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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in Athens The story of Oedipus Tyrannus‚ otherwise known as Oedipus the King or Oedipus Rex‚ is an Athenian tragedy written by Sophocles; it tells the story of Oedipus‚ the king of Thebes who is plagued by a self-fulfilled prophecy in which he kills his father Laius and marries his own mother‚ Jocasta. Not only is it widely recognized as Sophocles’ greatest work‚ the story of Oedipus has lent its name to what is recognized in the psychological realm today as the Oedipus complex‚ in which a young
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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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It leaves one with a feeling of loneliness‚ which can either be mental or physical. As a result‚ characters in this instance become alienated from the world they live in. Three examples of characters who suffer from alienation are Oedipus from the play Oedipus the King‚ “the monster” from the novel Frankenstein‚ and Hamlet in the play Hamlet. These three characters go through the several stages of alienation to relieve themselves from the feeling of loneliness. The stages of alienation include initiation
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Sophocles‚ Oedipus has volunteered to find out who killed the previous king‚ King Laius. If he succeeds in finding the “stranger” who committed the crime Oedipus will be able to lift the curse of the plague off the people of ancient Thebes. However‚ in a turn of events Oedipus not only finds out he is the “stranger” who murdered King Laius but also the tragedy surrounding his birth. This discovery leads to an ethical dilemma of “Is the truth always worth finding?”. Since in the beginning Oedipus has cursed
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Karina Lazcano Oedipus the King by Sophocles English Literature Anderson Many will argue that fate cannot be escaped in Oedipus the King by Sophocles‚ where the main character is portrayed as a tragic hero with a predetermined fate. Both the concept of fate and freewill played an innate part in Oedipus ’ downfall. The play suggests that fate dominates over free will. Oedipus never had control of his fate; the day his mother gave birth to him‚ his parents attempted to kill him in order to prevent
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literate‚ “Oedipus the King” written by ‘Sophocles’ is one of the oldest and the most prominent tragedies written to date. It is the story of the king‚ who is left to die by his own parents‚ luckily survived‚ unknowingly killed his own father and married his mother. Although this story was written 2000 years ago‚ it still has a great significance in the modern world. Of the most powerful tragedies of the time‚ “Oedipus the king” discloses such values and situations as child abandonment‚
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that is associated with impending doom. One such example is found in the tale of Oedipus Rex‚ the tragic hero of Thebes who is destined to kill his father and marry his mother. Oedipus learns that in attempting to run away from the prophecy‚ he fulfills it instead. After blinding himself in shame‚ Oedipus bemoans to his friends that “my measure of ills fills my measure of woe; Author was none‚ but I” (Sophocles 47). Oedipus laments the fact that he was the one who authored his fate as he tried to run
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In his work Nature and Elements of Tragedy‚ Aristotle outlined the characteristics needed in order to create a compelling tragic hero. He states that this particular character must be "better than we are‚" a man who is superior to the average man in some way. At the same time‚ a tragic hero must evoke both pity and fear among the audience‚ causing each member to experience a feeling of catharsis‚ or strong emotion. According to Aristotle‚ the best way to achieve this effect is to accurately portray
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Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex that “if [Oedipus] was to avoid heinous pollutions‚ he must make for himself two unreadable rules; never to kill an older man; and never to marry an older woman.” This is a highly unfair assessment of Oedipus’ character‚ and expects too much of any human. Oedipus’ innocence is shown in the fact that he was ignorant of his true origins‚ he was only human‚ and he was subject to fate. According to Polybus and Merope‚ Oedipus was their son. One cannot blame Oedipus for his misguided
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