How I Met Your Mother: Oedipus Edition
Sophocles explores the psychology of humans through the aristotelian elements of tragedy, in his play, Oedipus Rex. These elements have effectively allowed Sophocles to communicate the idea of fate overpowering intellect. Oedipus and Tiresias are key characters in developing this concept. Tiresias, a divine being, possesses heavenly knowledge whereas Oedipus, a mortal individual, relies heavily on his reasoning and intellect to make sense of his world. Sophocles pairs these characterizations with motifs about blindness and sight as well as truth and ignorance, allowing for the theme to come forth. Tyrone Guthrie’s extraordinary costuming and staging only enhances Sophocles’s message about destiny conquering human judgement. Tiresias, being the blind prophet of
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Soon, Tiresias repeatedly mentions that the man Oedipus is looking for is present in Thebes, though both the chorus and Oedipus are ignorant to his words. Eventually, Oedipus gets frustrated and accuses Tiresias and Creon of treason, and this does not create much tragic irony, but it shatters Oedipus’s sympathetic trait of being a rational king looking to end the plague.
Throughout the entirety of the play, Oedipus not only values and relies on his intellect, but is the symbol for the human mind. As the protagonist of a tragedy, Oedipus has many qualities that allow for the audience to feel sympathy towards him. For example, Oedipus defeats the Sphinx and rids Thebes of a plague through successfully solving the riddle, allowing him to become the ruler of Thebes. Vowing to solve the murder of Laius, Oedipus shows a devotion to his city and clearly values his duties as king. Oedipus also possesses many tragic flaws, and the element of hamartia plays a big role in shaping his character. One tragic flaw is his ignorance. "Whoever
... the truth about his flawed and corrupt past which forces him to feel responsible for his actions, so he blinds himself fleeing from power, knowledge and blame. This play is very multifaceted because the entire plot can be interpreted in different ways, especially regarding the theology of fate or freewill, which changes the audience’s interpretation of Oedipus and the overall themes. Sophocles is able to convey the universal message of the human condition because it exposes that even though we may have an advantage through wealth and prosperity, in the end every person is limited in their comprehension of worldly knowledge and that every human is liable to error. The idea of knowledge and its burdens is shown by Sophocles through the medium of imagery, which helps develop and illustrate the themes of the play efficiently, creating a deep appreciation of the text.
When he does reveal the information, Oedipus, as Creon in the play before, becomes wildly angry. But Tiresias does not back down and gives him more information about his lineage. Oedipus heatedly refutes his words and attacks Tiresias’ credibility and calls him a
In Ancient Greek tragedy, the concepts of suffering, hubris and moral responsibility are all interrelated, as one simply wouldn 't exist without the other. Oedipus Rex, composed by Sophocles, illuminates this. Through being structured in a Mystery Play format, the audience then witnesses the characters unravel a truth known from the beginning, distancing actor from spectator which allows the audience to see the roles of these concepts. The political, social and cultural aspects from the era in which the play has been written are then also made determinable in the work, however the play still manages to be universal as apart from the storyline and plot, it deals with humanistic issue of confronting the truth.
In the play Oedipus the King, Sophocles uses dramatic irony for the moral and political education of society. Dramatic irony depends on the audience’s knowledge of something that the character does not know. Throughout this play Oedipus is searching for his identity, the answers to his questions are visible to the audience the whole time, but not to Oedipus. The knowledge of his true fate also enables the audience to see his errors made from his blindness to the signs that foretell his demise.
Sophocles’ presents a complex character at the center of his play, Oedipus the King. The tragic flaw of Oedipus is his daring pursuit of the truth at any cost. His attempt to alter his fate is reasonable, but his actions along the way are reckless. Oedipus’s actions are harmful even while his intentions may seem honorable. Sophocles’ play delivers a message that serves as moral caution; that even when people’s fate seems beyond their control, they are still responsible for the consequences of their actions.
Insuring the portrayal of his theme, Sophocles targets the tension of his tragic play, Oedipus Rex, through the growth of the main character, Oedipus, rather than the mystery. Utilizing literary devices such as dramatic irony, soliloquies, and foreshadowing, Sophocles reveals to the audience the conclusion to the mystery of Oedipus before the hero has solved it himself; forcing the audience’s attention towards character growth of the hero, over the actual development of the mystery.
At the very core of Sophocles' tragedy, Oedipus the King, lies emotional confusion. Sophocles purposely creates within his readers this sense of emotional confusion and self-awareness through his use of both disquietude and pleasure.
