely? Should I hold me inside? Or keep my anger hid discreetly?”

I recommend listening to the song here: https://youtu.be/bel1L7FRZsc

Throughout Oedipus, the characters experienced very complex emotions which eventually led to an emotional release, or cleansing. Catharsis can be seen on lines 1341-1344, where Sophocles states, “He tore the brooches – the gold chased brooches fastening her robe – away from her and lifting them up high dashed them on his own eyeballs.” After Oedipus had realized what he had done—that he had married his mother and killed his father, he gouged his own two eyeballs out. Jocasta also experienced catharsis as seen on line 1337, where “we saw his wife hanging, the twisted rope around her neck.” When the tragic mistake had been revealed, Jocasta committed suicide, and through this, she went through a cathartic release of emotions. Catharsis is also present in Chai’s “Saving Sourdi,” when Nea is so enraged that her sister, which she idolizes, is being harassed, she “stabbed the man in the sleeve” (Chai 117). Once Nea stabbed the man and chaos had arisen, she “starting apologizing to the man,” (Chai 117) even though she later admits that she is not sorry, and through the act, Nea was able to fully cleanse her emotions. Another example of this is when Duke and Nea arrive at Sourdi’s house and he punches her husband in the nose, “You bastard!” I oughtta – He punched Sourdi’s husband in the nose” (Chai 127). While possibly still having romantic feelings toward Sourdi, Duke completely purges those negative emotions by using physical means.

I recommend viewing the clip here: https://youtu.be/KJZLcsAmLbM 

When understanding ancient Greek culture, I like to think of their tragedies as today’s Disney—they are addicted to their endings and do not plan on stopping. This could make perfect sense, if you get the idea that in tragedies, the hero falls to an untimely demise and there is no happy ending out of your head. Romeo and Juliet are a perfect example of this. The “star-crossed lovers” end up dead because of their childish desires, instead of being more rational. After the couple’s death, we pity them, but also feel a great sense of relief, because only one child dying would have been extremely unsatisfying to the reader. I recommend viewing this short clip of Juliet realizing what she had done and ended up killing herself. (From the 1996 adaptation of Romeo and Juliet) While doing some looking, I noticed that there are quite a few movies with cathartic scenes. A good example is Dead Poets Society, where Mr. Keating was fired because one of his students had recently committed suicide. Keating ultimately gets the blame put on him and his teachings, but as he is packing up his things and leaving, a cathartic moment occurs. I highly recommend looking at this scene as it is very powerful and compelling.

You can view the scene here: https://youtu.be/j64SctPKmqk

You can view the clip here: https://youtu.be/9yjAFMNkCDo

Another example of catharsis being present in film is in Pixar’s Up, where we see Carl and Ellie’s relationship progress through the years and showing that we will eventually have to let a loved one go someday.

You can view the scene here: https://youtu.be/9yjAFMNkCDo

You can view the scene here: https://youtu.be/75M1XXEZciU

One last example of catharsis that I found was the movie E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. A lonely child, Elliott, befriended E.T. and helps him return to his home planet but must ultimately say goodbye to his newfound friend. I highly recommend watching this movie, as it is a classic and will for sure make you cry.

By using catharsis in art such as film and literature, the creators can convey and invoke feelings of pity, sympathy, and relief that the audience feels afterward, and how we are drawn to it. We may even feel the same exact emotions that the characters are experiencing, which may explain the intense feeling we feel after partaking in the art itself.