...Date: 12/10/08 Title: Oedipus the King: A Story of Fate Thesis: “Oedipus the King” by is generally a story about fate as it deals with its unalterable nature and the consequences that come with the attempt to change it. I. Fate and its Characteristics A. Characteristics of Fate 1. Fate as controlled by external force 2. Insignificance of man in relation to fate B. Fate according to Sophocles 1. Determined nature of fate 2. Freedom of man as manifested through his attitude towards destiny II. Oedipus A. His destiny as determined before his birth 1. The attempt of King Laius and Queen Jocasta to alter his fate 2. The futility of such attempt B. Oedipus’ lack of knowledge as instrumental in determining his fate C. Oedipus’ negative attitude towards his destiny D. Man’s attitude as uncontrolled by fate but possesses the power to influence 1. The role of arrogance and self-confidence in the fulfillment of the prophecy 2. Arrogance as a result of experience 3. Self-confidence as contributed by the people of Thebes 4. Arrogance and self-confidence as his response against fate III. Fate according to Epictetus A. Fate must not be feared and wanted B. Fate must be accepted with grace and dignity C. Fate must be embraced as the will of gods D. Refusal to accept fate results in tragedy Name: Marc...
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...Lauren Kane Period 3 January 5, 2012 The Puppet of Fate and Prophecy Fate can be defined in many ways from many different opinions. It can be defined as what one’s actions are or what one’s God has planned for him. Usually, fate is determined beyond one’s control. In the tragic play, Oedipus the King, Oedipus often faces many difficult situations that result in his own suffering. Displaying his harmartia, Oedipus could have used his mental vision and problem solving skills to prevent himself from being turned into a puppet of fate and prophecy. A major motif used to show Oedipus’s will to control his own fate is his blindness. First, Oedipus is not aware of his surroundings. Oedipus does not want to agree with the fact that Tiresias, the blind prophet, tells him he is the killer of Laius. As a result, Oedipus is mentally blind because he is not willing to accept the horrid fact. Another example of Oedipus’s blindness is his kingdom’s plague and downfall. Even though Oedipus’s plan is “to stop the plague” (14) in his city of Thebes, it seems as if he thinks it will just leave one day without him doing anything. If Oedipus had perfect mental vision, he would go out and do something to stop it, not sit around and think about himself. Finally, the last example causing Oedipus to be mentally blind, and therefore controlling his suffering fate, is his hubris, or excess of pride. When Oedipus thinks of himself as a ruler of a corrupted city and supposedly the killer...
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...Sign in Google oedipus rex thesis research paper WebImagesVideosNewsShoppingMoreSearch tools About 365,000 results (0.35 seconds) Search Results Free oedipus Essays and Papers - 123HelpMe.com www.123helpme.com/search.asp?text=oedipus Free oedipus papers, essays, and research papers. ... Oedipus Rex, by Sophocles - In “Oedipus the King,” an infant's fate is determined that he will kill his father ... Oedipus the King a Story of Fate - Research Papers ... www.termpaperwarehouse.com › English and Literature Feb 8, 2012 - Read this essay on Oedipus the King: a Story of Fate . ... Thesis: “Oedipus the King” by is generally a story about fate as it deals with its ... Oedipus Rex and Blindness Research Papers are Written ... www.papermasters.com › Research Paper Topics Oedipus Rex and Blindness research papers are custom written according to your literature or English 101 research paper requirements. Oedipus the King Research Papers on the play by Sophocles www.papermasters.com › Research Paper Topics In research papers on Oedipus the King by Sophocles, there is the example of the classic tragic hero in the character Oedipus. Often defined in research papers ... Oedipus the King Term Paper Topics - Planet Papers www.planetpapers.com/professional-essays/Oedipus-the-King.aspx Oedipus the King term papers available at Planet Papers.com, the largest free term ... 1000's of FREE Term Papers, Essays, Book Reports & Research Papers. Oedipus Rex Essay - Critical...
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...The ancient Greeks often regard fate as being an influential and powerful factor within their lives. Fate is known as an unchangeable force that shapes the course of events which the Greeks typically define as being the will of the gods, who have ultimate control. In the Greek tragedy Oedipus the King, Sophocles writes about a man who was the victim of such unfortunate fate. Some may argue that as a result of irrational anger and impulsiveness, Oedipus’ tragic flaws, in addition to other decisions he makes throughout the course of his life, Oedipus is a victim of his own hand. However, there are a number of other characters and situations that prove this theory wrong and demonstrate that Oedipus’ tragedy is ultimately a result of fate. Fate...
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...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...
