Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
The fall of oedipus and athens tragedy
Thematic thrust of sophocles " Oedipus the king
Literary analysis on oedipus the king
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: The fall of oedipus and athens tragedy
In ancient Greece, the purpose of drama was, according to various philosophers of the time, to present moral messages through the presentation of already well known narratives such as the story of Oedipus. In doing so, the dramas were dramatically ironic, and did, therefore, serve as a type of moral reminder to Dionysian festival attendees. In Sophocles’ Oedipus the King, Sophocles asserts that prophecy is unavoidable because the gods have been, and always will be, in control of destiny.
During the time that Oedipus the King was written and performed, the fifth century B.C., Athens had made significant strides in art, architecture, economics, and academics—history and philosophy were in fact born during this time period (Jaeckle 9). As people continued to advance intellectually, they began to question the role of the gods within society. The question of the age was essentially: “If we can make progress on our own, why do we need to rely on the gods or prophecy?”
Sophocles’ Oedipus represents a contemporary Athenian who symbolizes human progress: “Oedipus the King is a dramatic embodiment of the creative vigor and intellectual daring of the fifth-century Athenian spirit” (Fagles 140-41). As Robert Fagles argues in his introduction to Oedipus the King (143 et hoc), Oedipus represents the transition between savagery and progress (in the sense of civilization, politics, and intellect of the fifth-century). Oedipus’ vocabulary, logical thinking, and attempt to escape prophecy are all representative of the fifth-century man. Thus, Oedipus represents human progress, and his downfall is all the more important.
The play opens with the assumption that the audience member is familiar with the myth of Oedipus, which itself contains th...
... middle of paper ...
...hat the prophet was in the dark. When Oedipus gouges out his own eyes, he enters the realm of darkness which is associated with insight. The insight which Oedipus gains is contrary to the enlightenment views, he realizes that prophets and prophecies should be revered because they are from the gods, and they cannot be explained nor can they be altered by mortals. It is, as Freud would argue in his theory of the repression, impossible to completely purge oneself of religion (Jaeckle 9).
In a time of great intellectual and philosophical change, Oedipus the King, quite arguably better than any other work of Greek literature, exemplifies the ominous reality that the gods really do work quietly behind the scenes. Sophocles’ carefully asserts that no matter how advanced a society becomes, its citizens must remember that the gods have allotted them that advancement.
Ahrensdorf, Peter J. "The Limits of Political Rationalism: Enlightenment and Religion in Oedipus the Tyrant." JSTOR. Cambridge University Press on Behalf of the Southern Political Science Association, n.d. Web. 16 May 2014.
Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex introduced the one of the most important tragic heroes of Greek literature. First performed in the fifth century B.C.E., the play is centered around Oedipus, the king of the Greek city-state Thebes, and his struggle to conquer his emotions as he seeks out the true story of his life. This work, inspired by a well-known Greek myth, scrutinizes both the tragic flaws of Oedipus and his heroism. Examples of Oedipus’ tragic flaws abound in the play. In his condemnation of Tiresias and Creon, Oedipus is controlled by his emotions. However, the heroism of Oedipus is also an essential theme of the drama, though it is often downplayed. Despite this, careful analysis can uncover many instances in which Oedipus exhibits his heroism by attempting to control his emotions and discover the truth of his origins. In his finest moments, Oedipus is in complete command of his emotions as he searches for the truth, while at his nadir, Oedipus is completely controlled by his emotions and is absolutely unpredictable. This contrast is, in large part, what makes Oedipus a tragic hero. Oedipus, King of Thebes, is among the greatest Hellenistic tragic heroes because of his fight to overcome his greatest flaw, his uncontrollable anger, as he heroically searches for the truth.
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.
As with many plays from the same time period as Oedipus the King, there seems to be more to the story than the tragic story of a simple man. One way that Oedipus the King can be interpreted is as a political commentary about the str...
