Anger is expressed through a variety of reasons. Vague with many divisions and levels, it comprises of different types. Anger is a powerful emotion that reveals the state of a person. Often, this emotion is uncontrollable because it is used to recompense for what has been lost and creates positive and negative effects. Particularly, it is evident when expectations and goals are unfulfilled or do not meet reality. In Sophocles’s Oedipus the King and Shusaku Endo’s Silence, the protagonists experience anger for reasons that differ. Sebastian Rodrigues's non-acceptance towards others for their lack of moral values and dignity together with Oedipus's hubris and indignation bring a similar result of emotional change.
Led by pride, s shows asperity towards those that he feels have the audacity to unfairly mistreat him. When Tiresias refuses to inform him of the murderer, Oedipus answers
“What, nothing? You miserable old man! You’d drive a stone to fury. Do you still refuse? Your flinty heart set in hopeless stubbornness” (Sophocles 19). Through his questions, his anger is aroused. “Old man” (Sophocles 19) is a connotation to degrade Tiresias while the “stone” (Sophocles 19) is personified to erupt from anger due to his loathsomeness. Likewise, his heart is personified to be recreant for scheming together with a supposed assassin. After Tiresias divulges that Oedipus is guilty, Oedipus alleges, “So this is what he wants, Creon the loyal, Creon so long my friend! Stealing up to overthrow and snatch!” (Sophocles 22). Accusing Creon through his sarcastic tone, positive adjectives such as “loyal” (Sophocles 22) and “friend” (Sophocles 22) otherwise heightens a sense of betrayal. As he is unjustly surmised, chided and accused as self-cen...
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...d the possibilities are hindered by pride, and the most unexpected and impossible can occur. Frequently, people are oblivious to their own flaws by unknowingly holding the same malfeasance and chiding others. By judging others, they become the very aspect and evil that they hate. Oedipus’s anger, while incognizant about the entire plight, seems more justifiable than that of Rodrigues who continues criticizing people after having seen the entire perspective of the situation. He focuses on the narrower view rather than evaluating it as a whole. Both characters exhibit different sides of anger and pose the question, ‘what extent anger is justifiable?’ Perhaps the message that the authors’ intended to convey was that human beings are biased based on their limited point of view, and therefore fallible. This is an ongoing and innate flaw that we must learn from.
Oedipus can be argued to be a sympathetic ruler of his people, "my heart must bear the strain of sorrow for all." (4). He shows a strong desire to rid the land of its despair. Yet as the reader captures a more in-depth glimpse into Oedipus' soul, we find him to be a jealous, stubborn, "blind", guilty, and sinful man. Oedipus' character outwardly seems to want nothing more than to find the guilty persons involved in the murder of Laius, yet when given obvious clues he turns a blind eye, not wanting to know the truth behind the prophecy.
During the time of Aristotle, revenge was seen as something of honor. It was considered noble to try to restore your honor after someone intentionally caused you shame or harm. You were looked at as a coward if you did not try to sneak and plot your revenge. Revenge can either be sought after for ones own internal satisfaction, but in this book, it is usually required because of what others might think as far as ones reputation is concerned. During Aristotle’s time, if you were seeking revenge one had strict guidelines to follow to ensure that the one seeking revenge was doing it out of honor and integrity. In this paper, we will view if the character Odysseus followed these guidelines on two occasions when he was seeking revenge. The two main events of revenge in the book were against the Cyclops and the suitors that were courting his wife.
Oedipus acts out his anger by attacking Tiresias. The more Tiresias talks and confronts Oedipus about [Oedipus]’s truth, the angrier Oedipus became (334-336).
In the Oedipus at Colonus, there are three major themes of the play, prophecy, guilt and death. Each of them is part of how Oedipus’ life plays out. The prophecy told that he was the killer of his own father and married his mother, and how the guilt, he had for committing these acts, by gouging out his own eyes; and how after his family disowned him then wanting him to help them knowing that whoever was on Oedipus’ side would win the war. Also where Oedipus’ body should be laid to rest after his death.
Sophocles’s Oedipus has a greater pride that is constantly setting off his temper. From the very beginning when he accuses Creon, the brother of the queen of Thebes, of plotting against him he lashes out and threatens that he would kill him and not just banish him. This temper lasts throughout the play even towards the end. In a way both characters have the same temper, however Cocteau only sh...
