Professor James Place October 15‚ 2012 Pham 1 In the play Oedipus Rex by Sophocles (rpt. in James P. Place‚ Literature: A reader for Freshman Composition II‚ 1st ed. [Boston: Pearson‚ 2011] 122-168)‚ the oracles had prophesied that Oedipus would kill his father and beget children by his mother. Oedipus does not want to do the things that Apollo predicted; he is no puppet‚ but indeed the controller of his own fate. Oedipus was unwilling to have his fate come true; he was frightened that he
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Aristotle said “Oedipus Rex” by Sophocles is the best Greek play ever written. The audiences might agree with Aristotle depending upon their understanding of the “healthy confusion” of both pleasure and perplexity portrayed. “Oedipus Rex” is one immense riddle that lifts the audience’s minds’ to a higher understanding of the human life. Greek culture would call this: Catharsis‚ which is purification of the mind. Thematic ideas in the play are derived from the axial age‚ which concentrated on logos
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Key moments- Act 3 Scene 1 - Hamlet’s turmoil Claudius and Polonius eavesdrop when Hamlet meets Ophelia. Hamlet speaks the famous soliloquy (’To be or not to be’) and rejects Ophelia‚ whom he had previously professed love to‚ believing that she is in league with his uncle and Polonius. Hamlet Get thee to a nunnery‚ go‚ farewell. Or if thou needs must marry‚ marry a fool‚ for wise men know well enough what monsters you make of them. Act 3 Scene 3 - Claudius’s plotting Claudius arranges Hamlet’s
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Antigone‚ from the play Antigone‚ is like her father Oedipus‚ from the play Oedipus Rex‚ through the two classical values‚ justice and courage. Antigone showed justice by doing what she believed was right. Her brothers body‚ he was killed in war‚ was cast from the city with no rights and without a proper burial‚ and no one was allowed to bury it. Antigone‚ seeing this as an injustice decided to make it right by burying her brother anyway at the expense of herself. This shows justice because to do
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Hamlet essay Madness is a condition in which is difficult to identify whether it is true or not. As in the encounter of the ghost of Hamlet’s father and Hamlet‚ Hamlet is asked to avenge his father’s death. To accomplish this task in a less apparent manner‚ following this discovery hamlet state of mind has spurred out of control‚ which led us to believe that he is truly insane. William Shakespeare‚ the writer of the tragic play Hamlet leaves the audience to decide whether Hamlet is truly mad or
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In the play Hamlet‚ there are only two main female characters that both play an extremely compelling and difficult manifestation of love. Ophelia and Gertrude never have a scene together‚ or alone. Ophelia does not have another female confidant to talk to and Gertrude also doesn’t have anyone to talk to about her secret feelings. The only relationships between these women are with men‚ and most of the men surrounding them don’t really care about their feelings‚ or value their worth. Ophelia’s
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awaken to find out the truth. In Oedipus the King‚ A Doll’s House‚ and Fences‚ Oedipus‚ Nora and Corey experience an awakening from secondary characters through their interactions. Oedipus‚ the main character in Oedipus the King by Sophocles awakens when he realizes the truth has been in front of him the whole time. There is a plague destroying the city of Thebes‚ Oedipus learns that the killer of Laius needs to be prosecuted so Thebes can be restored. Oedipus wants to find out who murderer of
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Causing our own grief In Oedipus Rex‚ written by Sophocles‚ some of the characters cause their own problems. The idea applies not only to the story but to real life as well. In fact‚ “The greatest griefs are those we cause ourselves.” The significance of this quotation is that people bring on their own sadness by their own doings. Other people do not cause the grief. In Oedipus Rex‚ Oedipus causes his own grief by trying to escape the fate of the oracle’s prophecy. He cannot blame his grief on
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Oedipus Symbolism Many stories from ancient times as well as present times use symbolism to prove a point or to help with the understanding of the story. Symbolisms are used in stories and plays of all kinds to help get a point across or to help clarify the meaning of the story‚ and the play‚ Oedipus the King‚ is no different. There are many things throughout the play that are symbolic and very important to the understanding of the play. Two of the major symbolic things in the play are blindness
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intentions were irrelevant if the result was chaos or disaster." The gods expect justice to follow their own set of rules‚ and those who refuse to comply‚ must suffer the consequences. A fine example of this can be seen in the Greek tragedy King Oedipus by Sophocles‚ translated by E.F. Watling. The tragedy explores three different ways that justice can be handed down to the people of Thebes. Some receive poetic justice‚ others receive a form of civil justice‚ and the rest are served with rough justice
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