I said that after going through much hardship and losing all his men he should come home again in the twentieth year and that no one would know him; and now all this is coming true” (14). This shows how the gods did interfere and would tell the people on earth with symbols. The gods knew from the beginning the fate of Odysseus because they predestined it. The gods are those who gave Odysseus misfortune, and they are also the ones who fated him the way he did. Through these examples of hospitality, pride and fate, one can learn many important Greek principles.
The great Sophoclean play, Oedipus Rex is an amazing play, and one of the first of its time to accurately portray the common tragic hero. Written in the time of ancient Greece, Sophocles perfected the use of character flaws in Greek drama with Oedipus Rex. Using Oedipus as his tragic hero, Sophocles’ plays forced the audience to experience a catharsis of emotions. Sophocles showed the play-watchers Oedipus’s life in the beginning as a “privileged, exalted [person] who [earned his] high repute and status by…intelligence.” Then, the great playwright reached in and violently pulled out the audience’s most sorrowful emotions, pity and fear, in showing Oedipus’s “crushing fall” from greatness.
...and the contemporary political situation into the familiar mythological saga of Oedipus. He does this not in the form of a manifesto or a public speech, but in a stage play, widely viewed and enjoyed by Athenian citizens. These underlying themes allow audience members to deeply connect to what initially seems like an alien world and allows for a more enjoyable experience for those who perceived and understood these themes. He tailored the play to the age and the audience and managed to successfully create a popular text that is still studied today for its literary merit and historical importance.
In Ancient Greece the existence of gods and fate prevailed. In the Greek tragedy King Oedipus by the playwright Sophocles these topics are heavily involved. We receive a clear insight into their roles in the play such as they both control man's actions and that challenging their authority leads to a fall.
In conclusion, Oedipus's fate is his destruction in the chain of being, the ultimate cleansing of the state, the household, and himself. His rejection and persistence to ignore the power of the gods and religion is the cause for his great demise. Oedipus, a character too proud and knowledgeable, is seen as a threat to the gods. Any threat to the gods is sure to result in the destruction of the threat in order to restore the balance in the chain of being. The above discussion shows support of how religion greatly influenced the lives of people and society's structure.
It is said that the truth will set you free, but in the case of Sophocles’ Oedipus, the truth drives a man to imprison himself in a world of darkness by gouging out his eyes. As he scours the city for truth, Oedipus’ ruin is ironically mentioned and foreshadowed in the narrative. With these and other devices Sophocles illuminates the king’s tragic realization and creates a firm emotional bond with the audience.
The myth of Oedipus is one of a man brought down by forces aligning against him. Over the years, different playwrights have interpreted his character in various fashions. In Sophocles’ Oedipus the King, Oedipus is a man who is blind to the path on which his questions take him and exemplifies the typical tyrannical leader in ancient times; in Senaca’s Oedipus, it is the fear of his questions that give Oedipus a greater depth of character, a depth he must overcome if he is to survive his ordeal.
This essay will illustrate the types of characters depicted in Sophocles’ tragic drama, Oedipus Rex, whether static or dynamic, flat or round, and whether protrayed through the showing or telling technique.
Sophocles makes use of many situations involving dramatic irony. In fact, the entire play could be said to be an example of dramatic irony. The audience becomes aware of Oedipus’ prophecy from the very beginning of the play. The reading from the Oracle stated that Oedipus was destined to murder his father and marry his mother. Although Oedipus is unaware of his fate, the reader knows the tragic future of the character. This use of dramatic irony allows the story to avoid the typical Greek tragedy structure and keep the reader intrigued as the events unfold.
In the play Oedipus the King, Sophocles affirms that the gods ultimately have the final say to control one’s destiny; however, an individual is solely responsible for the decisions he makes. Approaching near the climax, Sophocles sets up a fundamental conflict of the play, the need for Oedipus and Jocasta to perceive the immutable state of prophecy through the consequences that deliver itself when the gods fulfill their plans for one’s destiny. The messenger even describes the omnipotent power of the gods, and witnesses the augury of death proposed by the supernatural, finally stating:
Owen, E. T. “Drama in Sophocles’ Oedipus Tyrannus.” In Twentieth Century Interpretations of Oedipus Rex, edited by Michael J. O’Brien. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1968.