Characters that stand out are the ones that commit ludicrous actions such as self-punishment, to convey curiosity and to make a story more creative and entertaining. Self-punishment is something that both Sophocles and Henrik Ibsen incorporated into their stories, it is a way of relieving pain, suffering or an act of avoidance, which is portrayed in the play Oedipus Rex (429BC) and Hedda Gabler (1890). Hedda Gabler and Oedipus both find a way of relieving themselves through self-punishment, simply because it is the only way of overcoming their obstacles. These characters are considered different and are perceived as being more valuable characters because their punishment is the climax in the story. The audience is left to reason why they had committed this act, which gives off a lasting impression of the story and ultimately the character.
Oedipus Rex a strong, ludicrous, ignorant king; flees his ‘homeland’ in order to elude the prophecy that “he was never to enter his native land, for if he did, he would kill his father and marry his mother” (Johnson 2). Taking this action Oedipus does just what the prophet had foretold; at the point of realization, he bludgeons his eyes out as an act of self-punishment. Self-punishment is what relieves Oedipus from his pain, although by inflicting more pain on himself his actions speak louder than words. After seeing what the outcomes of his actions were, Oedipus takes away his sight so that he no longer suffers the truth. This is because he was blind to the truth his whole life. Oedipus was blinded in more than one way.
He is blinded by the truth of his life because Oedipus did not know that his real parents were Laius and Iocaste. He was furious with all those that had suggested the idea. A...
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...erely an example of how humans try to forget about things or put things out of misery, ignoring how others feel. However, the action is done to bring things into perspective, for themselves. Humans are selfish creatures and confusing ones, but acts of self-punishment emphasize a person’s differences as well as their characteristics, leaving others to infer the purpose of their actions and this can be shown in both Hedda Gabler –to prove that she was not a coward and was in control of her own life- and Oedipus Rex-to demonstrate that he was blinded by the truth and that being ignorant has harsh punishment.
Works Cited
Henrik Ibsen. Hedda Gabler. Trans. Edmug Gosse and William Archer. Stilwell, KS: Digireads.com Publishing, 2005.
Sophocles. Oedipus Rex. Trans. Dudley Fitts and Robert Fitzgerald. The Oedipus Cycle. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovish, 1976. 3-78.
Sophocles. Oedipus the King. Trans. Robert Fagles. The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces. Ed. Maynard Mack et al. 6th ed. Vol. 1. New York: Norton, 1992.
In the beginning of the play, Oedipus could see perfectly with his natural eyes. However, he was blinded to the person he actually was, an incestuous murderer and a complete fulfillment of the prophecy made years ago. After deep contemplation of Jocasta’s story of her husband’s murder, Oedipus begins to realize that he is the one responsible for taking the life of Laius. As this realization sinks in, Oedipus makes known to the reader that he is willing to accept the fate of the curse he has brought on himself as the person accused of doing the evil act. Oedipus will be the one “no citizen welcomes to his house” (206, 903). Unfortunately
Albert, Susan Wittig. "Oedipus Rex by Sophocles." World Literature. Austin, TX: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 2001. 301-71. Print.
Harmon, William, and C. Hugh Holman. A Handbook to Literature. 8th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1999.
Fitts, Dudley, and Robert Fitzerald. Sophocles: The Oedipus Cycle. New York, NY: Harcourt Brace & Com, 1977. Print.
Sophocles. The Oedipus Cycle. Trans. Dudley Fitts and Robert Fitzgerald. New York: Harvest/HBJ-Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc., 1939.
Sophocles’ use of symbolism and irony is shown in Oedipus Tyrannus through his use of the notion of seeing and blindness. This common motif is extended throughout the play and takes on a great significance in the development of the plot. In an effort to escape his god given prophecy, Oedipus tragically falls into the depths of unthinkable crimes as a result of the mental blindness of his character; thus never escaping his lot.
