Rhetorical Devices In Oedipus The King

1002 Words3 Pages

Within these two passages, Teiresias is explaining to Oedipus that the Prophecy admitted he killed his father. Oedipus is denying the fact that he killed his father and looking passed the problem. In the play Oedipus the King, written by Sophocles, Sophocles uses rhetorical devices to explain to the readers that Teiresias may be blind, but is seeing through the lie that Oedipus is living, while striking him the truth; this is explained through imagery, metaphors, an allusion, and ethos appeal. In the beginning, in which Teiresias is explaining to Oedipus, Teiresias is trying to convince Oedipus about the danger he has with Thebes at that moment. This leads to the Prophecy being correct. Oedipus is bringing the city of Thebes to an end as …show more content…

He then came out destitute to vision meaning he cannot see the abyss he has created. The person who can see this is the Prophet, Teiresias, who happens to be blind, which makes this ironic. An allusion is being used in the play to explain that Oedipus has just sinned by saying “I tell you, you have sinned/ And do not know it-against your own earth/ And in your grave. This is an allusion to the bible. This relates to the bible because the sin is acting as a god. If you are wrong to the gods then the wrath Tuataras will come down on you. Oedipus has just sinned and sooner or later the wrath will comes down on him. He knows he has just made the wrong decision, but does not want to admit it. He states this because his ego is bigger than the Gods, so he will eventually have to suffer for …show more content…

The imagery of sight versus blindness lead to his ultimate downfall. He is transparent to the lie he has created. Also the contempt and torture he has just brought upon this city. Like the prophecy says his wife will kill herself first, then later his life will all go downhill from there. Later prophecy actually comes true. First with his wife killing herself, then Oedipus realizes that he has done wrong. He was blind when Teiresias told him the first time. He then actually saw the irony in what he has done wrong. He later then actually makes himself blind and stabs out his eyes so he cannot see anymore. This causes his downfall and later his

Show More
Related

  • Oedipus the King

    461 Words  | 1 Pages

    Conversely, the soothsayer Teiresias is blind from the beginning of the story, but has full use of his prophetic vision. He knows the truth of Oedipus and his family, but at first doesn’t want to tell him, as he knows what it will mean for Oedipus and the kingdom. When he does explain his knowledge, Oedipus doesn’t believe any of it, due to his own over confidence. Teirseias says “You have your eyes but see not where you are in sin, nor where you live, nor whom you live with.” He is telling Oedipus the truth, but Oedipus refuses acknowledge that he may, in fact, be living in darkness.

    Read More

  • Oedipus the King: The Decline of Oedipus

    552 Words  | 2 Pages

    Out with it". This impatient accusing of Teiresias proved to be bad, especially since Teiresias foretold the ending of the story.  If Oedipus had been more patient and waited, he might have not been quite so upset about the future, nor shaken up about what was to happen.

    Read More

  • Irony in Oedipus the King

    545 Words  | 2 Pages

    Oedipus Rex, by the Greek playwright Sophocles, is, without a doubt, one of the greatest examples of dramatic irony. There are many instances where the audience knows so much more than the main characters, and Sophocles uses irony to point to Oedipus as Laius' murderer as well. Additionally, Oedipus is most definitely a tragic hero-he had a tragic flaw, namely that he was relentless and often rash in his search for the truth about Laius' death and his killer; this ultimately lead to Oedipus' own destruction. He also refuses to compromise or humble himself before others and stubbornly refuses to allow others to express different opinions from their own. Oedipus is so arrogant and self-confident that he challenges the will of the gods (hence, the entire basis of the play).

    Read More

  • The Illusion of Oedipus Rex

    409 Words  | 1 Pages

    Oedipus is doomed to his fate so he uses his freewill to purge the truth (WowEssays). He uses this illusion to control his life so he doesn’t feel so scared of the prophecy ever coming true. He goes to his hometown Thebes to get away from the prophecy, and while he was on the road he murders his father not knowing that it was his real father, fulfilling one part of the prophecy. When he arrived in Thebes he married his own mother, Jocasta, and believed he was the king of Thebes. Jocasta believed her son, Oedipus, was dead, but as pieces of information began to fit she realized she had married her son and that the prophecy was coming true. Nevertheless, Jocasta’s blindness lead her to commit suicide.

