Aristotle’s Tragic Hero: Oedipus Rex The Athenian tragedy Oedipus Rex‚ by Sophocles‚ yields a rare quality of emotional and character depth that is unparalleled and has withstood the arduous test of time. Much of the stimulation derived from Oedipus Rex is in the unraveling of the protagonist’s fate. By the hands of the gods‚ almighty King Oedipus is prophesized to take his own father’s life and marry his mother. Never has a man stood so tall and fallen so hard. In Poetics‚ Aristotle describes the tragic
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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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Oedipus Rex the Tragedy Aristotle created elements to prove a story is a tragedy. Aristotle was a philosopher and a scientist. Aristotle wrote his definition of a tragedy twenty years after Sophocles wrote the play Oedipus Rex. The play Oedipus Rex uses these elements. Oedipus Rex uses suitable language‚ dramatic form‚ and fear and pity wording throughout the play. Oedipus Rex is a true tragedy according to Aristotle’s prescribed elements. Oedipus Rex includes appropriate and pleasurable language
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but what makes these things tragic? According to Aristotle there are many elements to a tragic tale. Oedipus Rex lives up to all of them. The reader knows how serious Oedipus’s actions are‚ how complete they are‚ and how high his fall is. A tragedy by definition is a drama which imitates an important and casually related series of events in the life of a significant person‚ such events ending in an unhappy catastrophe. The Greek tragedies are plays based on myths which were well known and
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Oedipus: An Exceptional Man In all the passages that have been written through history on how an excellent man should behave‚ one writing stands out from all of them. Aristotle’s‚ The High-Minded Man. This manuscript explains that for any play to be truly considered a tragedy‚ its hero must meet Aristotle’s standards for a high-minded man. In the tragedy of Oedipus Rex‚ by Sophacles‚ Oedipus clearly meets the requirements to be called a high-minded man. Oedipus is expressive about his thoughts
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Essay on Oedipus Rex 4-3-97 In Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex‚ the theme of irony plays an important part through the play. What Oedipus does‚ what he says‚ and even who he is can sometimes be ironic. This irony can help us to see the character of Oedipus as truly a ’blind’ man‚ or a wholly ’public’ man. A great irony is found in Oedipus’s decree condemning the murderer. Oedipus says‚ "To avenge the city and the city’s god‚ / And not as though it were for some distant friend‚ / But for my own sake‚ to be
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Oedipus is the definition of nobility being noble by both birth and character. He is born in to royalty as he is the son of King Laius and Queen Jocasta of Thebes. Soon his father‚ King Laius‚ hears of a prophecy that states his son would grow up and kill him. To prevent this horrific fate from happening Oedipus is brought to the wilderness to be left for dead but as fate has it a passing shepherd finds baby Oedipus. The shepherd brings Oedipus to Corinth to be adopted by King Polybus and Queen Merope
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There was no suspense in the Greek tragedies‚ because the stories on which the tragedies were built were well-known by the audience. For this reason‚ playwrights had to rely to some other means to heighten the tragic effect. The most effective method was to use the dramatic irony‚ a situation in which a character’s words and actions are seen to be wholly contradictory to the actual situation known to some other characters or to the audience. The tragedy ’Oedipus Rex’ is filled with dramatic suspense
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Man controls his fate by the choices that he makes. In being able to chose what his own actions are‚ fate is a result of his decisions. In Oedipus the King‚ the Greek writer‚ Sophocles‚ uses characterization and dramatic irony to project a theme throughout the play providing the idea that man is responsible for his own fate. Sophocles lived 90 years‚ revealing a plethora of amazing‚ prize-winning tragic Greek plays. Sophocles was born near Athens in 496 BC‚ in the town of Colonus. He received
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Oedipus Rex The tragic play “Oedipus Rex” describes the life of Oedipus and the events that led to his ultimate downfall. Through specific dialogue and narrative progression “Oedipus Rex” is able to convey Oedipus as a victim of fate‚ and although the play was written many years ago‚ Oedipus’ experience can still be interpreted by modern society to debate whether or not man is in control of his/her own destiny. The over arching theme of fate‚ or a predetermined destiny‚ is developed throughout
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