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Comparing Oedipus Rex And The Hero's Journey

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Heroes are people who are admired for their courage, achievements or noble qualities. Over time heroes will change and their message will be updated, but the fabric of their narrative remains intact. These similarities form a link, between times whilst the differences provide an understanding of the era. Oedipus Rex was written in the early 5th Century BC. The world was still new and undiscovered and the Greeks and Sophocles’ hero were at the mercy of their God. UP, on the other hand is set in our lifetime, with endless opportunities and adventure, limited only by the dreaded fate, old age and Doug, but we don’t need to mention him (Video – but it’s a talking dog). Although the elements, roles and representations of these heroes and …show more content…
Whilst Oedipus is a noble king, an expected hero, Carl is an unlikely one. His is old, stubborn and his recluse personality prevents change. Unlike Oedipus, a perceived savour who exhibits no initial flaws, Carl’s flaws are emphasised from the start. They reflect the opinion of today’s society that old people are a burden, and best disposed of in a retirement home. Despite these differences, these heroes both follow Campbell’s hero’s journey (Power Pt – 12 Steps of a Heroes Journey). Although the call to adventure is obvious to Oedipus who wishes to save his kingdom from famine, Carl’s is not. He is destined for the old people’s home and is unwillingly forced upon the voyage. During his journey, Carl is faced with the ordeal of holding onto his house which is symbolic of his past, (Power Point – Symbols House-past, balloons- dreams) or helping his new friends whilst Oedipus is tested by his brother in law and a soothsayer. Carl alters his fate with a little help from Russel, (Video – Doug I’m a great tracker) and yes Doug the talking dog. However, Oedipus falls victim to his prowess and obsession with seeking the truth. Carl returns home with future adventures to be sought whilst Oedipus falls from his podium having no power to help others. Although the structure of the hero’s journey is consistent, …show more content…
Oedipus Rex is typical of Aristotelian unities (Power point – Unities - limited to a single location, short time frames and few subplots). All of which immerses and intensifies the audience’s experience, re-enforcing their diminutive existence in the face of colossal power and inevitable fate. Although we also feel small in UP due to the development of high rises around Carl’s old house, we believe through Carl’s actions, fate is changeable. This scaling of humans and perspective on fate is evident of the context at the time as the world was still undiscovered causing fear in Oedipus Rex whereas UP illustrates the only fear is becoming old too quickly. Up provides a more modern view of the world, allowing the movie to span over a variety of destinations and time periods, re-proportioning the world. The morals and themes in the Greek play are bleak and focused on certain fate of blindness and the willingness to ignore truth. They are intense and unrelenting throughout the story offering no escape or tension release. But then Pixar movies are really cartoons, what morals or messages could they possibly deliver (Power Pt – Large List of themes and morals on balloons). In contrast this modern feature film not only portrays positive messages to their audience but provides comic relief when tension rises

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