    Read More

  • Manipulation In Oedipus The King

    1442 Words  | 3 Pages

    As a young man in Corinth, Oedipus learns from the Oracle at Delphi that he is destined to “kill [his] father, the one who gave [him] life!” (Sophocles). No one informs Oedipus that he is adopted, so he believes that his adoptive father, Polybus, is his biological father. Consequently, he runs away from Corinth in an attempt to beat the prophecy. For years, Oedipus has “given Corinth a wide berth” and Polybus has remained alive (Sophocles). This illusory correlation between Polybus’ survival and Oedipus’ departure causes Oedipus to believe that he has defeated the prophecy. Oedipus ' arrogance swells further when he defeats the Sphinx that terrorizes the city of Thebes. As Oedipus ascends to Thebes’ throne, his hubris escalates. He begins to see himself as more than a mortal. In fact, Oedipus deems himself a god on Earth. When the Chorus prays to the gods to save the city of Thebes, Oedipus responds, “You pray to the gods? Let me grant your prayers” (Sophocles). Oedipus’ arrogance is not challenged by the city of Thebes. On the contrary, Oedipus’ tyrannical rule only illuminates society’s lack of rebellion. The Theban citizens are completely subservient to Oedipus’ will. A priest refers to Oedipus not only as “first of men” but also says that “your country calls you a savior now” (Sophocles). The citizens of Thebes

    Read More

  • Oedipus the King

    635 Words  | 2 Pages

    Oedipus was filled with hubris, and this angered the gods. He believed he was more than a man. These beliefs caused him to ignore the limits he had in being a man. Oedipus needed to look at Teiresias as a window to his future.      Oedipus believed that he could take on the Sphinx and rid Thebes of the plague. The plague was the god’s example of the fault of human condition.

    Read More

  • Oedipus the King

    805 Words  | 2 Pages

    Prophecy is a central part of Oedipus the King. The play begins with Creon’s return from the oracle at Delphi, where he has learned that the plague will be lifted if Thebes banishes the man who killed Laius. Tiresias prophesies the capture of one who is both father and brother to his own children. Oedipus tells Jocasta of a prophecy he heard as a youth, that he would kill his father and sleep with his mother, and Jocasta tells Oedipus of a similar prophecy given to Laius, that her son would grow up to kill his father. Oedipus and Jocasta debate the extent to which prophecies should be trusted at all, and when all of the prophecies come true, it appears that one of Sophocles’ aims is to justify the powers of the gods and prophets, which had recently come under attack in fifth-century B.C. Athens.

    Read More

  • Oedipus Tragedy Analysis

    1976 Words  | 4 Pages

    He is blind from the truth even though he has physical insight. A fellow Theban, Tiresias knows the truth, but even when he told Oedipus that he was the murderer of his King Laius, he refused to believe it. Oedipus refuses to believe anything he was told because he believes that he ran away from his true fate. Without knowing anything about his real father or mother, he ends up fulfilling the prophecy. He kills his father, Laius and married his mother, Jocasta. Oedipus displays his arrogance many times throughout the story. In the beginning of the story, he says “Yes, I whom men call Oedipus the great” (Sophocles 23), showing a sign of his arrogance. Oedipus shows off his arrogance again by saying that everyone should know him because of the deed he has done (Sophocles 33). He saved them the Sphinx and gained an enormous amount of confidence because of it and also because he was rewarded the Queens hand in marriage. Oedipus once again shows his arrogance when he tells the people of the Thebes that he can find the murderer of Laius on his own without any help (Sophocles 28). The irony of Oedipus’s hubris is that he even determines what his downfall will look like: “That man, whoever that man be, I, this country’s reigning king, cut off from every fellowship of speech and contact, sacrifice and sacrament, even ritual touch of water, in this realm” (Sophocles 32). Oedipus’s downfall can only be blamed on him because of his

    Read More

  • Free Oedipus the King Essays: The Downfall of Oedipus Rex

    427 Words  | 1 Pages

    The downfall of Oedipus transpired due to the tragic flaw of his character.  Oedipus was very temperamental and became easily angered. He was a prideful individual who desired to be a hero and avenge the death of Laius.  His devout need to know the truth, and have the proof that it indeed was the truth also led to his ruin.

