Premium Essay

Oedipus Essay

In: English and Literature

Submitted By irevention
Words 762
Pages 4
Oedipus the King: Part I Analysis The audience learns about everything in this somewhat short sequence of events and stories. The audience as well goes on to figure out that all the prophecies given by the oracles and Teiresias were completely true, from the murder of his own father under his sword to even having children and marrying his own mother. Although the audience learns most, if not all as to what his life contained, we as well realize that Oedipus is completely oblivious to all these facts and completely unaccepting of the mere concept of things such as this being remotely conceivable. In this section of Part I in Oedipus the King, Sophocles gave the audience/readers some major information towards the plot and how the rest of the play will proceed. One of the biggest revelations that occurs in this section is when the shepherd who was revealed to be the only survivor of the slaughter of the crossroads refuses to go anywhere the city or especially near Oedipus and specifically asks Jocasta if he can be sent to the fields and never see that place ever again. Jocosta stated that the shepherd,
“...came home again and saw you king and Laius was dead, he came to me and touched my hand and begged that I should send him to the fields to be my shepherd and so he might see the city as far off as he might. So I sent him away. He was an honest man, as slaves go, and was worthy of far more than what he asked of me.”
The shepherd knew that he was the murderer and did not want to have to see the man face to face so that he would potentially be exposed of the crimes. The audience as well knows about everything because it was stated that the slaughter happened at the crossroads and Oedipus states that he was arriving at the city only days after that had happened and that nobody even thought it was him because he was considered to be a ‘hero’ after he drove

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Oedipus Gateway Style Essay

...Oedipus Gateway Style Essay No one can decide where and how one comes from. Being born into an awful place or situation creates a huge impact on one’s actions and choices. Oedipus, born to live a terrible fate, makes arrogant actions and ignorant choices. Although Oedipus brings Apollo’s curse to fulfillment and ultimately his own downfall, Oedipus is not to blame for his miserable life. He is an innocent man unlucky to have been born into a father’s curse. King Laius, Oedipus’s father, brings upon a curse on himself but also on his own son, Oedipus, even though Oedipus was not born yet. The fact that Oedipus had nothing to do with his own fathers curse exculpates Oedipus from creating his own demise. Oedipus could not control the fact that the curse was going to be fulfilled: “If you cannot be free of the gods, then you cannot be made free” (DOC A). The fact that Oedipus is a human and Apollo a god, shows how powerless the king Oedipus is. The power of Apollo’s ability to manipulate peoples’ thoughts leads Oedipus to make rash decisions and to ignorantly curse himself. The curse that King Laius gives to Oedipus shows how guilty Laius is and not his son. Oedipus does not realize that he is the king’s son and the husband of his own mother. After receiving a prophecy to kill his own father and marry his own mother, Oedipus runs away, and blindly kills the king of Thebes without realizing the fact that he has killed his biological father. Not knowing that...

Words: 580 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Oedipus Vs Creon Essay

...Oedipus the King and Creon in “Antigone” had many characteristics that led to their downfalls. Both men showed similar characteristics throughout the two stories. Oedipus’s characteristics that led to his downfall and ultimately his death was his pride and determination. Creon’s characteristics that led to his downfall and left him all alone at the end of the story was his pride and stubbornness. These characteristics are not a bad characteristic to have but when you can’t let go of them they will only lead you into a negative direction. In Oedipus the King, Oedipus is a very prideful and determined man. His determination to find the killer of King Laius led to a very tragic ending for Oedipus. His pride wouldn’t let him give up on finding the killer and he wouldn’t rest until he did so. Oedipus wife, Jocasta, wants Oedipus to...

Words: 639 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Comparison Essay: King Lear and Oedipus the King

... Likewise, Oedipus, from Oedipus the King written by Sophocles, is another character that can be given the title of tragic hero. Through the naïve nature of King Lear, the arrogance and pride of Oedipus, and the ignorance of both these kings, readers are overwhelmed with pity for these two characters as they descend from greatness. Both King Lear and Oedipus display similar and different characteristics, which evokes feelings of pity in the audience, as well as being regarded as tragic heroes. The naïve nature of King Lear has led to his demise and downfall. Unwanted to govern his land anymore, King Lear decides to retire, split up his kingdom into three pieces and distribute them among his three daughters. His flaw is revealed, when King Lear says “which of you shall we say doth love us most?” This naïve, old man decides that appearance is more important than reality, in which the size of the land he gives is proportional to the amount of flattery the daughter shows him. Despite Cordelia being his favourite daughter, and probably knowing just how much she loves him, he still decides to favour Regan and Goneril’s flattery. Due to this naïve quality, King Lear loses sight of what is important to him, and evokes immense feelings of pity from the readers, as it is clear that siding with Goneril and Regan was a grave mistake. This mistake eventually leads him to his downfall, and the tragic hero of King Lear. Likewise, the arrogance and pride of Oedipus has clouded...

