Theme Of Suffering In Oedipus The King

From Greece to Rome and to Britain, the world’s most renowned philosophers and literary writers have tackled the concept of suffering. From Sophocles’ Oedipus the King, to the poetry written by Jonathan Swift, John Donne and Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, multiple literary scholars have demonstrated suffering throughout the last couple centuries. Whether it may be sexual suffering as seen in the work of John Donne’s His Mistress Going to Bed, and Jonathan Swifts The Lady’s Dressing Room and A Beautiful Nymph Going to Bed, or the emotional, physical and psychological suffering in Oedipus the King, literature’s greatest authors have allowed audiences to experience a character’s suffering and emotions in various forms – sexually, emotionally, physically
This play is a classic Greek tragedy and is regarded as a masterpiece. It is mentioned in Aristotle’s Poetics, as being an exemplar of the composition of tragedy. Oedipus the King tells the story of Oedipus, a man who becomes the king of Thebes, while unwittingly fulfilling a prophecy that would kill his father, Laius, and marry his mother, Jocasta. Throughout Oedipus’ journey, viewers are introduced to various forms of suffering – physical, social, emotional and psychological. The first case of suffering that the audience is introduced to, is a brief mention of the despair that the city of Thebes was found in – before Oedipus defeated the Sphinx, who had initially released a plague on the village. The people of Thebes were subjected to plagues, which resulted in the death of many, as well as shortages on resources such as food and water. The city was in turmoil and war was constant (Oedipus the King, 25-41). This is an example of social suffering. This example of suffering can be connected to the dreadful conditions of those living in third world countries such as Africa – for instance, Nigeria, Ivory Coast – and Haiti. People living in the third world suffer from diseases such as HIV, AIDS and Malaria. They do not have a sufficient amount of food and water to maintain their health and are victims of corruption and
Swift is remembered for works such as Gulliver’s Travels, A Tale of a Tub and A Modest Proposal. He is regarded as the foremost prose satirist in the English language, and is less well known for his poetic works. Jonathon Swift’s short poem, A Beautiful Nymph Going to Bed, reflects the relentless, emphatically unromantic, and savagely satirical visions that mark Swift’s art. This poems presents the process by means of which an eighteenth century London prostitute prepares for sleep – a process which involves her stripping herself of various deceptions, which she seeks to disguise both her physical and moral suffering. Swift’s detailed description of Corinna’s ritualistic undressing essential exposes his audience to the various artful deceptions by which the prostitute establishes her outward appearance (“A Beautiful Young Nymph Analysis”, 2). Ultimately, Corinna’s personal and physical suffering is uncovered. One may assume that Corinna suffers from low self-esteem and has issues with body image. Her charm and beauty is a merely an imitation of who she wishes to be. Her hair, for example, is a wig; her eyebrows have been crafted from the skins of mice; the beautiful curves which define her are supplied by padding and as Swift indicates, a “steel-rib’d bodice” (A Beautiful Nymph, 13-24). At one point, Swift states that one of Corinna’s eyes, is actually made out of glass (A Beautiful Nymph,