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What role does fate have in greek myth
Analysis of Oedipus the king by Sophocles
The characterisation of Sophocles's king Oedipus
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Sophocles use of language allows his characters to show what is going on inside them to the reader. Many works of literature deal with what happens to a person physically and the resulting consequences. Many do deal with the issues that a person endures internally as a result of physical actions. In Sophocles work the events that take place in the human mind are the catalysts that drive on the story, the greatest events are not when an action happens but when the characters come to terms with what has transpired.
The greatest realization faced by a character is that of Oedipus who for many years has come to terms with his situation. The Prophet Apollo’s predictions that he will kill his father and have sex with his mother. The course of his life is shaped by this prophecy. What Oedipus has been told from the beginning of his life shaped his thinking, this also allows the reader to grasp that this myth is relevant to their lives. The physical actions of Oedipus are the results of a man with high principles and probing intelligence. The story can be separated into points where Oedipus gathers more information about himself. The “ignorance” that Oedipus faces is the foundation he was brought up by. He has believed that he lived with his birth mother and father and therefore when he learns of Apollo’s prophecy he leaves home so that it cannot come true. Slowly as the story progresses Oedipus discovers bits and pieces of his true-life story, as Oedipus learns that he killed Laius by the story of the shepherd. He continues on his journey to discovering the truth. When he pieces together what he has done he cannot face himself. The chorus best shows his true emotions
People of Thebes, my countrymen, look on Oedipus.
He solved the famous riddle with his brilliance,
He rose to power a man beyond all power.
Who could behold his greatness without envy?
Now what a Black Sea of terror has overwhelmed him.
Now as we keep our watch and wait the final day,
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.
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.
Man controls his fate by the choices that he makes. In being able to chose what his own actions are, fate is a result of his decisions. In Oedipus the King, the Greek writer, Sophocles, uses characterization and dramatic irony to project a theme throughout the play providing the idea that man is responsible for his own fate.
Oedipus being shown in an updated version is a very effective and understandable way to present it to audiences. The play that was viewed in class was a good adaptation of the original play. Although modern versions of Oedipus are far different today than the way they were performed during Sophocles’s time, I think he would be impressed with the way that modern versions of his play are performed.
On the boat, Pi commits sins that he does not want to admit and finds it easier to blame his survival instincts on a Bengal tiger to cope with his atrocities, than himself. At sea, it takes a while for Pi’s animal side to come out, which is symbolized by Richard Parker sulking a lot at the beginning and hiding under the tarpaulin as “the great beast was not behaving like a great beast.” As time goes by and Pi is struggling harder and harder for survival, Pi’s alter ego of Richard Parker comes out more and more. For example, for Pi to survive, he has to kill fish and other animals and eat there meat, which goes against his religious beliefs and morals as a vegetarian. It’s easier to justify a carnivorous tiger eating the animals, than himself. After a while, he even began to enjoy the murder of turtles and fish and “descended to a level of savagery [he] never imagined
After Pi’s family is killed at sea aboard the shipwreck of the Tsimtsum, he is forced to turn to his survival instincts. Alone on the lifeboat, Pi has many issues to face in addition to the tiger onboard: lack of food and water, predatory sharks, and horrible sea currents. As soon as he soon realizes that his most immediate threat is Richard Parker, Pi must establish his control over certain zones in the lifeboat. He pours his urine over the tarp to designate a portion of the lifeboat as his territory, and he uses his whistle to ensure that Richard Parker stays within his designated space. This success gives him confidence, making his other obstacles seem less impossible. In Life of Pi, he mentions, “I had to tame him. It was at that moment that I realized this necessity. It was not a question of him or me, but of him and me.” (Martel, 181) It is at this moment that Pi realizes it is not an option to kill Richard Parker, but Pi must tame the tiger and gain dominance through forcefulness. Pi also uses his intelligence by consistently collecting fresh drinking water using the solar stills. Another way, Pi becomes a better survivor is by no longer choosing to be a
