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In this book, three masterpieces of drama are examined in terms of Hans Georg Gadamer´s concept of finiteness; they are, Oedipus Rex, Macbeth, and Romeo and Juliet. The three plays share a common theme; namely, the struggle between human desire and the circumstances. In Oedipus Rex, there is the conflict between human struggle and the inscrutable divine will. In Romeo and Juliet, there is the conflict between man´s expectations and the unpredictable and uncontrollable contingencies. And in Macbeth, there is also the conflict between man´s ambition and the actual outcome. In the three plays, readers may see how Shakespeare and Sophocles look at the interrelation between man and the reality in which he is situated. In this ever-changing and uncertain world, readers may relate themselves to the human confinement presented in these works.

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Chin-Rung Kuo was born in Taiwan in 1969. He received his Ph.D. from National Sun Yat-sen University. He is now an associate professor of Tajen University, teaching English and western literature.

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