Literary Criticism: Oedipus the King
Literary Criticism: Oedipus the King
The pursuit of knowledge was very critical to the Greeks. Even if the truth was terrifying and hard to grasp, they saw it as an important virtue. The theater served as a medium for the examining of these ideas of knowledge and truth. Many playwrights at the time used the self-realizations of their protagonists as underlying themes for their tragedies. For example, in Oedipus the King. Sophocles uses Oedipus's transformation, along with the plot, to emphasize the theme. As the story progresses, Oedipus changes from arrogant and noble king to a cursed man, humbled by an inevitable series of unfortunate events.
In the beginning if the play, Oedipus is portrayed as a valiant hero. This was due to the situation introduced at the beginning of the drama in which he risked his life to solve the Sphinx's riddle and save Thebes from its tyranny. His fame is almost instant and is not only praised by the people but also crowned king. The daring measures that he took were basically seen as blessings from the gods. And although he was greatly adored and glorified, he was bitter towards the gods, and assumed power that normally belonged to them. "You pray to the gods? Let me grant your prayers" (245) he said to the chorus. They accepted this kind of talk from their king and even longed for it. They saw no answers coming from the gods, so they placed their hopes in Oedipus, their hero, who saved Thebes once and pledged to save it once more.
Paranoia seized Oedipus as he went further into his investigation of King Laius's death. While Jocasta revealed details about her late husband's murder, Oedipus started to suspect his own past accounts. He ignored the path in which the evidence took him and was quick to blame the people around him. The people of Thebes watched as their noble hero transformed into a tyrant.
The truth is finally revealed, and Oedipus is faced with the reality of his tragic downfall. Sophocles reveals the dramatic
The pursuit of knowledge was very critical to the Greeks. Even if the truth was terrifying and hard to grasp, they saw it as an important virtue. The theater served as a medium for the examining of these ideas of knowledge and truth. Many playwrights at the time used the self-realizations of their protagonists as underlying themes for their tragedies. For example, in Oedipus the King. Sophocles uses Oedipus's transformation, along with the plot, to emphasize the theme. As the story progresses, Oedipus changes from arrogant and noble king to a cursed man, humbled by an inevitable series of unfortunate events.
In the beginning if the play, Oedipus is portrayed as a valiant hero. This was due to the situation introduced at the beginning of the drama in which he risked his life to solve the Sphinx's riddle and save Thebes from its tyranny. His fame is almost instant and is not only praised by the people but also crowned king. The daring measures that he took were basically seen as blessings from the gods. And although he was greatly adored and glorified, he was bitter towards the gods, and assumed power that normally belonged to them. "You pray to the gods? Let me grant your prayers" (245) he said to the chorus. They accepted this kind of talk from their king and even longed for it. They saw no answers coming from the gods, so they placed their hopes in Oedipus, their hero, who saved Thebes once and pledged to save it once more.
Paranoia seized Oedipus as he went further into his investigation of King Laius's death. While Jocasta revealed details about her late husband's murder, Oedipus started to suspect his own past accounts. He ignored the path in which the evidence took him and was quick to blame the people around him. The people of Thebes watched as their noble hero transformed into a tyrant.
The truth is finally revealed, and Oedipus is faced with the reality of his tragic downfall. Sophocles reveals the dramatic