Oedipus the King
Oedipus the King is the perfect example of a tragedy. It contains a
complete combination of all the features of a tragedy. Aristotle in
his Poetics[1] defines Oedipus as being 'a definite example of the
form and purpose of tragedy'. In tragedies the Greeks dramatized
climactic events in the lives of heroes, and Oedipus' story is no
exception. By using many different literary devices it brings moral
dilemmas of action and motive to the public stage. The action is set
out over the timeframe of one day, which will according to the prophet
Tiresias will bring Oedipus' 'birth' and 'destruction'.
King Oedipus is the central protagonist and within his character lies
a tragic flaw. He is unintentionally the architect of his own
downfall. The strengths that once lead him to solve the riddle behind
the sphinx later lead him to his own downfall. In the words of the
priest; 'you helped us stand, only to fall once more'. Oedipus'
hamartia is his anger. It lies at the root of the plot. It was fury
that lead him to kill Laius. He was about to thrust Oedipus off the
road one night, so Oedipus 'paid him back with interest' by murdering
him. Another flaw is a persistent desire to discover the truth. His
'mindless stubbornness' motivates him to seek the truth about Laius'
killer and who his father is. This search leads to the turn of events
that take place throughout the play.
Despite constant denial of his fate he cannot deny the work of the
gods. Tiresias delivers him a prophecy of this fate. Oedipus'
circumstances are far beyond his own control. No matter what he
attempts to do or alter every path leads the same way. He finds
himself 'always terrified Apollo's' oracle might come true'. However
he is determined to seek out the Kings murderer to punish him. This
search interlinks with the search for his father. Jocasta also tries
to deny destiny believing that 'nothing human can penetrate the
future'. She claims to believe that 'It's all chance, chance rules our
lives'. However fate inevitably takes over. Through the process of
anagorsis Oedipus discovers he is in fact the very criminal he seeks.
Along with this he realises further truth in the prophecy, that he is
married to his mother. Jocasta also comes to realise the same truth.
By the end of the play his final downfall along with hers is
inevitable.
Tragic iro...
... middle of paper ...
...loins that spawned my wretched
life. What grief can crown this grief? It's mine alone, my destiny - I
am Oedipus!'
These two statements show the peripeteia of Oedipus' life. Once a hero
basked in glory, he has now succumbed to his destiny. In turn he is
lowered to a truly pathetic state.
His altered state serves to highlight the reversal of fortune he
undergoes. His tragic flaw leads him to acknowledging his fate.
Oedipus' downfall comes as he tries to escape fate but cannot. The
audience knows this as does the chorus and we can only watch.
Oedipus the King contains nothing outside of the definition; it's just
pure Tragedy at the very core. It also confirms to Aristotle's theory
of Tragedy. It obeys all the rules
and the elements of Tragedy mentioned throughout. These features
entwine together to create the ultimate work of Tragedy. From all of
this it is unquestionable that the word 'tragedy' is a usefully
accurate description of Sophocles' play Oedipus the King.
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[1] W.B. Worthen, The Harcourt Brace Anthology of Drama, 3rd Edition
(USA, Harcourt College Publishers, 2000), p 72.
revengeand one of secrecy. He was not driven by an anger at his ownsin, but
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Aristotle defined a tragic story as the adventure of a good man who reaches his ultimate downfall because he pushed his greatest quality too far. Sophocles advocates the definition in the tragic play Oedipus Rex. He develops the play with the great polarities of fame and shame, sight and blindness, and ignorance and insight to show Oedipus’ experiences in search for knowledge about his identity. Through his search, Oedipus pushes his quest for truth too far and ultimately reaches his doom. Oedipus’ reliance on his intellect is his greatest strength and ultimate downfall.
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Oedipus Rex”, by Socrates, is a play that shows the fault of men and the ultimate power of the gods. Throughout the play, the main character, Oedipus, continually failed to recognize the fault in human condition, and these failures let to his ultimate demise. Oedipus failed to realize that he, himself was the true answer to the riddle of the Sphinx. Oedipus ignored the truth told to him by the oracles and the drunk at the party, also. These attempts to get around his fate which was determined by the gods was his biggest mistake. Oedipus was filled with hubris and this angered the gods. He believed he was more that a man. These beliefs cause him to ignore the limits he had in being a man. Oedipus needed to look at Teiresias as his window to his future.
Teenagers are constantly being educated on the seriousness of alcohol and the vast amounts of negative impacts it can have meaning every teenager understands the consequences to do with alcohol, however as we can see it hasn’t stopped underage drinking and I believe this pattern will continue into the future.
Underage drinking is problematic in many communities. If you spent one day at any High School, in Love County, I can almost guarantee by the end of the day you would know which students drink, who supplies the liquor, and the location of the next party. Regrettably, underage drinking runs rampant in Love County and many other regions in the United States. “Alcohol use remains extremely widespread among today’s teenagers. Nearly three quarters of students (72%) have consumed alcohol (more than just a few sips) by the end of high school, and more than a thir...
From the cradle to the grave, every person has experienced the trembling feeling of fear. A child might fear being in the ocean or the dark; on the other hand, an old man might fear losing mental capabilities or even life. All fears are dreadful, but what if the fear was over something unknown? William Golding, both veteran and Nobel Prize winner, depicted his view on humanity into his book, Lord of the Flies. The book describes a group of British boys stuck on a deserted island who try to govern themselves with failing results. The boys also had fears, but in their case, it was a hidden beast. William Golding’s Lord of the Flies displays how fear of the unknown is a paralyzing and destructive force that can change one’s identity to a more
Many times humans do things that contradict another thing they do. An example of this is one thing may be good but also bad at the same time. A person who has done this more then once is Oedipus in the writer Sophocles plays. Sophocles uses imagery like light verses darkness, knowledge verses ignorance and sight verses blindness.
The use of alcohol by adolescents is widely viewed as disobedience in American society. Although, alcohol use is technically illegal until the age of twenty-one (in 19 states the consumption of alcohol in not specifically illegal for people under the age of twenty-one), there is still an excessive use of dinking in teenagers today. Since alcohol is associated with all three leading causes of death among teens, it can also have less life-altering consequences such as a drop in academic performances and a decline of friend and family relationships. Also, mental disorders like anxiety, depression and behavioral issues as in loss of temper, an argumentative personality, being easily angered, and blaming others for mistakes. Alcohol is the most commonly abused drug in teenagers and society contributes to abuse by linking drinking to sophistication and good times. (“Alcohol Abuse and Youth” 1)
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