The search for truth is a task every human strives for in his/her journey. Each human is blinded from some kind of truth because they are shielded by parents or even friends. However, the blindness fails eventually and the truth is revealed whether one is ready to hear or not. In today’s modern reality the truth is hidden everywhere as society chooses to be blind in some cases. In Sophocles’s famous play, Oedipus Rex, human morals are displayed frequently using philosophical prophecies. Great philosophers and modern day scholars of society relate and empathize how the two terms are related. In the play, Oedipus is the king of Thebes described as being a leader with a hot temper and rage when deciding problems for the City of Thebes (“Kafkas Üniversitesi Akademik” lines 387-389). This temper had followed unpleasing words in which the oracle Tiresias told Oedipus. The information revealed a frightening prophecy to Oedipus which threatened his very own reputation. Tiresias, with a
Tiresias, from “Oedipus the King” by the Ancient Greek playwright Sophocles, is a blind prophet and whilst he is only on the stage for a little time he plays a major role by what he does and what he represents. Tiresias enters the play after being summoned by Oedipus to tell him of the murderer of Laius, the recent King. Tiresias for the sake of Oedipus does not tell him the truth at the start saying that “what will come will come. Even if I shroud it all in silence”. In is conversation, Sophocles, uses Tiresias as a turning point in the plot as it is the beginning of Oedipus’ downfall. As well as that Sophocles uses Tiresias to represent many of the key ideas in the play. Tiresias represents the idea of fate and how
Tiresias acts as a father-like figure in the play to Oedipus and the town of Thebes, and as such, Oedipus shows hostility and aggressiveness towards him, accusing him of being bribed by Creon, and disparaging his visions when he states “QUOTE” (book, page); showing his animosity towards people in authoritative positions. The main reason for Oedipus accusing Creon of bribery is the fact that he is the one who urged for Oedipus to call on Tiresias for assistance. As well as "Creon and Teiresias will shortly be suspected of having plotted against him; the lateness of these two men, at this particular time of crisis," (Lattimore 1). Tiresias' paternal role, and Oedipus' aggression towards him, and other characters that play a similar role, is an important theme in the play. Oedipus being raised by a Foster family, even without his knowledge, has created a deep seeded hostility and resentment towards authority and father figures. His detestation is so g...
Sophocles ' play “Oedipus Tyrannus” is a dramatic murder mystery. His play includes incest, murder and self-enlightenment all leading into the main theme of fate. Athenians believed that fate is not left up to man, but that is provided solely on the whims of the gods. Because of his dramatic approach to his plays Sophocles was considered one of the most brilliant and creative writers of his time.
They also critique characters’ actions and also add detail on the themes such as fate, confronting the past, and the dangers of brashness. “Oedipus” is considered to be the perfect example of a tragedy according to Aristotle’s poetics. The chorus is the population of elder men in Thebes, following the traditional route of Greek tragedy. “Oedipus” begins with the chorus explaining the plague occurring in Thebes in great detail, making the audience realize what a tough and challenging situation Oedipus is in as king. The chorus is constantly contributing to the action of the play, conversing with and giving Oedipus advice. Throughout the story, they often tell Oedipus to keep calm and to be more rational, a result of one of his tragic flaws. The elder men of Thebes directly effect the characters as well, preventing Oedipus from banishing or executing his brother-in-law Creon. Mainly the chorus seems to be supportive and loyal of their king, although his rash behavior does make them question him towards the middle of the story. By the end, the chorus is supportive of Oedipus once more. To prove their devotion, the chorus said, “But whether a mere man can know the truth, whether a seer can fathom more than I— there is no test, no certain proof though matching skill for skill a man can outstrip a rival. No, not till I see these charges proved will I side with his accusers.... Never will I convict my king, never in my heart.” (Chorus, 563-568) This quote demonstrates how well liked Oedipus is to the people of Thebes and how highly they think of him. It shows that his character and previous actions make it hard to believe he would ever commit the atrocities he is accused of. Also, like in many classic Greek tragedies, Sophocles incorporates strophes and antistrophes to split his choral
In Oedipus the King, Sophocles suggests that the impact of seeing the truth is harmful rather than enlightening. Whenever Oedipus strives to discover more to strengthen Thebes’ perspective of him, it leads him closer to his fate as determined by prophesy. Tiresias stands as a model in the play for the individual who is able to see the meaning beyond plot of events although his is blind, and Oedipus represents the oblivious arrogant individual who is never content because they need to be the unsurpassed individual. In the play, Sophocles illustrates the downside of a personality like Oedipus who desires to see the truth by ending the play with the brutality of gouging out his own eyes. Ultimately, the play reinforces that seeing the truth is harmful and being content with what you have, without greedily striving for more, can help avoid fate and a related deposition.
Ignorance, it is said that it is bliss; to not know something. It may be something good, or something bad. This difference may never be discovered because, ignorance. This cluelessness appears many times in the story, represented by the characteristic of blindness. Oedipus was viewed as a man that was “greatest in the eyes of all.”(44) Before the truth came spilling out, the people of Thebes adored Oedipus. They praise him for all he had done, such as save them from the terror of the Sphinx, as well as being a great king. Oedipus was compared to the gods with his mightiness. Later on in the play, Oedipus declares that, “as if for [his] own father…[he will] try everything, seeking to find the one who committed the murder”(273-275) of Laius, and who had brought this terrible plague of death and famine upon his beloved city. The irony
In the play Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, the minor character of Tiresias is responsible for foreshadowing Oedipus’ fate, developing the theme of blindness, and also illustrating dramatic irony. Tiresias is responsible for further developing the theme of blindness, by using his own physical blindness to reveal to Oedipus his mental blindness. Lastly, Tiresias is ultimately responsible for imposing dramatic irony because of his great knowledge of the truth of Oedipus. As a fortune teller, Tiresias is able to see the fate and destruction of Oedipus’ life. Tiresias uses his great ability to reveal to the reader the downfalls in Oedipus’ life that will soon occur because of his quest to know his fate. The character of Tiresias demonstrates the use of foreshadowing in order for the reader to be aware of Oedipus’ fate.