Words: 782 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Oedipus Rex Act 1 Scene 1 Essay

...In the Strophe from the first scene in Oedipus Rex, the Chorus implicates what is to come, by clearly articulating a foreboding statement that is reasonable to conclude from Scene I to create suspense for the audience. Before the Ode in Scene I, Oedipus swore to punish the murderer of the former king Laïos in order to save the country, then as he tried to figure out who the murder was, he spoke with Teiresias, and when Oedipus yelled at Teiresias for wishing to withhold his knowledge, Teiresias told Oedipus and everyone else that Oedipus was the murderer and that Laïos was his father(leading into discussion on how he had married his mother and more of his incestuous relationships thereof). First the Strophe states, “The Delphic stone of prophecies,” this clearly relates to the information given by the Delphic oracle Teiresias in Scene I. This focuses...

Words: 451 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Willy Loman And Oedipus Research Paper

...Willy and Oedipus Tragedy Essay Oedipus is a play by Sophocles about a man who saves a town from a sphinx, becomes king,weds with his mother, and kills his father. His whole path is driven by fate. Death of a Salesman is a drama by Arthur Miller about a salesman named Willy Loman who has this big dream to be successful. He ends up failing and commits suicide. Both Oedipus and Willy are exquisite tragic figures, but Willy is superior because he has a higher relation to the audience, had a chance to make it, and Oedipus had no control over what happened to him. Aristotle and Arthur Miller had very different views on what a tragedy entaled. Aristotle thought that a tragedy must start out great, but end in a tragedy. It must have magnitude and...

Words: 840 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Oedipus The King Free Will And Fate Analysis

...Dylan Farrell 5/15/17 Mrs. Tapia Oedipus Essay Free will and Fate has been an argument forever now, such as the story of “Oedipus The King” written. Oedipus was expected to live a great life and thought to be worth a lot, however he had no clue about his past. When his realized what his past was, everything went haywire. However the death of the baby was untrue. Oedipus goes through a bunch of coincidences that makes it seems like his life is predetermined and almost impossible. He encounters things like unknowingly marrying his mom, killing his dad, and escaping death at a young age. Jocasta and King Laius had a baby who had a great future and they were very excited to have. This baby would have everything in the world. Money, fame, royalty, anything he wanted could be his. After is his prophecy was told, Laius told Oedipus that he must die. They forced the shepherd to pin his feet and throw him in the mountains. Oedipus ended up not being killed but given to the king and queen of Corinth. Since he was very little at the time Oedipus always thought of them as the biological parents. His whole life was a lie....

Words: 541 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Docx

...“The Rocking-Horse Winner” relates the desperate and foredoomed efforts of a young boy to win his mother’s love by seeking the luck that she bitterly maintains she does not have. By bringing her the luxurious life for which she longs, Paul hopes to win her love, to compensate her for her unhappiness with his father, and to bring peace to their anxious, unhappy household. He determines to find luck after a conversation with his mother, in which she tells him that she is not lucky, having married an unlucky husband, and that it is better to have luck than money because luck brings money. In response, Paul clearly accepts the unspoken invitation to take his father’s place in fulfilling his mother’s dreams of happiness. His purpose seems to be fulfilled when, with the help of Bassett, the gardener, he begins to win money betting on horse races. Shortly thereafter, he confides in his uncle Oscar, whom he also considers lucky because Oscar’s gift of money started his winning streak. Paul, Oscar, and Bassett continue to bet and win until Paul has five thousand pounds to give his mother for her birthday, to be distributed to her over the next five years. When she receives the anonymous present, she does not seem at all happy but sets about arranging to get the whole five thousand pounds at once. As a result, Hester becomes even more obsessed with money, increasingly anxious for more. Also, the house, which previously seemed to whisper “There must be more money! There must be more money...

