many aspects that reflected the moral values and ideals of society. Their customs were tightly woven into the scripts of plays. Antigone and Oedipus the King‚ two renowned works of the Greek playwright Sophocles‚ explore these values through a plot thick with corruption‚ virtue‚ and determination. These plays reveal the burdens two Theban kings‚ Oedipus and Creon‚ as their lies and poor judgment corrode the integrity of their city‚ their families and themselves. Possessing a strong faith in their
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The Fall of Oedipus “Thebes is tossed in a murdering sea‚” cries out the priest towards the beginning of the play. Thebes is enwrapped in darkness‚ the houses are cursed‚ children are dying at birth‚ fruit is growing unhealthily‚ and no one can put an end to it. Creon enters with the message that the plague is a result of the fact that the murderer of Laius‚ the former ruler of Thebes‚ is in the city; he must be exiled in order for the plague to end. After hearing the news‚ Oedipus vows to find
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Professor Mihailovic 5-14-01 Though Shakespeares’ Hamlet and Sophocles’ Oedipus the King were written in two different eras‚ echoes of the latter can be found in the former. The common theme of Hamlet and Oedipus the King is regicide. Also‚ like in Oedipus the King‚ there is a direct relationship between the state of the state and the state of their kings. Furthermore‚ there is also a relationship between Oedipus’ armed entrance into the bedroom in which Jocasta hanged herself‚ and Hamlet’s
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Unraveling the Riddle of Oedipus Study Guide PITTSBURGH PUBLIC THEATER’S STUDY GUIDE Oedipus the King by Sophocles Translated by William Butler Yeats September 28 – October 29‚ 2006 TABLE OF CONTENTS SOPHOCLES Sophocles’ Life 3 Works by Sophocles 4 THOUGHTS FROM THE DIRECTOR 5 OEDIPUS THE KING Synopsis 6 Characters 7 Glossary 8 The Translator 9 Themes 10 The Riddle of the Sphinx 11 ANCIENT GREECE Daily Life 12 Why Ancient
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text that could date back thousands of years. Many times‚ because of the different dialects and time periods‚ the style of writing can confuse modern audiences and the main message authors wanted their audience to understand may not get across. Oedipus Rex and Endgame are two completely different types of plays that were written more than 2000 years apart. While many people may not see a correlation between the two types of plays‚ they both have one thing in common- the importance of understanding
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Oedipus the King by Sophocles is about Oedipus‚ a man doomed by his fate. Like most tragedies‚ “Oedipus the King” contains a tragic hero‚ a heroic figure unable to escape his/her own doom. This tragic hero usually has a hamartia or a tragic flaw which causes his/hers’ downfall. The tragic flaw that Sophocles gives Oedipus is hubris (exaggerated pride or self-confidence)‚ which is what caused Oedipus to walk right into the fate he sought to escape. Pride like that of Oedipus had
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A tragic hero is defined as a literary character that makes an error of judgment or has a total flaw‚ that combined with fate and external forces‚ brings on a tragedy. This pertains to Oedipus‚ as his brash decisions and unwillingness to accept the truth‚ along with his doomed fate‚ leads to his demise. The first thing that makes Oedipus a tragic hero is that he makes some large errors of judgment. This occurs when he decides to announce the punishment for the murderer of the late King Laius in
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unmerited suffering‚ he becomes a tragic hero.”_1 In Aristotle’s own words‚ “a man cannot become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall.” This statement gives the gist of Aristotle’s concept of a tragic hero. A hero must fall from grace and must be able to clearly comprehend the cause of his fall. The “fall” must take place due to an error in judgement that arises out of some flaw (hamartia) in the character of the hero. “According to Aristotle a tragic hero is a person of exalted position
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Oedipus The Great..Not!! In the book Oedipus The King‚ there was a curse that stated that Oedipus was to kill his father‚ Laius‚ and marry his mother‚ Jocasta. So when Oedipus’ parents find out that Jocasta is pregnant they have the baby and give it to a man to take to the top of a mountain. But instead of the man taking the baby‚ Oedipus‚ to the mountain top he gave him to a family and the family then raised Oedipus. When Oedipus was older he was traveling to the town of Thebes when he ran
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Oedipus’ Hamartia Aristotle once said that a hero’s downfall must be a result of some tragic flaw within the character. This flaw was known as hamartia in the Greek world of Aristotle. Since Aristotle greatly admired Oedipus the King‚ many people believe that Oedipus must have had a prominent and complex hamartia. Discovering Oedipus’ hamartia within the play is not an easy task. In fact‚ it is impossible to point out Oedipus’ hamartia since I do not believe that he has one. Everything
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