Oedipus Rex

The Robert Fagles translation of the last part of Oedipus Rex is the best translation compared to the others. The meaning of this excerpt is very rich and ties up the entire story. It also includes the main theme, which is one that still applies today. This translation is the best because it has some elements of poetry that makes it stand out from the others. In this section, the chorus is talking about the life of Oedipus. They are explaining of how he was the greatest of men, and how he solved the famous riddle; however, after realizing that he killed Laius, he was left a miserable man, who was banished from his kingdom. Oedipus himself thought that he was the happiest and most powerful man; however, his actions and fate decided that he would die a miserable person. The theme of this excerpt is very powerful, and still applies to the world today. Sophocles is saying that a man is happy only when he dies a happy man. This means that someone, such as Oedipus, could think he or she is the happiest and most prosperous person, however their “happiness” and “prosperity” could take a huge downfall the minute before he or she dies. One unfortunate event can cause the misery of the happiest person on Earth. The Robert Fagles translation of this choral is the best for many reasons. First, the poetic structure was exceptional. The pauses between the sentences made the poem clearer compared to the other translations. Also, the diction was fantastic. Fagles’s word choice made this choral interesting and easier to comprehend. Lastly, he used poetic elements, such as personification to add emotion to this stanza. An example of this is when he said, “Now what a black sea of terror has overwhelmed him.” These are the reasons why the Fagles’s translation was better than the others. The last choral has a deep meaning. It says that a man is happy only when he dies happy, which is not only a theme in the tragedy, but in the current era also. Robert Fagles did an amazing