One of the main underlying themes in Oedipus Rex is blindness. Not just physical blindness‚ but intellectual blindness as well. The blindness issue is an effective contrasting method for Oedipus at different points in the play. Simply saying "blindness"‚ however‚ is a little ambiguous. It can be broken down into two components: Oedipus’s ability to "see" (ignorance or lack thereof)‚ and his
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King Oedipus Journal Notes a) Oedipus (characteristics / character study) King Oedipus is likewise a saviour. He does not die; he suffers‚ however on behalf of the people‚ a terrible and symbolic agony. He is impetuous and short-tempered. Intelligent‚ as shown in his following statement‚ “I‚ ignorant Oedipus‚ came-/ And stopped the riddler’s mouth” (37) Oedipus says. King Oedipus is a tragic hero. He has a Christ like character. King Oedipus is blinded by his pride and ignorance
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In Oedipus Rex the character of Creon serves as a foil to Oedipus. An individual who is the foil of another provides contrast. Creon is portrayed as a rational‚ ethical‚ and dutiful leader who represents the need for a stable society. All the while Oedipus is portrayed as a rash‚ unreasonable‚ and overly confident king‚ who is constantly trying to keep up with his unavoidable fate. Creon says that he doesn’t want to rule alone as sovereign of Thebes. He prefers the power sharing arrangement that
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Tragedy in Oedipus Rex The Greek drama Oedipus Rex is clearly a tragedy. It definitely meets the five main criteria for a tragedy: a tragic hero of noble birth‚ a tragic flaw‚ a fall from grace‚ a moment of remorse‚ and catharsis. Oedipus Rex clearly meets the first of these five criteria. Oedipus is the son of Laius‚ who was king of Thebes. Even at the beginning of the story‚ when we are told that Oedipus is the son of Polybus‚ he is still of noble birth; Polybus is king of Corinth. The
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The poem begins with a discussion about Shield Sheafson ‚ who was the king of the Thanes. He was a baby whose parents abandoned him and rose to the top. After Sheafson died‚ his son Beow became king in his place. Once he died‚ Hrothgar became the ruler of the Thanes. Hrothgar brought fortune and success to the Thanes and in celebration of it he built a hall called Hereot‚ where he and his men gathered for festivities. For a good amount of time the Danes enjoyed peace until one Grendel‚ who was descendant
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How does Sophocles explore the use of contrast in his play King Oedipus? ¬The use of contrast by Sophocles in his play King Oedipus allows the audience the ability to see into the multifaceted layers that possess his characters. Being both physically and metaphorically blind is a motif that is both ironic and somewhat cruel in nature‚ due to the circumstances to which this physical blindness is acquired‚ and the latter is bygone. The contrast between the piety and god fearing nature of Creon and
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Sabrina Bousbar 9/19/12 Period 5 English II Honors Part 1 Oedipus the King‚ lines 1-750 1) What were your initial thoughts about the character of Oedipus? My own initial thought about Oedipus is that he is very nice towards his “parents” because he thinks he will be saving his family and not killing his father. Then when he kills the king I was wondering why he would start a fight to the death when they could have just solved it peacefully. Then I thought he was very stuck up and spoiled because
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In the story of Oedipus Rex‚ Laius and Jocaste are king and queen of Thebes‚ and the parents of Oedipus. Laius was warned by an oracle that he would be killed by his own son. Determined to prevent his fate‚ Laius pierced and bound together the feet of his newborn child and left him to die on a lonely mountain. The infant was rescued by a shepherd and given to Polybus‚ king of Corinth‚ who named the child Oedipus and raised him as his own son. Oedipus did not know that he was adopted‚ and when an
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Sophocles‚ Oedipus the King The following analysis will examine Oedipus the King‚ by Sophocles. The following questions will be addressed: What is the historical context of this period? What are the storylines‚ as revealed in the document? What does the document reveal about the Greek notion of fate and free-will? Who was the author and does he reveal a bias? What was the author’s intent in writing this and whom did he see as his audience? And lastly‚ what stands out as particularly meaningful
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reasons. In the famous Ancient Egypt tragedy Oedi- pus written by Sophocles‚ while Oedipus is trying to help the citizens who are experiencing a disas- ter‚ he finds out that he is the killer of his natural father and his wife is his real mother. It does not matter what could be avoided before everything happens‚ the play Oedipus could not have had a different ending than it does‚ because the personality of Oedipus has showed that the truth could never be hidden‚ the situation has not given anyone
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