...murder, both of which the tragic hero Oedipus is accused of. Identity and identity theft is an issue much of the modern world deals with as well through various scams. If a person is mistaken due to a lack of identity, another person may treat them differently whether they are a distant relative, stranger, or enemy. In the case of Oedipus, Oedipus did not know the true identity of his parents, leading to create mistakes he will take...
Words: 820 - Pages: 4
...Oedipus’ pride and confidence were influenced by the themes in Oedipus the King. Once the themes of blindness and identity came out to show the true horror of the situation Oedipus still represented those traits that the blindness to his identity developed in him. The blindness referring to before he found out the truth of his identity, what he was unable to see and what he just didn’t want to see. The identity theme referring to when he truly figured out who he really was. Blindness and identity influenced Oedipus in different ways as Oedipus the King played out. Blindness influences Oedipus with pride and courage. The blindness referring to before he found out the truth of his identity, what he was unable to see and what he just didn’t want...
Words: 793 - Pages: 4
...Predestination of Oedipus Sophocles’s classic greek myth Oedipus Rex tells the complicated story of Oedipus’s life, status, and destination. Unlike other plays, expected outcome is known to the audience before it happens in the play. Based on a prophecy, King of Thebes will be killed by his thrown away son, the protagonist, Oedipus. At the beginning of the play, not only Oedipus’s destination is exposed to the public, but also his father, King Laius and his mother, Queen Jocasta’s destination is also set by means of prophecy. Oedipus, son of Laius, born with destination preset to Corinth where he was delivered to King Polybus and Queen Merope by a messenger. Since Polybus and Queen couldn’t have any children, they gladly accepted Oedipus as their child. Growing up Oedipus later found out that Polybus and Merope are not his real parents. He has also learned from the Oracle that he will kill his father and marry his mother. Another example of predestination is set here by the author. After getting the news, Oedipus determined to find out his real father. Oedipus could not accept the foreknowledge set by the gods. He ran away from Corinth in search of his parents and on the way he kills his father without knowing his real identity. He tried to run away from his fate but ultimately he ran into it. In later scenes, when he moved to Thebes, he marries his mother, Queen Jocasta, without knowing her real identity. Throughout the scenes, Oedipus is only fulfilling his predestined fate...
Words: 432 - Pages: 2
...Jordan Young Durand INQS 125 November 8, 2015 What is a Tragedy? What makes a tragedy tragic? The plays Waiting For Godot, Exit the King, Oedipus the King, and Othello were all written in different time periods, different themes, with different writing styles, and from different parts of the world yet they all have the common theme of tragedy. How are four different plays so similar? In all four plays the characters are confronted with a change in identity, they are given false hope believing that they are going to succeed in achieving their ultimate goal, and they have human characteristics that make their story relatable to the audience making it more tragic. Most people would agree that tragedy is the demise of a character that is prefaced with false hope and ends with a change in the main character’s self-identity. What makes it tragic is that it created by human characteristics which make it relatable to the human experience. Hope keeps a person pushing forward. They have confidence in their actions and believe it will eventually lead them to the achievement of their ultimate goal. When faced with the fact that the hope you had is false hope it blocks your ambition and makes it harder to be able to strive for success. Oedipus and Othello are both given hope by their sense of nobility and by their desire to overcome an obstacle. To them it looks like things are going to get better and that they will keep their position above the people. Its human nature to want and...