Oedipus is the son of the king and queen of Thebes. A prophet tells the king and queen that his son will kill him. This causes the king and queen to become worried of the possibilities so they decide to kill their son in order to prevent the predictions of the prophet from becoming true. However, Oedipus did not die and instead was rescued and eventually adopted. As time progresses Oedipus is told that he will kill his father and this frightens Oedipus so he decides to get as far as possible from his parents. During Oedipus’s journey he stumbles upon his biological father and he was unable to control his anger so he killed his father. As time goes on he eventually marries the queen of Thebes also known as his mom. He found out that her husband was killed a long time ago so Oedipus decided to investigate. A prophet tells Oedipus that he was the one that killed the king who was his father. Oedipus is angered and is told to stop trying to solve the mystery. Oedipus eventually discovers that what the prophet told him was true and is angered. He eventually meets his end. In this case Oedipus’s biggest flaw is his anger. His anger eventually causes him to face defeat. “Who would not feel his temper rise at words like these with which you shame our city” (Sophocles 1572). The quote comes directly from a conversation he was having with the prophet that told him he was
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)
Two of the minor tragic flaws that lead to Oedipus downfall were his arrogance and short temper. Trough out the book we are able to see how Oedipus humiliates and gets into arguments with the people that telling him the truth about his real parents and that are trying to help him to find the “unknown”
“We are most unwilling to accept mystery, what cannot be reduced to other and more intelligible forms. Yet that is what we find here: something irreducible, therefore perpetually to be interpreted; not secrets to be found out one by one, but secrecy” (Kermode 143). In the play Oedipus the King, written by Sophocles, we see the difference between secrets and secrecy that Kermode talks about. In the play we see that those who pursue the truth, corrupt the uncovering of the hidden unknown with their assumptions and perceptions. When confronted with the mystery of Oedipus’s past, both the reader and Oedipus seek the truth, but come to a resolution that is tainted with their supposition rather than the truth. Oedipus and the reader evince the innate illusion of human thinking when encountering secrecy: forcing ones own preconception onto the truth. Through reading the play Oedipus the King, written by Sophocles, the reader can determine that seeking the answers to secrets with the basis of human reasoning induces the resentment of secrecy: no truth stands today that has not been corrupted with some part of self-assumption.
It is clear to see that Oedipus is an impulsive and passionate man, which causes Oedipus to fulfill the prophecy that haunts him. He flees the kingdom of Corinthian in order to avoid his fate. Along his journey he comes to a crossroad that is blocked by a chariot, and “in a fit of anger” Oedipus kills the father he never knew (Meyer 1422). Oedipus’ anger causes him to kill the father he never knew and all the men in the entourage. Oedipus’ cannot control his temper and this personality flaw leads him to his fate.
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.
However, that one trait did not alone take away his position of high authority. Oedipus displayed anger throughout the whole story, which did not help him at all. During the story, we learn of Oedipus' anger as he knocked a passerby at the meeting of the three highways; "I struck him in my rage". Later, this passerby whom he angrily and quickly killed, was revealed to be Laios, Oedipus' father. Oedipus' anger also quickly shifted his judgment of Teiresias. "We are in your [Teiresias] hands. There is no fairer duty", Oedipus' respect for Teiresias quickly changed as Teiresias refused to tell of what was the trouble's cause. Oedipus began claiming that "Creon has brought this decrepit fortune teller" to mean that Teiresias was thought of as a traitor in Oedipus' thinking. Oedipus' anger is also shown as he begins to insult Teiresias by calling him a "wicked old man". Oedipus' anger throughout the beginning of the play hindered himself.
Greek politician and playwright, Sophocles, in his play, Oedipus the King, depicts a series of chronological events of the consequences of Oedipus’ downfall caused by his excessive pride. Sophocles’ purpose is to instruct readers that too much pride can dismally lead to unfortunate events. Sophocles illustrates an effective tone in order to inform the readers of the negative outcomes of stubbornness and denial.
The most important account of his anger is when he comes to path with Laius and they get into a fight, which leads to Oedipus killing the entire group of people there along with Laius. His tragic flaw is that he is more inclined to violence and anger, than to actually trying to resolve the situation in a rational manner. Additionally, when Oedipus speaks with Tiresias he is short-tempered once again because he does not approve of what he is being told. He then taunts and mocks Tiresias for being blind and basically slanders him. Oedipus has an impulsive nature which causes him act irrationally and makes him more impetuous. “ In God’s name, tell me for when you made this plot- a coward? Or a fool? Did you think I wouldn’t notice this conspiracy of yours creeping up on me in the dark?” (Sophocles 28). In particular, after Oedipus finishes speaking with Tiresias, he then accuses Creon of plotting against him, without any evidence. It is evident that Oedipus’ angry and reckless tendency lead him towards his
The impetus for the downfall of Oedipus, "Known far and wide by name" (Sophocles, 1), is his anger. Enraged he slew King Laius and in anger he hastily pursued his own ruination. From the aforementioned recriminations of Tiresias to the conflict with his brother-in-law Creon (his ill temper again displayed - "Tempers such as yours most grievous to their own selves to bear,... .(Sophocles, 25); through the revealing exchanges with his wife/mother Jocasta and her slave (whose pity saved the infant Oedipus), damming insight grows in a logical sequence, all the while fueled by the Oedipal rage. Realizing the heinous nature of his actions, Oedipus blinds himself in a fit of anger and remorse - now, as Tiresias, he can see.