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Analysis of king oedipus by sophocles
Character of Oedipus in Sophocles' Oedipus Rex
Make a comparative analysis of the characters of king oedipus in sophocles play
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The Power of Fate in Oedipus the King
The Greek tragedy Oedipus the King, by Sophocles, was written to show the common people of Greece how powerful the gods are and that your fate is pre-determined and nothing you do can change that. He does this by showing how people in this story try to escape their fate and how it is no use because in the end, what the oracles predict comes true. In the story there are many occasions in which people try to escape their fate.
The first time that one of the characters in the story tries to escape their fate is when Jocasta and Laius have a child. After the oracles tell Jocasta and Laius of their fate, Jocasta and Laius try to get rid of their new born baby by sending him off to a shepherd who in turn will put the baby on a mountain to die, however in the end their child (Oedipus) becomes a prince of another city and ends up killing his father (Laius) in an altercation and marries his mother (Jocasta). Another example is when Oedipus tries to run away from those who he thinks are his real parents because he does not want to kill his father or marry his mother, however he ends up doing so when he meets his real father in a intersection of three roads and kills him. The third example is when Oedipus continues on his journey to escape his fate and comes across the sphinx. The sphinx was a horrendous monster that was terrorizing the city of Thebes and it was said that whoever could solve the riddle of the sphinx would become king of Thebes. Oedipus solved the riddle and became king thus marrying the queen of Thebes (Jocasta) who was his real mother. By doing this he committed what he tried to get away from. In the end of the story, when Oedipus and his wife/mother find out that the prediction of the oracles has came true, Jocasta kills herself and Oedipus kills himself when he sees his mother/wife dead. This part of the tragedy is to show that if you try to escape your fate, you will be punished by the gods.
that their son would kill his father and marry his mother (page 56). A son was
As soon as you read the opening lines of Act3, Scene 1 you can tell
The Supernatural in William Shakespeare's Macbeth In Macbeth the supernatural is used to entertain and terrify the audience. Supernatural things are those that do not belong in the natural world. In Elizabethan times, people were so terrified of the supernatural because they believed that there was a natural order which effectively governed the universe, and when this order was misaligned things would start to go very wrong. For instance, were a Thane to kill a king and then become king, he would have changed the natural order and thus strange things would happen, and in Macbeth they did – horses started eating each other and weather became very irregular. Today we are not terrified in the same way by the supernatural.
In Sophocles ' Oedipus the King, the themes of fate and free will are very strong throughout the play. Only one, however, brought about Oedipus ' downfall and death. Both points could be argued to great effect. In ancient Greece, fate was considered to be a rudimentary part of daily life. Every aspect of life depended and was based upon fate (Nagle 100). It is common belief to assume that mankind does indeed have free will and each individual can decide the outcome of his or her life. Fate and free will both decide the fate of Oedipus the King.
Even though "fate" seems to determine Oedipus' life, he does, in fact, have a free will.
and goes after Tybalt to return the favor and kills him. Romeo is caught by the Prince
"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would
and be great, but they didn't tell him the price he would have to pay.
A common debate that still rages today is whether we as a species have free will or if some divine source, some call it fate, controls our destiny. The same debate applies to Oedipus the King and Oedipus at Colonus. Does Oedipus control his actions, or are they predetermined by the gods? It’s that question that makes Oedipus a classic, and many different people think many different things.
William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet "Many a morning hath he been there seen /With tears augmenting the
Some people say that there is no way to control your own life, that your life has been planned out for you ahead of time and there is nothing you can do to escape this fate. Others believe that your life is a matter of choice, and what happens to you during your life is a result of your actions. The story of Oedipus Rex by Sophocles seems to prove truth in both of these statements, that there is a life predetermined for you yet you can alter your life, but you can not escape your prophecy. The quote "I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul," by William Henley states just the opposite of what seems to be proven in Oedipus Rex. Because of the references in the story of Oedipus, I disagree with the quote made by William Henley.
he is in a living hell. This hugely brings us to favouring this as a
The underlying theme in Oedipus Rex is that fate is more powerful than free will. On this strong basis of fate, free will doesn't even exist. This was a popular belief among the ancient Greeks. Fate may be accepted or denied by modern society, but in Oedipus's story, fate proves inevitable. In the play, Oedipus Rex, the characters Oedipus, Iocaste and Laios try to change fate.
When Oedipus realizes what his future holds he decides to avoid it at all costs. As a result, he picked up and ran away. He decided not to tell his parents he was leaving so that he could avoid hurting their feelings. When he was on his journey to Thebes there were people coming towards him and they got in an upset about who had the right of way where three roads crossed. He ended up killing all but one of the men there. This is where Sophocles proves that you can never run from your fate. Even Jocasta accounts for this happening, “That it was fate that he should die a victim at the hands of his own son, a son to be born to Laius and me. But now, he the king was killed by a foreign highway robber at the place were three roads meet-so goes the story” (1.1.791-796). The man he killed in that street was actually his dad.
The nurse, was to keen to act as a go between because she felt that