...By lending a critical eye to the play Oedipus Rex, the reader is able to understand various values of Greek culture. A study of the play Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, reveals Sophocles’ views on important cultural value of Greek society. It is evident that Sophocles shared the same views regarding women that the rest of his culture did as well as the idea that the gods played a large part in daily life; however, Sophocles satirized the Greek value of kleos, the glory one receives. In Ancient Greek society women were seen as inferior, Sophocles uses the treatment of Jocasta and her daughters as a way to...
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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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...Humans have existed for a very long time. The idea of gods watching over us has existed almost as long as we have. It is a comfort we created for ourselves, when we felt like we needed a father or a mother watching over us, or an explanation of the mysterious occurrences around us. Even though most cultures have a god that watches over them, humans have never been able to decide on one for everyone. A culture’s god fits the wants and needs of the people. Because of that, every god is different, especially when it comes to their demeanor. The first recorded gods, worshipped by the Sumerian people, were destructive and angry because their lives were difficult and chaotic. This differed from the Egyptian gods, who tended to be friendlier and there to help the Egyptians, who loved the land and lived a well organized life. Greek gods were very different than these early gods. They acted much more like humans. In my opinion, they were almost indifferent to human affairs besides as a mean of entertainment. They were stuck in their own private world, and they checked on humans sometimes...
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...In ancient Greece, the people praised the Greek gods like the all powerful Zeus, Hera, and Apollo. There are many stories that focus on Greek gods, some people believe them to be true and some see them as stories. The Greek god Apollo focused on fate, plagues, and healing. He was considered the most Greek god of all gods. In Oedipus Rex, Sophocles uses the Greek god Apollo to show his influences on human life in how he controls fate, how plagues can change people actions, and healing in their lives all in a mythological view. Sophocles uses Oedipus as an example for being born into tragedy was his fate. Before Oedipus was born he was prophesied to kill his father and to marry his mother. Fate is an unpredictable circumstance as Jocasta says, “Why should anyone in this...
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...My understanding of the cultural aspects of the screen write Oedipus Rex by Sophocles has grown with the class discussion. Oedipus Rex was written around 430 B.C., a time when Greece was in an age of prosperity, the Golden age. With the discussion, I learned that Oedipus Rex is said to have been one of Sophocles’ best works and was a prominent playwrights that influenced Greece. Meanwhile, I also learned of the strong influence of both the belief in many gods and of prophecy in Greek drama and in Greek society during the Golden era. Through his works Sophocles revered the gods and used his protagonist Oedipus to solidify their importance. Through Oedipus’s actions to the well-known prophecy, his downfall occurs. Sophocles used a series of revelations...
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...Representations of power in Oedipus Rex: A study of the characterisation of Oedipus, Jocasta and Teiresias. Sophocles’ play Oedipus Rex, an ancient Greek tragedy inspired by the tragic demise of the once great ruler Pericles, is a tale of power. In this fateful downfall of the king, Sophocles plays out representations of power through the key characters of Oedipus, Jocasta and Teiresias; particularly evident in ways in which the characters interact and respond to prevailing circumstances whilst trying to resolve their own dilemmas. The actions of these key characters expose the nature of power in Oedipus Rex as corrosive and destructive. Oedipus is destroyed by his passion for the truth and the power he wields in seeking it and, his destruction is tragic in consequence. As the play opens, Oedipus’ powers are formidable. Oedipus is the leader of the city of Thebes; the “City of Light”. He is a noble man entrusted by the people with the kingship of Thebes; a power bestowed upon Oedipus when he “broke [the] bondage [of Thebes] to the vile Enchantress” with the “[stopping] of the riddler’s mouth”. Oedipus is granted the power of “Cadmus’ ancient line” which comes with the responsibility for caring for the citizens of Thebes. When the supplicants appeal to King Oedipus to rid Thebes of the deadly pestilence, Oedipus responds willingly to their needs; “I will start afresh; and bring everything into the light.” This thirst for truth is destructive and his actions driven by self-promotion...
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...connection with those around you. Exodus and Oedipus Rex are both important to the Hebrews and the Greeks because it shows how important their faith is. In both stories the people are being punished by their gods, which resulted in plagues. Exodus and Oedipus Rex serve as traditional stories for the Hebrews and the Greeks by showing how faith is a tradition to the people. The Hebrews were the first people to be monotheistic. Exodus is important to the Hebrews because it tells the story of how they were liberated from the reign of the Pharaoh. In Exodus a new tradition is created which still takes place today, which is Passover. In Exodus 12:3-12:13 it states “Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is...