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...Fate plays a crucial role in both Sophocles's Oedipu Rex and William Shakespeare’s Othello. Oedipus the King and Othello the Moor both experience a catharsis, or emotional downfall, due to fate. Fate is not only a prevalent theme in both works, but a basis of plot as well. Sophocles and Shakespeare both employ elements of fate being influential in their works. Fate in Oedipus Rex does not possess the same meaning as it does in Othello. In Sophocles’s Oedipus Rex, however, fate is depicted as the idea that one’s destiny in predetermined. In Othello, fate pertains to the limit that is placed on the control of one’s own destiny. Fate can be used to show how different authors portray the theme in their work and how each different vision of fate...
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...Even though both king’s fates are said, it is not sealed until a certain action is done. Oedipus’ fate is not set until he meets with King Laius and his men at the crossroads. As a young boy, he was taunted for not being the biological son of King Polybus and turns to the oracle of Apollo and that is when he first hears his prophecy “Pythia, drove him away from Apollo’s shrine, declaring that Oedipus would kill his father and marry his mother. Horrified at the prophecy, Oedipus fled Corinth, the home of his supposed parents, in an attempt to avoid fulfillling the prophecy” (“Background: Oedipus the King 431). As an attempt to change his fate, he flees Corinth and at the crossroads, after being insulted and hit, he acts on his anger and “killed the rider and charioteer and continued on his way” (Background: Oedipus the King 431)....
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...In Sophocles‘ Oedipus Rex, many mishaps and mistakes troubled the character Oedipus. He was a ruler with a kingdom in distress. As a ruler he promised to his people that he would do whatever he could to help them. However, his name of Oedipus nor the decisions he made ever really helped his people. Oedipus was a man cursed with a fate and remarked that the god Apollo brought his sick fate upon him but the blinding hand was his own. Fate took over Oedipus’ life, but free will led to his destruction. Apollo’s curse and the events of Oedipus’ childhood told his fate. Oedipus’ father, Laios, made the god Apollo very angry and in his anger he placed a curse on him and his family. Oedipus’ life had a path before he was even born. He would kill his father and marry his mother, and Apollo would make sure this happened. When he was born Oedipus made no choices with his free will, but had to suffer from the choices his parents made. As Oedipus grew up and matured he made his own decisions with his own free will, whether they were good or bad. Apollo was always guiding Oedipus to his eventual fate, but Oedipus brought himself down by the choices he made. Misfortune and fate were placed on Oedipus, but his very own mistakes led him to that fate. Oedipus would always try his best to help his people. He was a good king that was always ready to lead his people but at the same time serve them and took decisive actions. The murderer of the former King Laios must be banished from...
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...Sam Rogers Michael Brush English Composition II 24 March 2013 Oedipus’s Downfall The downfall of Oedipus is entirely the responsibility of the gods and not himself. A plague has stricken Thebes. It is said plague will end when the murderer of Laius, former king of Thebes, is caught and expelled; the murderer is within the city. Oedipus, current King of Thebes, vows to find the murderer, and put an end to the terrible plague. Oedipus is driven by the fate intended by the gods, and there is nothing he can do to prevent the horrible, shameful prophecy from coming true. The ancient Greeks believed that their gods could see the future, and that certain people could access this information. In the play, Oedipus the King, Prophets or seers, like blind Tiresias, saw visions of things to come. At the end of scene one, Teiresias exclaims, “To the children with whom he lives now he will be brother and father-the very same; to her who bore him, son and husband-the very same who came to his father’s bed, wet with his father’s blood (1077).” This is a restatement of the prophecy that told of Oedipus murdering his father, becoming king, and marrying his mother. King Laius of Thebes receives a prophecy saying that he would have a son by Queen Jocasta, and that his “doom would be death at the hands of his own son (1081).” King Laius, Jocasta, and Oedipus all work to prevent the prophecies from coming to pass, but their efforts to thwart the prophecies are what actually...
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...Oedipus the King: The Hero of Personal Autonomy in Inevitable Fate Tragedy Abstract: Oedipus the King, written by Sophocles, who was one of Athens’s three great tragic dramatists, is an indisputably classical tragedy in literature history. And Oedipus’s tragic fate, murdering his father and marrying his mother, is the most controversial point. This paper mainly analyzes the conflict between Oedipus’s spirit of personal autonomy and the oracle predetermined fate, and the causes of Oedipus’s inevitable tragedy. Key word: Oedipus; personal autonomy; fate; inevitability Introduction Oedipus the King is based on a Greek myth that Oedipus killed his father and married to his mother, showing the Greek tragedy’s conflict rich of typical significance...