Words: 1810 - Pages: 8
...The author’s Dudley Fitts and Robert Fitzgerald created the English version of “Oedipus Rex” which was about a king that did not know about his identity as a child or who exactly his parents were and was on a mission to find out. Oedipus has been made King of Thebes since Liao’s the former king, had shortly before been killed, Oedipus was honored king by the hand of Queen Iocaste. The new king’s search for the murderer of Liao’s soon led to the discovery of who the killer was and also allowed Oedipus to find his identity as a child and where or who his parents were. The main focal point is about Oedipus’s life and how he was abandoned as a child, left to die, but with pity from a Sheppard that was suppose to get rid of the “baby” (Oedipus) and never did, let the child live and he tended growing up to be the king of Thebes and the killer of his father. Analyzing the text from “Oedipus Rex” allows the reader to understand the characteristics of Oedipus and how the developments of his childhood revealed the true person he was and how the message that Teiresias told him actually was true about his fate coming. In "Oedipus Rex," the plot begins in the heart of murder. A King (Liao’s’) has been murdered, and the new king Oedipus seeks retribution. The city of Thebes is suffering from a plague, which is symbolic of the blight about to befall Oedipus. As Oedipus sends for the clairvoyant, the reader expects a mystical moment of truth. Instead we are presented with a stubborn character...
Words: 989 - Pages: 4
...“Symbolism in Oedipus the King” Literature is composed of various tactics in order to make the reading more interesting and compelling to the audience. One of my favorite literary elements or devices is the use of symbolism. According to Merriam - Webster, symbolism is “the use of symbols to express or represent ideas or qualities in literature” (Webster). This definition might seem elementary to most. However, symbolism can be used to bring out deeper meanings in a text or express the intangible elements by the means of visual representations. Sophocles did a marvelous job of this in the play Oedipus the King. While reading Oedipus the King, there were four instances of symbolism that stood out to me: Oedipus’ scared feet, the murder at the crossroads, the mention of blindness that is present throughout the play and lastly Oedipus himself. Each one of these examples of symbolism adds character to Sophocles’ work of literature. They help guide the tone of the text. When Oedipus was merely three days old his parents, King Laius and Queen Jocasta, received a prophecy from Apollo saying that one day their son would one day kill his father and intermarry in to his family with his mother. Upon hearing this news, Oedipus’ parents bound and pierced his feet. The King and Queen then sent him off to be abandoned in hopes of avoiding the dreadful prophecy. Oedipus survived the incident and was left with scars on his feet. The scars that were present on Oedipus’ feet throughout his lifetime...
Words: 1903 - Pages: 8
...Oedipus The King By Sophocles Characters- Oedipus- became the King of Thebes by solving the riddle of the Sphinx. His bold personality makes him a well liked leader, however, it also causes him to make poor decisions. His mother and wife is Jocasta and his father was king Laius. Oedipus believes that his parents are Polybus and Merope. Jocasta- is the wife of Oedipus, and also his biological mother. She tries to keep peace between family members, but when she discovers the truth about Oedipus true identity she tries to keep the secret from him. She is also the sister to Creon The Priest Of Zeus- asks Oedipus to same the city from the plague. Creon- is the brother-in-law to Oedipus, and the brother to Jocasta. He is a bit bossy, and wants more power than he has. Chorus- is a group of Theban elders that react to many parts of the story. Teiresias- is a prophet. He tells Oedipus the truth he doesn’t want to hear, but Oedipus does not believe him. Messenger- announces events that happen throughout the play that happen off stage Heard Of Laius- used to work for king Laius and tells Oedipus the story of his separation from the king and queen. Synopsis-...
Words: 561 - Pages: 3
...Oedipus Rex is a Greek tragedy written by Sophocles. In this play, he developed dramatic irony to a high level. Dramatic irony occurs when the audience knows the tragic truth before it disclose to the characters within the story. There are many examples of the irony in this play, which play the key role through the story. The main dramatic irony in this play is that everyone in the audience knows from the beginning of the play that Oedipus has killed his father and married his mother. In this play, Sophocles uses irony to create sense of sadness and agony in the audience. At the very beginning of the play, when Oedipus found out about the previous Thebes' king, Laios, he says, "I learned of him from others; I never saw him.” The very first irony that comes out to the audience is that Oedipus actually saw Laios when he killed him, and the worse feeling that audience experience is how sad it is that a son does not know anything about his father and knows a little from others. Another example of irony in this play comes when Oedipus announces, "Whoever killed King Laios might--who knows?--decide at any moment to kill me as well. By avenging the murdered king I protect myself." The irony is that Oedipus is the King killer, and now he wants to retaliate the king murderer to protect himself from the killer; how is that possible to kill the murderer and protect himself even though they are the same person. In that proclaim, he is very solicitous to find and punish the murderer...