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...Oedipus Rex and Antigone- Sophocles “Oedipus Rex” and “Antigone”, plays by the Greek playwright Sophocles take place in the land of Thebes and have their central ideas as the question of justice. The two plays have several attributes in common and also have some differences. Both plays fall under the tragedy genre where the respective kings, King Oedipus in “Oedipus Rex” and King Creon in “Antigone”, display lack of justice and get punished as a result. In “Oedipus Rex”, King Oedipus displays lack of justice by killing the former king (Laius) and all his servants, except one, mercilessly. He also committed a sin by marrying his own mother. Similarly, King Creon displays lack of justice in the play “Antigone”, by denying the burial of Polenysis and he displays cruelty by being the immediate cause for the death of Antigone, the death of his son and the queen as well. In both plays, the curses on the land of Theses came out of the sins of the respective kings. Fate has a critical role in both plays. In “Oedipus Rex”, King Oedipus knew that he would kill his father and breed children from his own mother. That made him leave Corenth to get rid of his supposedly parents. But the return of Oedipus to Thebes paved the way for the prophecy to occur. In “Antigone”, King Creon couldn’t listen to the words of the blind prophet and paid the price for his ignorance. In the two plays, justice was realized in a similar way; which is through the punishment of the kings who disrespected...
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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 Essays...
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...McDuffey-Valadez Malmberg AP Lit and Comp 24 September 2014 Greek Tragedy The role of woman in literature has always been low, until recent dates, woman in literature have been inferior to men. Woman were hardly in Greek plays, unless essential to the plot. When woman were in plays, they were played by a man in a mask, females were viewed poorly. Woman in both Antigone and Oedipus Rex are considered the inferior sex. Men saw woman as irrational and emotional, as well as to be used for sex and marriage. As the inferior sex, woman are very similar to slaves, they did house work, were not allowed to own property and their opinions were not taken seriously. This compares to modern day because of how woman are treated unfairly, some things have changed, but not women are still not considered equal to men. Woman’s role in both Antigone and Oedipus Rex is not taken seriously. Iokaste’s role in Oedipus Rex was very limited. Iokaste’s role in the play was very important, but the fact that Iokaste’s character had no knowledge that Oedipus was her son portrayed her as ignorant and foolish. One more way Iokaste is perceived is as loyal and as dependent. This is clearly shown when Iokaste says “I will do nothing other than you wish”. This really shows how dominated she is by Oedipus, she wil not do anything he doesn’t want her to do. This was very common in Greek times. Another way Woman were shown as inferior was when Oedipus does not take anything Iokaste says seriously, he does not...
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...A summary of Civilization: Greek Era What really is education? It is not literacy, nor information. Education is a logical attempt towards human learning. There are two types of leaners, passive learners and purposely engaged learners. Purposeful engagement is said to equal successful learning; so instead of spending time getting interested, find what is interesting. Making connections is what creates learning. Everything we learn may not be interesting, but it is important to make connections to something that is. Find meaning in what is taught and interpret the idea, thinking deeply and meaningful about ideas helps discover new learning and interest. Intellect performance shows what we know what we are trying to portray. During the highest peak of the Greek era the society valued body and mind intellect; creating some of the most famous philosophers known to time. Main Ideas and Values of Ancient Greek Civilization Ancient Greek civilization has contributed too many parts of today's society. The teachings and doings of Ancient Greeks have contributed important lessons that many societies still use to base their own laws and ethics on. The Ancient Greeks realized values of loyalty, glory, intelligence and hospitality were important to incorporate into everyday life. Ancient Greek civilization valued dualism, truth and “good society”. Helping your fellow man was an important aspect of ancient Greek society. They offered food, shelter and protection to travelers without...
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...particular person, country, institution, etc. (…).’ Consequently, this term is opposed to free will, defined as ‘the power of an individual to make free choices, not determined by divine predestination, the laws of physical causality, fate, etc. (…).’ Human beings have thought of these antithetic concepts as something to worry about since the beginning of civilization. Because of that, playwrights have taken them into consideration when writing different plays all over the years. This essay seeks to explore the tension existing between the concepts of destiny and free will in the world of drama through the study of language as well as the analysis of character and situation development. In order to carry this research out, I will take Oedipus Rex by Sophocles (429 BC) and Dr Faustus by Christopher Marlowe (1604) as the basis for the analysis. Although the plays were written in different eras and consequently were inspired by very different social and historical backgrounds, the limits between destiny and free will play a very important role in both of them. But how does drama manage to explore this tension? How do playwrights convey the paradox that exists between destiny and free will? Over the course of...