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...is the very thing that happens to Oedipus in Sophocles’ tragedy, Oedipus Rex. Unfortunately, Oedipus possesses several character traits that cause him to fulfil the oracle and undergo great suffering. Oedipus’ pride, impetuous behaviour and lack of insight ultimately determine his fate. To begin, one of the main factors that lead to Oedipus’ fate is his excessive pride. After he solves the riddle of the Sphinx, his hubris swells to a new level. This leads him to believe that he is capable of solving any puzzle he might face, including the murder of Laius. After Creon tells Oedipus what the Gods require, Oedipus states to what extent he will go to avenge the previous king, Laius, as he proclaims, “No matter who he may be, he is forbidden shelter or intercourse with any man in all this country over which I rule; … Expelled from every house, unclean, accursed, in accordance with the word of the Pythian oracle” (32). This quote develops Oedipus as massively hubristic. It shows this as Oedipus takes this distinct, simple idea that Laius must be avenged and drags it out. He makes a huge presentation in front of the city and blows himself up as this hero that’s avenging the previous king. This also marks the beginning of Oedipus’ journey to discovering his fate and his downfall. Another example of how Oedipus’ pride led to his downfall can be found in the words of the chorus. After recounting the events that led up to Laius’ murder, and after Oedipus realizes that he may be Laius’ killer...
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...Tragic Flaws of Oedipus “Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness” (King Jr). Currently, we are living in an era that is filled with much greed and selfishness. However, selfishness and greed is a natural trait of the human population. The difference maker in each individual person is amount of selfishness that is chosen to be revealed. For example, in World War II, Hitler’s choice to invade Russia was what ultimately caused his own defeat (Bullock). The dictator of Germany had already conquered the majority of Europe and had no intentions of stopping. This greed and selfishness of Hitler was what ultimately dug himself his own grave. This has been a continuous act throughout history as shown in the story “Oedipus Rex”. This story written in 430 B.C, revolves around a man named Oedipus that has a strange fate (Senaca, Boyle). His unfortunate fate will eventually cause him to act in selfish manner that will ruin his life. In this story, Oedipus is a born into royalty but daunted with a fate that is unforgiveable. Once born, a prophet gave the information to the parents that Oedipus would kill his father and marry his mother. With this horrendous information, the parents made the decision to kill Oedipus. As the servant went into the woods to kill the infant, his conscious would not allow him to finish the execution. Scared to go back with the infant, the servant handed the baby off to Polybus...
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...Sophocles, the author of Oedipus the King, used three main types of irony to develop the theme: no matter the difficulty of the feat, fate predetermines the outcome. Verbal irony occurs when a character says the opposite of what they mean. Oedipus uses sarcasm in his discussion with the chorus to attack Apollo. The second type of irony, dramatic irony, happens when the audience knows more than the characters. For example, no one but the audience knows that Oedipus killed King Laius. The last type of irony, situational, happens when the characters does the complete opposite of what the audience expects. For instance, the audience expected...
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...The Use of Chance in Chronicle of a Death Foretold versus Oedipus the King Chance can serve many different purposes in works of literature. Whether it is to display a certain idea or to simply add to the author's writing style, chance can have a very significant effect on a reader or an audience. In Oedipus the King by Sophocles and Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, both writers use chance to develop their plots. The chance events are what further the plot and eventually lead to the main characters’ downfall. Chance, however, also has different purposes in the works, as Marquez uses it as an element of his magical realist style of writing, while Sophocles uses it to portray Oedipus’s unavoidable fate. The multiple events involving chance seen throughout Oedipus the King lead towards the idea of one’s inevitable fate and the futility of trying to go against it. While Oedipus was fleeing Corinth and trying to escape the prophecy that said he would kill his father and marry his mother, he “came near to [a] triple crossroad and there [Oedipus] was met by a herald and a man riding on a horse-drawn wagon […] the old man himself tried to push [Oedipus] off the road,” (Sophocles 57) and in return Oedipus “killed the whole lot of them” (Sophocles 57). While trying defy his fate Oedipus was unaware that he was actually fulfilling the prophecy, by killing his father. It was completely by chance that Oedipus would happen to meet his father at that exact moment, and...
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...name: Professor`s name: Course: Date: Antigone Antigone is a tragedy, in this play two key characters, king Oedipus and his daughter Antigone seem to be followed by tragedy and misfortune. Their seemingly innocent and just actions to them initiate a series of unexpected tragic events such as their deaths and those close to them. The tragic misfortunes that Antigone and her father king Oedipus face can in part be attributed to their shared flaws such as; pride, rash decision making, and rebelious attitudes. Their misfortues can however be partly blamed on their seemingly shared dark fate that manifests itself through their actions. Defiant Antigone and her father Oedipus are defiant for both choose to go against oders given by authority figures. In King Oedipus`s case he failed to heed a warning by a revered prophet named Tiresias, not to look for who killed king Laius resulting into a heated exchange between the two with Tiresius saying “this day will bring your birth and destruction”. Due to his defiance he later finds out that he is the killer and this leads to his downfall and death. Defiance can also be seen as the reason that led to Oedipus killing his father as he refused to let King Laius go first where the three roads crossed each other wanting to go first instead, and when King Laius`s chariot proceded first in an act of defiance Oedipus killed him. Like her father Antigone defies the order by king Creon requiring that nobody performs burial rites for Polynices...
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