Words: 651 - Pages: 3
...The Oedipus and Antigone As in the story The Oedipus, they “said that their baby would grow up to kill his father”, but the father, Laius King of Thebes, and his mother, Jocasta, ordered their baby too exposed. The infant's feet were pinned together too result in the swollen feet that gave him his name Oedipus. A shepherd had pity on Oedipus and then brought them the baby to the king of the Corinth who had brought him up as to be his own son. When he grew up, Oedipus had heard that a prophecy that he would kill his father and then sleep with his mother, but he didn't know the identity of his real parents, so he headed away from Corinth to sidestep this fate. Then one day had passed and a rude man who he didn't know that was his birth farther and on the road, Oedipus had killed the stranger and then proceeded to Thebes, where then he happened to married the recently widowed believed he was fated to murder Polybus and marry Merope, so left for Thebes. On his way he met an older man and quarreled, and Oedipus had killed the stranger. Oedipus is...
Words: 502 - Pages: 3
...Oedipus as a Tragic Hero Oedipus, who is a great ruler with the ideal characteristics that a hero would have, falls under the category of a tragic hero based off Aristotle’s definition. According to Aristotle, Oedipus fits in as an ideal tragic hero due to the the reader’s connection to the protagonist in regards to the emotional attachment created, the fear of what will happen due to a major flaw in the character, and the pitying for the hero as he suffers while facing his destiny. The nobility that Oedipus posses is an integral trait that makes the reader feel attached to his character. Although he does not yet know, he is the son of Laius and Jocasta, who were better known to be the King and Queen of Thebes. Even though they were not his biological parents, Oedipus himself believed that he was the son of Polybus and Merope, King and Queen of Corinth. “Polybus of Corinth was my father, my mother was the Dorian Merope” (Gould 775). Another heroic action...
Words: 718 - Pages: 3
...the story of Oedipus, I noticed the theme of fate throughout the events that occurred to Oedipus. In three occasions, Oedipus tried to be protected against the fate he was prophesized to fulfill. Jocasta, his birth mother, attempted to steer her infant son from his fate by giving him away to slaves soon after his birth. After being summoned by a grown Oedipus, the servant from Corinth also tried to protect him against the truth of his fate. Tieresias also attempted to withhold the truth of Oedipus’ fate with no success. In all three instances, I saw how Oedipus’ pride got in the way of the protection everyone was trying to offer him. Oedipus was arrogant and stubborn in his nature and believed his commands had to be obeyed by the people he summoned because he was king. He argued with Jocasta, the servant Corinth, and Teiresias when they tried to cover his fate, but his pride caused all three to tell him the hurtful truth. In the beginning of the story, Laius consults the Oracle of Apollo in order to find out why he and his wife couldn’t conceive. A prophecy came from the Oracle, telling Laius that any son they may conceive would end up killing Laius and marrying his wife. When the time came that Jocasta bore a son, she gave him away to a servant in order to leave him out to die. Her attempts to avoid the prophecy from being fulfilled were unsuccessful when the infant Oedipus was handed over from servant to servant until finally being adopted by Polybus, the king of Corinth. After...
