Prof. Juan G. Noblejas

56
Character vs. Fate (Destiny)
~~ As Oedipus was (to the ancient Greeks) “fated” to kill his
father and marry his mother, drama arises when “the free
will come into conflict with the preordained plans of the
gods”.
~~ Today “fate” seems to be character’s “innate
limitations”: fears, limitations imposed by sex, race, age,
other constraints of the world...
~~ The “fate” is ultimately determined, not by the gods, but
by the protagonist’s actions.
Character vs. Self
~~ Conflict with an inner flaw (fear, mental illness), a moral
doubt (should I or shouldn’t I) or a psychic wound
(responsibility for the death of a loved one).
~~ The conflict is not on the surface: harder to demonstrate
in a filmic way. Pictures can’t always show what someone is
thinking...
~~ This conflict can combine with others. It can engage our
empathy for the protagonist.
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La scena -- Tensione drammatica {Vid. Giovanni Robbiano}