Words: 5939 - Pages: 24

Premium Essay

A Critique of Antigone

...Taylor Bushart English 1020-02 Essay V 8 August 2014 A Critique of Antigone The story of Antigone, by ancient Grecian author Sophocles, is a tale of two conflicting systems of law and morality. On one side of the parallel there is Antigone, Oedipus daughter, who defies stately law by obeying divine law, and on the other there is Creon who is the enforcer of rule in the city and ignores the laws of the divine. Which system was in the wrong? In the case of Antigone, she is charged with the responsibility of giving the last rights and burial to her brother so that his spirit may move on to the other realm. In everyday circumstance in that time the responsible to bury the dead remained a right and duty of the family unit; however, Antigone’s brother was ruled to be considered an enemy of the state because he led a band of rebels to overthrow the government and gain the thrown from his own brother. Creon thus decrees that his body be left to the dogs without mourning. Despite the obvious consequences of breaking the law, Antigone attempts to bury her brother under the belief that the family unit’s law and personal moral law has more power than that of the state. In regards to Creon, he decrees that the body of Antigone’s brother should be left to rot for the vultures without a proper burial. Antigone’s brother led a group to overthrown his brother and gain the thrown. The aftermath leaves both brothers dead and the thrown to Creon. It is important to note that Creon declares...

Words: 893 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Atigone vs Macbeth

...Surname 3 Student's Name Professor's Name Course Date Antigone vs. Macbeth In attempting to discern the legitimate and analytical issues in the two plays, Antigone and Macbeth, it is important to take into account the two key characters that all actions revolve around (Antigone and Lady Macbeth). In both plays, the characters appear to have comparative destiny and fate intertwined deeply within their societies. (Powell et al. 12). Antigone stands harshly rebuked by the state whose rule she contradicts. Antigone's fierce deviance is fully displayed when she declares that she'll bury Polyneices in total disregard of Creon's law. It is this rebellious act and Antigone's innate loyalty to the memory of her brother that forms the spine of the play. On the other hand, Lady Macbeth stands denounced by the laws of God and man having so eagerly disregarded them for the purpose of affection and enthusiasm towards her husband. The inclination that destiny appears to have in setting up these sorts of plays is portrayed undeniably by Sophocles in his piece of work, as well as Shakespeare in his Macbeth. The authorial intent ( a tragedy in contemporary society) as developed by both plays is similar in context. This is mainly detectable while considering the way both playwrights depict the condition that has befallen a nation. Aristotle, an outstanding scholar, and craftsman described tragedy as a mimic of a movement that is morally right. He further came up with guidelines towards...

Words: 1891 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Hello

...reasons why: * You prioritized the most pressing issues in the draft. Addressing the MI/T section helps Shawn strengthen the foundation of his essay. Your CD advice helps him satisfy his assignment requirement and further develop his discussion. Finally, the GM advice makes his sentences easy to read and understand. * You also provided Shawn with assignment specific examples and asked focused dialogic questions. These help him in revising effectively. * The comments effectively follow the ERF and acronyms and the PEEK and PE acronyms for embedded comments. Great work, Ann! I’m sure you can make your tutorial even stronger if you work on the following: Make your comments more personalized or specific to the draft. Some comments in the tutorial sound too general. Here’s an example: Remember to provide specific instances to illustrate your point. Aside from following the requirements of your paper, these supporting details help enhance your essay's claim. Because this comment is universal, it would also work in other tutorials. Since Smarthinking promises personalized tutorials to clients, it should always be reflected in the comments we give to each student. One way of personalizing your comments is using draft or assignment-specific terms. For instance, what is Shawn’s “point” about? Is he writing a “paper” or an “essay”? What is his “claim”? You also need to make the reason for revision specific to the student’s genre of writing...

Words: 678 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Frankenstein And Oedipus Comparison Essay

...Human nature often inhibits the full potential of a person and prevents him or her from achieving perfection. Humanity as a race is imperfect, as with any other being in the world, yet there are certain aspects of the human race that the simple imperfection of humanity cannot fully prevent. Humans have an endless amount of determination if there is ample hope, they have a complete unwillingness to accept death, and most prevalent and important, they have an immeasurable greed for knowledge and the power that it contains. Victor Frankenstein from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Oedipus from Sophocles’ play “Oedipus the King” both do their best to outmatch their humanity and perpetually gain as much knowledge and intellect that they can. However, they both feign a powerful wisdom and intellect when in reality they are the blindest characters in their respective novels. Firstly, within Frankenstein, Victory is constantly chasing higher knowledge. The whole basis for his creation is his endless pursuit of education in natural philosophy. Even in the face of adversity from his family, friends, teachers, and the physical laws of nature, he pursues his visions. He even describes his own guile and conviction when he claims, “...I was left to struggle with a child’s blindness, added to a student’s thirst for knowledge” (Shelley...