When Pi cries, this shows deep down inside just how scared Pi is. He has not shown emotion or even made remarks about being scared or dying. This point in the book really tests Pi and makes him stronger than he ever was. This passage also shows just how loyal Richard Parker is to Pi. The moment he put his hands on Pi he killed him. Maybe Pi’s techniques of eating feces, staring at him, making noises at him, feeding Richard Parker, has been working and Richard Parker will protect and look after him at all causes. This probably makes Pi feel a connection with Richard Parker now. In this chapter he also has a conversation with a man with a French accent. It makes you think, was it Richard Parker or the man who tried to kill Pi who Pi was talking to. This passage shows that maybe Pi has gone crazy and is starting to have hallucinations. No matter what was the answer, it was a little odd that Pi was having a conversation with an unknown voice. In my opinion I think Pi was hallucinating and that whole conversation did not even happen. Both of these passages seems like Pi has finally gone crazy and is getting closer and closer to
The only way for the two to live together was for Richard Parker to be trained. Since Pi grew up in the zoo, he knew the best way to train Richard Parker. First, he had to set up his territory. Pi let Richard Parker know what parts of the lifeboat was for tigers, and the other for men. Pi inforced this with urination and a whistle. The whistle was key in training Richard Parker, for when Richard Parker entered Pi’s territory, Pi would make the boat rock, the tiger would become seasick. After many tries from Richard Parker, Pi won, and Richard Parker would flinch and back off anytime Pi blew the whistle after that. (202-205) Now the only trick was to keep them both alive.
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.
The audience learns from Oedipus’s mistakes and misfortunes as the hero of the story. Through Oedipus’s struggles, Sophocles discusses the benefits and consequences of knowledge and how determination can actually be a weakness. By utilizing a character archetype that most audiences are comfortable with and support, Sophocles is able to demonstrates his ideas in hopes that his audiences will reflect upon what went wrong with Oedipus’s tale.
Richard Parker symbolizes who Pi needed to be to survive and what skills and knowledge that Pi needed to obtain. This situation of circumstance links Pi to Richard Parker and develops his survival skills. When Pi and Richard Parker first got on the life boat, they were two very different characters with different qualities and morals, but in order to survive, Pi was forced to change himself to act more instinctual like Richard Parker. Richard Parker was an animal with only beast-like behaviors like dominance and fierceness while Pi was a boy just trying to stay optimistic about his fate.
This was a huge moment in the book because it set the scene and tone for the rest of the novel. This boat set a good example of how things will not always go your way. Pi realizes that this was a tough point in his life and he will never forget it. He was left to be a strong independent boy on this lifeboat with only the objects he had on it which were his humbleness and his fait in religion. Pi had to become a man and try to figure out what has happened, what he can do, and how to survive for as long as he can.
In Life of Pi, Richard Parker and Pi go on an adventurous journey; and along the way we find out that Richard Parker is not only a bengal tiger, but a human with human traits. Richard Parker and Pi influence each other immensely along this great journey. Although, Richard Parker is a tiger, but he shows his human traits along side of Pi with such as food/hunger, Pi’s well being and the outcome and actions of Pi.
Even though at times his circumstances force him to doubt god, he continues to believe in god. He makes a schedule in which he prays according to the three religions he follows, including of Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam. For him, this is compulsory as it helps him manage his stress and gives him hope. Pi is also compelled to terminate his vegetarian lifestyle. He catches his first fish stranded on the ocean, at first, he is hesitant but then he comes to realize that to survive he must be capable of killing without guilt. Not only does he eat raw seafood but he also tries Richard Parker’s feces and urine. Pi has to face the reality of surviving while being on a lifeboat with richard parker. After analyzing his options and making several plans, Pi decides that he will have to keep richard parker alive. Only if pi maintains his inner strength and shows his dominance to the tiger, he can protect himself from being killed and eaten by him. Pi has a great fear of tiger, especially after the lesson his father gave him in the pondicherry zoo, early on in the book. From this lesson pi knows that animals can attack anyone at any
One of Oedipus’ greatest qualities as a leader was his ability to solve problems. The reason that Oedipus, not even a native of Thebes, became the king of that land was due to the great intelligence and strength shown in his defeat of the Sphinx. He was able to save the Thebans from that problem, so when the city again needs help, Oedipus is very willing to show his strength again. Oedipus’ vanity in his ability to solve problems was the leading cause of his ruin.