Prof McGee November 23‚ 2013 Proper Punishment and Justice in Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex Within Sophocles’ play‚ Oedipus Rex‚ Oedipus’ destiny was to marry his biological mother and murder his biological father. Oedipus pointlessly tries to change his fate‚ but was powerless in changing anything. With no control over his destined fate‚ unaware of his family history‚ and unconscious of who his birth parents were‚ Oedipus is guiltless in killing his father and marrying his very own mother. Justice
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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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Scholars have been comparing Oedipus and Hamlet for years. Tragedies written so long ago and so far apart yet so similar. The tried and true tale of betrayal and death. They are themes that stand the test of time. Both Oedipus and Hamlet could not escape their destinies. Both destined to be king and both destined to murder. They were both naïve. Oedipus tried to escape his destiny of killing his father and lying with his mother by running away from who he thought were his parents. Little did
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Alternatively‚ in Oedipus the King‚ there is no apparent reason why the Oracle involves Oedipus and leads him on a trail of misfortunes. Some say it is to illustrate that the Gods had superiority over the mortals; others might argue that Oedipus somehow offended the Gods‚ and this was their “payback” on him. This leads to the ongoing argument about Oedipus living a life of fate‚ or in due course dooming himself. Even though the Oracle warned Oedipus of his inevitable fate as a murderer
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Journal Project for Oedipus Rex 1. What is the effect of Oedipus’ insistence and promises regarding the hunting down and punishing of the murderer of Laius? What does this suggest concerning his character as well as the meaning of Sophocles’ play? Sophocles a Greek poet and a writer was famous for his tragedies. All of his plays and tragedies consisted of a very distinctive style called dramatic irony - a situation of drama which is understood by the audience but not grasped by the characters
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accepted‚ if not commonplace. However‚ in ancient Sophoclean society‚ those who dared to avoid their predestined fate‚ essentially elevating their status beyond human boundaries‚ were doomed for failure. In the noteworthy Greek play‚ Oedipus the King‚ the essential character’s inability to accept the divine will results in a perpetual shifting of motives that amount to his ultimate demise. Upon learning his dismal fate‚ Oedipus initially disregards the validity of it and‚ subsequently‚ attempts to
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This essay will be worth 50 points. I know you all will do well. Get to writing scholars! Option #1 - Fate Many of the characters in Sophocles’ plays seem to have a desire to break free from the control of the fate the gods have determined for them. Based on what you have read in Antigone‚ what is Sophocles trying to teach his audience about a human’s ability to control his/her fate? In doing so‚ analyze how the characters behave as a result of knowing what their destinies will be. What are
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In Oedipus Rex‚ it appears that Oedipus’ tragic downfall was the result of misfortune – his actions of killing his father and marrying his mother were done without knowledge or intent‚ and thus his punishment of scorn and banishment seems excessive for the crime. However‚ though Oedipus was struck by the gods with unfortunate circumstances‚ it was through his own free will that the oracles were permitted to come true. The weaknesses in Oedipus’ personality and his lapses in judgment caused him to
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People’s religious views and culture determine whether they believe if justice and fate are determined by a higher power or occur by chance. Major religions such as: Christianity and Muslims believe their deity predestines the outcome of their life. According to their Bible or Koran and their belief system they think their deity has total control over their life. In the story of Oedipus‚ he grows up in Greek culture where the people of Greece believe in Greek Gods‚ -- now known as Greek mythology—through
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the early man could use logic to learn and understand‚ we have questioned the concept of the human condition and its horrifying limitations. Yet with the realization of our set human abilities‚ we have also created the concept of a human hero; a man who would to some extent is able to rise to great heights despite these limitations. The human hero strives to reach an impossibly elevated goal‚ and through his attempt to reach this goal‚ he stumbles and falls and is finally brought down by his own human
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