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...“Free” Will in Oedipus Rex (the King) Perhaps the Greek playwright Sophocles never had the concept of “free will” in mind when writing Oedipus Rex, but the play does allow for that interesting paradox we know today as free will. The paradox is: if Oedipus is told by the gods' oracles that he will kill his father and marry his mother, does he have any power to avoid this fate? That's a basic free will question. If Oedipus manages to avoid killing his father and marrying his mother, he will prove the gods wrong, and the oracle prediction turns out to be no prediction at all. How free can we truly be if created by an all knowing being? If God knows, even at the moment before our births, that we are already destined to ascend to Heaven or burn in Hell, can we move through life making truly free decisions? Or are we always to be viewed as puppets of destiny? Was Adam to be blamed for the fall? Or was that actually God's plan? So what is this idea of "original sin?" Shouldn't we celebrate Adam as a hero for freeing man from the state of unawareness that he lived in until he consumed the sacred pomegranate? Recall that the very first line following Adam and Eve's sin is "And they saw that they were naked." This nakedness is not so much of the body (though early Christians loved to view it that way), but rather a sense of viewing, as Joseph Campbell puts it, "duality," the basic difference between man and woman, right and wrong, and, ultimately, man and god. What Adam...
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...At the entrance of the temple of Apollo at Delphi there were three Maxims inscribed: “Know Yourself”, “Nothing in Excess”, and “A Promise will be Your Ruin”. When the Greeks said “Nothing in Excess” they meant in all aspects of life. The Greek maxim “Nothing in Excess” reflects the idea of moderation and reasonable sufficiency which influences behaviors and choices. Defiance of the maxim “Nothing in Excess” invited discord, catastrophe and repudiation of living wholly with beauty and truth. The maxim, “Nothing in Excess”, is exemplified and defied in Greek myths through the figures Heracles, Niobe, Oedipus and Creon. Heracles, son of Zeus and Alcmena, exhibited excessive mortal strength from infant to adult. When Heracles was eight months old, Hera, desiring his death, sent two serpents to Heracles’ bed; but because of his excessive strength he strangled the serpents with his bare hands. Another example of “the strength of stout Heracles” (Theogony 332) is when he kills Linus, his tutor, in self-defense. Hera, still persecuting Heracles, drove him mad, and as a result he killed his wife, Megara, and his children, flinging them into the fire. Arriving at the temple of Apollo at Delphi, the Pythian priestess told Heracles to reside in Tiryns, serving Eurystheus for twelve years and to perform ten labors to be purified for his crime (Parada). His first labor was to destroy the Nemean Lion. Heracles first shot him with an arrow, but when he perceived that the animal was invincible...
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...Malanee Janes Mrs. Ashmore Dual English IV 23 September 2014 Blindness and Regret The play Oedipus Rex, written by Sophocles has a lot to do with excess. Mainly dealing with how some of the actors of this play lack the ability to use moderation. Greeks believed in moderation, but in this curtain scenario that’s not the case. In fact the play Oedipus Rex abuses excess on many different levels just like we do here in the 20 and 21st century. The problem in which we use excess quiet heavily, is the worldwide disaster of a thing we use everyday, the Internet. If we ‘d gone by the Greeks way of thinking by using moderation, the world wouldn’t be such a messed up place like it is today. People created Internet to make our lives easier, but yet it complicates our lives and gives everyone virtually no privacy in their everyday lives. Our entire lives can be discovered by a total stranger, anywhere from where a person lives, to how much income a person makes, even the contents of their backyard which makes everyone of us vulnerable to the people around us just because we’ve abused and excessively taken advantage of computer technology. Our personal lives and accumulations aren’t private anymore. Which is in certain cases threatening, this allows people to be in our lives who really have no business being in good, bad, or otherwise. In the play Oedipus Rex, Oedipus lacks in using moderation, which he instead uses a lot of excess, “Than once more I must bring what is dark to light”(DiYanni...
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