Words: 588 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Oedipus Tragic Hero Essay

...own landmark flaw. With these three combinations, he must, without exception, achieve audience sympathy; without it his lesson becomes useless, just he himself does. Though she may not fit the mold of the tragic Aristotle defined, Nora surpasses the title entirely. While still holding the three key features of nobility, harmartia, and peripetia, Nora claims victory over Oedipus as audiences willing give her their sympathy, making her the more affective tragic hero. Despite...

Words: 1256 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Research Paper of King Oedipus

...Oedipus The King ” by Sophocles. Research essay over ” Oedipus The King ” by ... the integration of sources into your paper; organization ... - Research PaperOedipus the king research paper. To convey your essay perfectly, calm down and be sure youll get a nice opportunity to change the situation with a friendly and ...Sample Research Paper. The first theme is the free will and fate. Fate as a theme has been a part of all Greek writings in particular. A factor of inevitability that ...A 7 page research paper that examines the various ways that Sophocles classic tragedy has been interpreted. The writer argues that the Freudian interpretations are ...Essays for Oedipus Rex or Oedipus the King. Oedipus Rex (Oedipus the King) essays are academic essays for citation.Professional Help with Writing Oedipus Essays. ... How to write Oedipus essay: First is to conduct research by finding out about the story, ... Research Paper Help.Get Instant Access to Research Paper On Oedipus The King at our eBook Library. 5/11 Research Paper On Oedipus The King [PDF] class 8 social science guide ncertOedipus the king. Oedipus the king. English and Literature. Paper instructions: Essay Question: What are Oedipus’ main personal qualities, good and bad, and what in ...Oedipus the King In research papers on Oedipus the King by Sophocles, there is the example of the classic tragic hero in the character Oedipus.accessing Research Paper On Oedipus The King Books on your computer, your have found the answers...

Words: 382 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Oedpus Rex Moder Film Depicted Better

...Oedipus Rex Comparative Essay Sophocles’ play, Oedipus Rex, shows the ironic tragedy of a man’s downfall. The two film adaptations of Oedipus Rex present the same theme but in different ways. In the more modern film of Oedipus Rex, directed by Don Taylor, music was introduced, the language was more understandable and the use of modern apparel which is what separated itself from the dated 1957 version of it. These are the three reasons why the 1984 film of Oedipus Rex is preferred. In Don Taylor’s version of Oedipus Rex, music was introduced and used. The music used made an atmosphere of mystery and suspense. In the first film there was no use of music therefore when something important occurred there was nothing to reinforce it. For example throughout the first film when Oedipus started to get realizations there was nothing to help the audience understand that he has actually done so. While in modern film music was used to build up and prepare the audience for what was to come. Music can be used to build thoughts in the audiences’ minds. The language used in the modern film is much more understandable than the older film. Today most people speak and comprehend the English spoken in the modern film which is why it is preferred. The English spoken in the modern film is simpler than the older film. In the 1957 film a lot of the cast speaks in riddles. The audience can grasp what is going on more in the modern film better than the older. The two ways English is spoken in both...

Words: 499 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

I Don't Know

...Sophocles' Oedipus is a perfect fit to Aristotle's Ideal Tragic Hero. Oedipus follows all of the rules, with a hamartia, an anagnorisis, and a peripeteia. The audience is introduced to the hamartia, or tragic flaw, of Oedipus early in the play. Oedipus believes he can dodge the oracle given to him at Delphi that he will kill his father and marry his mother. By leaving the city of Corinth and heading to Thebes, Oedipus thinks that he can outsmart the will that the gods have for him. However, the audience knows that one cannot run away from an oracle. The oracle will come true no matter what is done. Therefore, the hamartia of Oedipus is his belief that he can evade his oracle. Oedipus' anagnorisis, recognition, later comes when he is told that it was he who killed the former King Lauis and that he is, in fact, now married to his own mother. The city of Thebes had been searching for King Lauis' murderer in order to drive him out of Thebes to save the city from the plague. With this anagnorisis Oedipus is finally led to his peripeteia, or downfall. First of all, Oedipus is put to shame in front of his entire city because of his incestuous act of marrying his mother. But, more importantly, he realizes that he had not successfully avoided the oracle. In order to try to save himself he blinds himself. If he is not able to see the truth with his own eyes, he should not be able to enjoy the gift of sight. http://personal.monm.edu/ysample/aristotle.htm Oedipus follows ten of the points...

Words: 3052 - Pages: 13