    Read More

  • Sight vs. Blindness in Oedipus the King

    459 Words  | 1 Pages

    Sophocles introduces a prophet, a seer, Teiresias, into the play. Teiresias is a wise, old man who has supernatural powers to interpret the past and predict the future. Ironically, Teiresias is physically blind, but can “see” the truth about Oedipus. Oedipus has trouble imagining that his father life was taken at his hands. It signifies that Oedipus as a man is ignorant to the true appearance of things - this blind man can "see" the truth about Oedipus, yet Oedipus, in all of his physical perfection, cannot.

    Read More

  • How Does Sophocles Use Hubris In Oedipus Rex

    1034 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the beginning of the passage, Sophocles uses Oedipus' begging, respectful tone coupled with dramatic irony to portray Oedipus' beguiling nature; Sophocles then shifts Oedipus's tone to a harsh one, condemning Laius’s killer. Sophocles uses these shifts in tone coupled with dramatic irony and situational irony to reference that Oedipus, obstinately ignoring his fate, would be his own downfall. Sophocles begins the passage with Oedipus attempting to please Tiresias by using flattering diction coupled with a beguiling tone as he calls Tiresias the "'master of all omens,"' Sophocles is alluding to the fact that Oedipus, like all

    Read More

  • Oedipus the King by Sophocles

    1053 Words  | 3 Pages

    Oedipus the King, was a play by Sophocles, it takes place in the city of Thebes. The city swept with a plague, it was just like the one in Athens (Kennedy 710). The plague encourages Oedipus to find and exile the man who murdered Laios, the former king. Throughout the play Oedipus portrays his ignorance and innocence, but then he begins to question his upbringings and realizes the truth about his life. “...Oedipus gets his name through a complex pun. Odia means “to know” (from the root vid-, “see”), pointing to the tale’s contrasting themes of sight and blindness, wisdom and ignorance” (Kennedy 710). This is a reoccurring theme that is shared between Oedipus and Teiresias which is ironic because Oedipus is blind to the life he leads and to his birth, he is also very ignorant and places the murder on everyone except for himself. This eventually kills Oedipus due to his self request of exile, he knows death is the only plan God has for him because all mortal punishment will not do.

    Read More

  • tragoed Elements of Tragedy in Oedipus the King (Oedipus Rex)

    463 Words  | 1 Pages

    As each successive "layer of the onion" is unpeeled, Oedipus is brought a step closer to realizing the true nature of his actions. Foretold in prophecy and initiated by his anger, the downfall of Oedipus comes to fruition as all facts gradually come to light. This "enlightening" starts with the revelations of a blind prophet named Tiresias. Though sightless, Tiresias can "see" the truth. He argues with Oedipus ".you have your sight, and do not see..

    Read More

  • Oedipus Essay Outline

    1091 Words  | 3 Pages

    The plot of the play revolves around Oedipus during his young age; when he was young he is shown to have raped a girl who then committed suicide due to the shame. In this case, he is shown to have attracted a curse since at young age; he was blinded to sacred laws of hospitality. The king Lauis and Queen of Thebes decides to kill the infant Oedipus; but the person sent to kill hesitates to do so. Other than killing him, the servant sent takes him to the mountain to die out of exposure (Brown 254). Instead of dying out of exposure, he is rescued by a shepherd who takes him to Corinth and he is raised as a childless king. Having the knowledge of the fact that he is not the biol...

    Read More

  • Oedipus and Tiresias

    1032 Words  | 3 Pages

    Oedipus and Tiresias, characters of Sophocles' play "Oedipus Tyrannus," are propelled to their individual destinies by their peculiar relationships with truth. Paranoid and quick to anger Oedipus, is markedly different from the confident and self-assured Tiresias. In the dialogue between the two men, Oedipus rapidly progresses from praise of Tiresias as a champion and protector of Thebes in line 304, to blatantly accusing the blind prophet of betraying the city in line 331, to angrily insulting him in line 334. Rather than be intimidated by the protagonist's title and temperament, Tiresias draws strength from what he knows is true and is able to stand his ground.

    Read More

More about Rhetorical Devices In Oedipus The King

Open Document