Literature to the Renaissance April 25‚ 2012 Sophocles King of Catharsis What is Catharsis? Aristotle describes catharsis as the purging of the emotions of pity and fear that are aroused in the viewer of a tragedy. Debate continues about what Aristotle actually means by catharsis‚ but the concept is linked to the positive social function of tragedy (english.hawaii.edu). A good example of a Catharsis play is Oedipus the King by Sophocles. Pity and fear are the dominating feelings produced by the
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Sophocles tragedy Oedipus the King‚ King Oedipus swears to solve the murder of former King Laios in order to free the city from the plague. The plague taunts the city destroying crops and livestock and making the women unable to bear children. A seer‚ Teirsias tells Oedipus that he himself is Thebes’s pollution for killing his father and marrying his mother. Oedipus ignores his words and is blind to the truth until he discovers that it is he who corrupts the city. In order to illustrate Oedipus as the perfect
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Fink In the story Oedipus Rex‚ Sophocles portrays two certain characters as leaders. Both of these characters have the potential to be the leader of Thebes and eventually both of them are the leaders of Thebes. They both show leadership qualities that make them great leaders. One of them has more qualities than the other. The first leader of Oedipus Rex was Oedipus himself. He was the king of Thebes at the beginning of the story. The biggest leadership quality that Oedipus has and the reason that
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Oedipus The King The Greek drama Oedipus is clearly a Aristotle’s tragedy. It definitely meets the five main criteria for a tragedy: a tragic hero of noble birth‚ a tragic flaw‚ a hero‘s downfall‚ a moment of remorse‚ and a catharsis. Aristotle in his Poetics defines Oedipus as being a definite example of the form and purpose of Aristotelian tragedy. In tragedies the Greeks dramatized climactic events in the lives of heroes‚ and Oedipus story is no different. By using many different literary
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Character Analysis In the play "Oedipus the King‚" written by Sophocles‚ there are many intriguing characters who are introduced throughout the entire play. Jocasta‚ also known as the queen of Thebes is a very well rounded character. Jocasta appears in the final scenes of Oedipus the king‚ but her role in the play is nothing but important. Jocasta is the mother and wife of Oedipus‚ and is also Creons sister. The relationships conveyed in the play are very controversial as Oedipus is both a son and husband
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change reflected in Oedipus that between the first quote‚ and the quote is the descent of Oedipus’s self-consciousness from secondary processing to primary processing. Oedipus goes from blaming himself for fulfilling the prophecy to acknowledging that he had no choice on whether he did or did not fulfill the prophecy‚ that he was a vessel for the gods. His self-consciousness leads him to blame himself for the fulfillment of the prophecy as seen in‚ Oedipus the King. For example‚ Oedipus attributes the
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Tapia 1 Reyniel Tapia Geiss 11/11/12 Oedipus Is Innocent The difinition of gods in a polytheistic point of view are supreme beings considersd to have total control over a specific attribute. In the tragedy Oedipus the King‚ Grecian author Sophocles displays a topic that many people debate on: whether we believe in fate or freewill. Oedipus is king of Thebes. He came to his throne by killing his father and marrying his mother who abandoned him while he was young. The gods are
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death of a lot of innocent people. * Main point two: Question Two: “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark‚” says Marcellus in Hamlet. Both Hamlet and Oedipus the King suggest a relationship between the state and the king. In what ways do both texts portray a land that is diseased? What does each text suggest about both the cause of and the cure for the disease? * Thesis: The play Hamlet by William Shakespeare and the play Oedipus the King by Sophocles portrays kings who are the cause
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In Oedipus the King by Sophocles‚ Oedipus appears to be a respectful ruler until a wise prophet‚ Teiresias‚ tells Oedipus that he is at fault. Oedipus sent out for Teiresias because Oedipus‚ in this time of need‚ knew of Teiresias’s wisdom and knowledge. Oedipus showed his need of help and begged Teiresias when he said‚“ Teiresias‚ seer who comprehendest all‚ Lore of the wise and hidden mysteries‚ High things of heaven and low things on earth‚ Thou knowest‚ through thy blinded eyes see naught‚ What
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In the play Oedipus the King‚ Oedipus the main character meets with a tragic fate. In the beginning he is a mighty king‚ ruler of the city of Thebes. Then the people of Thebes come to him with a problem. The city is tragically on the surge of death. Oedipus‚ being the mighty king he is‚ is determined to solve the problem. Oedipus saved the city once before and became a hero. Now faced with this problem he would like to be a hero again‚ but things don’t always take a turn out
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