Oedipus kills his father and marries his mother, with whom he produces four children. These are terrible crimes, impious, immoral and illegal. However, the fact that he carries these out in ignorance, not conscious of his own actions, attributes them to severe misfortune and a cruel fate. He even tried, in vain, to avoid the completion of this destiny, leaving his believed home city of Corinth upon hearing it told to him at the Oracle of Apollo ("I heard all that and ran" 876). Thus, when it is revealed to him, this sudden revelation of his crimes within one day leads him to blind himself so that he can no longer see what he has done ("Nothing I could see could bring me joy" 1473). The blinding was not required by fate and is indeed self inflicted but he believed that it is just punishment for what he has done, and by doing so he regains some control over his fate ("hand that struck my eyes was mine...
Throughout Oedipus’ quest to disprove prophecy and discover the truth about his life, his incredible hubris causes his reaction to his final discovery to be one that flaws his nobility. Upon realizing the truth, Oedipus gouges out his own eyes in attempt to become superior because he is amazed at the fact that a Tiresias, a blind prophet who he has just recently insulted because of his inability to physically see, was able to project Oedipus’ fate and outsmart the ever so noble and ever perfect Oedipus (which is how he invasions himself.) Oedipus’ desire to be the best at everything overwhelms him as he gouges out his own eyes to make himself even more superior, because his false perceptions about the true powers of blindness and sight has led him to believe that being blind makes you superior: “I did it all myself! What good were eyes to me? Nothing I could see could bring me joy.” (241) The fact that Oed...
The selfishness that Oedipus possesses causes him to have abundance of ignorance. This combination is what leads to his father’s death. After fleeing Corinth and his foster family, Oedipus gets into a skirmish with an older man. The reason for the fight was because, “The groom leading the horses forced me off the road at his lord’s command” (1336). Oedipus is filled with a rage after being insulted by the lord and feels the need to act. The two men fight, but Oedipus ends up being too much for the older man, and he kills him. What Oedipus is unaware of is that the man was actually his birth father and by killing him, Oedipus has started on the path of his own destruction. Not only does Oedipus kill his father, but also everyone else, “I killed them all” (1336). The other men had no part in the scuffle, but in his rage, he did not care who he was killing.
Oedipus was blind in more then one way. He was blind to the truth about his own life. Oedipus had no idea that his real parents were Laius and Jocasta. He was so blind that he got mad at anyone who was foolish enough to suggest such an idea.
From the very beginning, Oedipus was “blind”. Oedipus has perfect physical vision. However, he is blind and ignorant to the truth about himself and his past. He desperately seeks to know about the death of his father. At this point, it is obvious what Oedipus's action must be, to overcome the blindness. All of his actions thereafter are to that end.
Theater audiences and literary enthusiasts are not spared of Shakespeare’s astonishing ability to capture the human spirit in his play Hamlet. The story of the tormented prince who desires revenge but is unable to take action delves deep into the human mind than plays before it. While some uninformed readers may write off Hamlet’s behavior to poor writing, it is clear that the Oedipus complex is the true driving force of Hamlet’s actions when delaying his revenge.
Sophocles’ Oedipus is the tragedy of tragedies. An honorable king is deceived and manipulated by the gods to the point of his ruination. In the face of ugly consequences Oedipus pursues the truth for the good of his city, finally exiling himself to restore order. Sophocles establishes emotional attachment between the king and the audience, holding them in captivated sympathy as Oedipus draws near his catastrophic discovery. Oedipus draws the audience into a world between a rock and a hard place, where sacrifice must be made for the greater good.
Oedipus was willing to die to uncover the truth. Closure was needed for Oedipus the individual and Oedipus the king. Despite this need for closure, Oedipus remained blind to the clues in his path, plainly dismissing the ideas of other characters. Oedipus’ passion for knowledge was at least as strong as his blindness to the clues in his path. This blindness can be attributed to his pride. This pride gradually developed from h...