Words: 1311 - Pages: 6
...Hamartia in Oedipus the King According to the Aristotelian characteristics of good tragedy, the tragic character should not fall due to either excessive virtue or excessive wickedness, but due to what Aristotle called hamartia. Hamartia may be interpreted as either a flaw in character or an error in judgement. Oedipus, the tragic character in Sophocles’ Oedipus the King, certainly makes several such mistakes; however, the pervasive pattern of his judgemental errors seems to indicate a basic character flaw that precipitates them. Oedipus’ character flaw is ego. This is made evident in the opening lines of the prologue when he states "Here I am myself--you all know me, the world knows my fame: I am Oedipus." (ll. 7-9) His conceit is the root cause of a number of related problems. Among these are recklessness, disrespect, and stubbornness. Oedipus displays an attitude of recklessness and disrespect throughout the play. When he makes his proclamation and no one confesses to the murder of Laius, Oedipus loses patience immediately and rushes into his curse. Later, he displays a short temper to Tiresias: "You, you scum of the earth . . . out with it, once and for all!," (ll. 381, 383) and "Enough! Such filth from him? Insufferable--what, still alive? Get out--faster, back where you came from--vanish!" (ll. 490-492) If an unwillingness to listen may be considered stubbornness, certainly Oedipus would take advice from no one who would tell him to drop the matter of his...
Words: 4487 - Pages: 18
...Literature I 1. In your opinion, is Oedipus a hero? Think about what you found heroic in previous characters we encountered: Gilgamesh, Enkidu, Roland. How does Oedipus compare? Also, does Oedipus have a character flaw that affects his fate? There are many types of heroes, but Oedipus happens to be a tragic hero. Throughout the story, it is pretty safe to say that Oedipus is a tragic hero. In Aristotle’s work, he has made this point very apparent. There are three main reasons why I think Oedipus is a tragic hero. First, by his own actions, he ascertains his own fate. Secondly, he falls from great esteem. Lastly, Oedipus’ story ascends fear and sympathy. The way Oedipus discovers his fate is by his own actions. If he did not inquire about the murder of Laois, he probably would have never discovered that he in fact was the murderer. The saying “curiosity killed the cat”, is a perfect example of how Oedipus’ story dwindled and unwounded. If Oedipus did not seek Teresias he would have still been in the unknown of the murder. When he asked Teresias, the answers that were given were nonetheless the answers that Oedipus was seeking. For example, Teresias replied to him and said, “You are the murderer of the king whose murderer you seek.” After hearing this information, he still does not believe it or understand, so he seeks Jocasta. He has hopes of her telling him that there is no truth to what Teresias is saying. When he arrives, the news that Oedipus hears is the complete opposite...
Words: 753 - Pages: 4
...truths will cause them more harm then it will good. In Sophocles Oedipus Rex readers are able to watch the main character Oedipus go through this process which can take people years of their lives happen in a span of a few short days. In this process, people discover that it is not necessarily beneficial to know every truth and that it is ok to stay blind to some issues. As people go through the aging process they are...
Words: 1594 - Pages: 7
...Irony in Sight Throughout Sophacles’ play Oedipus Rex, he uses sight and blindness to demonstrate irony and the hubris of Oedipus. This is marked by Oedipus’ unwillingness or inability to understand that which is clear to the audience. His hubris (extreme pride) is his tragic flaw, truly blinding him from the truth. Oedipus eventually blinds himself, and it is then that he can finally “see”. From the very beginning, Oedipus was blinded by pride. Throughout the play, it is the one greatest irony that those with physical sight are blind, yet those who cannot actually see can see the truth. With the city of Thebes dying, Creon, having been sent to do so by Oedipus, comes from Delphi and the Oracle to deliver the message that the "the pollution of this land" (Sophocles 232), the murderer, be killed to bring an end to their strife.. Oedipus shows hubris when he demands Creon talk with him publicly, so convinced is he that he can solve any problem. Oedipus Has already solved the riddle of the Sphinx, that which had thwarted so many before him; "Oedipus knew the famous riddles. He was a mighty king, he was the envy of everyone who say how lucky he'd been. Now he's struck a wave of terrible ruin" (276) The chorus wishes for Oedipus to appeal to the gods to find the killer, Oedipus asserts that "to force the gods to act against their will- no man has the power."(320) Here, at least, he seems to humble himself before at least Apollo. Oedipus calls for Tiresius, the blind prophet. Here...
Words: 1485 - Pages: 6
