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Comparing and contrasting with other texts of Oedipus the king
Works to compare with Oedipus the king
Analysis of Oedipus the king
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Both Niccol’s “The Truman Show” and Sophocles’ Oedipus the King come from vastly different time periods. While Niccol’s “The Truman Show” dates back to 1998, Sophocles’ Oedipus the King dates back to 430 B.C. Despite the fact that Oedipus the King and The Truman Show come from two different time periods, they share numerous similarities including dramatic irony, blindness, and the theme of fate to convey that although times change, the structure for plays remain similar to each other.
The themes of blindness and of fate are present in both Niccol’s “The Truman Show” and Sophocles’ Oedipus the King in order to show how despite vast differences in time, the themes of acts remain similar. Both “The Truman Show” and Oedipus the King offer blindness
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as a contributing theme that adds to the plot of the act. In “The Truman Show,” blindness is seen when Truman initially rejects that fact that he was a part of a television show and chooses to initially believe in the fake reality he was born into: “We accept the reality of the world with which we're presented” (Niccol, Christof).
Despite the fact that, “While the world he inhabits is, in some respects, counterfeit, there's nothing fake about Truman himself” (Niccol, Christof), Truman is placed in a fake reality where he is blind to the realities of the real world. Moreover, Truman initially does not want to believe that he is a part of a television show, indicating that he wishes to remain “blind” until later on in the story. Similarly in Oedipus the King, Oedipus also initially rejects the idea that he has killed his father as a part of a prophesy. This “blindness” is expressed when Oedipus ironically accuses Teiresias of blindness when he himself is blind: “It has, but not for you; it has no strength for you because you are blind in mind and ears as well as in your eyes” (Sophocles 370-372). Along with the irony associated with this, the theme of blindness in Oedipus is brought to attention when Oedipus takes note of Teiresias’s literal blindness. Along with the theme of blindness that is shown, there is also a theme of fate that is
present in both “The Truman Show” and Sophocles’ Oedipus the King. Fate is present in “The Truman Show” when Truman’s life is introduced as a television show described as “An entire human life recorded on an intricate network of hidden cameras, and broadcast live and unedited, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to an audience around the globe” (Niccol, TV Announcer). Having being born into the fake reality he lives in, he was unable to control his destiny was shaped by Christof and his viewers. Although Truman tries several times to escape his fate similarly to Oedipus in Oedipus the King, Truman is lucky enough to actually escape his fate at the end of the act and escape into the real world. The theme of fate is also present in Oedipus the King when Oedipus’s life centers around a prophesy: "Laios had the feet of this child bound and pinned. Someone tossed it in a mountain wilderness…Apollo didn't cause this boy to be his father's killer…That's what the words of prophecy defined" (Sophocles 717). Despite his attempts at escaping his destiny by fleeing his adoptive parents, he was still confined to the fate set forth onto him. Both the themes of blindness and fate are displayed in Niccol’s “The Truman Show” and Sophocles’ Oedipus the King, which help add to the plot of the acts and are proof that despite a long period of time separating the two acts, the structure of ideas and themes of acts remain similar over time. The literary element of dramatic irony has stood the test of time over centuries due to its presence in both Niccol’s “The Truman Show” and Sophocles’ Oedipus the King which helps to add to the popularity to the acts, while also reminding the audience that the structure of plays remain similar to each other even as time passes. Although the two stories had completely different plots and purposes, the presence of dramatic irony is present. In “The Truman Show,” Truman confides to Marlon and muses, "...it feels like the whole world revolves around me somehow" (Niccol, Truman). Although Truman does not really imply this directly to him, it is actually true due to the fact that he has been living in a world where the entire population has spent their lives viewing Truman’s life and that he is the “star” of the show (Niccol, Christof). Furthermore, Truman also experiences dramatic irony when he has a discussion with Marlon. Although Marlon insists that he is not a part of the “scheme” and is Truman’s true friend, his lines of: “The last thing I would ever do to you...is lie to you” (Niccol, Marlon), is fed to him through Christof resulted in them not being genuine and lies to Truman’s face. In comparison, Sophocles’ Oedipus the King also displays dramatic irony when the audience knows the events of the play including the prophesy while Oedipus does not. Although the audience knows that Oedipus is the killer of his father and has seen him, Oedipus addresses, “I know of him by hearsay. I have not seen him” (Sophocles 105). Ironically, Oedipus has seen Laius when he killed him, but he does not know that he is the murderer. Moreover, when he searches for the supposed murderer, he ends up cursing himself accidentally: “Upon the murderer I invoke this curse- whether he is one man and all unknown, or one of many- may he wear out his life in misery to miserable doom!” (Sophocles 246-249). As a result, Oedipus curses himself to a life of blindness. The presence of dramatic irony in both plays specifically adds suspense to the act and makes it more entertaining for the audience. Stemming from the presences of dramatic irony from both “The Truman Show” and Oedipus the King, it can be understood that despite the large amount of time that separates these two acts, the presence of dramatic irony is a common feature in plays throughout history resulting in a similar structure. Despite the fact that Oedipus the King and The Truman Show come from two vastly different time periods and ways of life, both acts share the same ideas and themes of blindness, fate, and contain dramatic irony to explain that although time progresses and new ideas are introduced, the structure for acts remain similar to each other over time.
In Oedipus Rex by Sophocles and “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, there is a deception where readers think one thing, but are presented with a different point of view. They are profoundly similar for various reasons regarding structure and theme. They are complementary in establishing the primary conflict of drama during the storyline; however, Oedipus Rex encompasses foreshadowing that divulges drama from past experiences. Additionally, the authors incorporate violence as a key component in the conflict presented. However, the drama differs in plot, as well as symbolism, in which the reader understands it before or amid the story through gradual discovery. The themes and presentation of these dramatic plots are initially compelling, distinctive,
Set ages apart, Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman and Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex provide different perspectives on the topic of tragedy and what is defined as a tragic hero. Although Oedipus would be thought of as better representing the tragic hero archetype due to tradition and time period, the modern tragic hero of Oedipus Rex is more of a dismal one. Through analysis of their respective hamartias, it is exemplified that the New York businessman with his humble story proves to be more thought provoking than the King of Thebes and his melancholic tale. **By incorporating a more relatable character and plot, Arthur Miller lends help to making Willy Lowman spiral toward his own downfall while building more emotion and response from the audience than with Oedipus. When Oedipus learns of his awful actions, this invokes shock and desperation.
Blindness and vision are used as motifs in the play "Oedipus Rex," which are also the tragic flaws of the hero. Vision refers to both literal and metaphorical blindness. The frequent references to sight, light, eyes, and perception are used throughout the play. When Oedipus refuses to believe Tiersias, Tiersias responds by saying "have you eyes" and "do you not see your own damnation?" Tiersias also says "those now clear-seeing eyes shall then be darkened." The reference to sight has a double meaning. Oedipus is famed for his clear-sightedness and quick comprehension. He was able to "see" the answer to the Sphinx's riddle, yet ironically, he lacks the ability to see the truth about his own identity. Oedipus has become the very disease he wishes to remove from Thebes.
In the play, Oedipus the King, blindness is used metaphorically and physically to characterize several personas , and the images of clarity and vision are used as symbols for knowledge and insight. Enlightenment and darkness are used in much the same manner, to demonstrate the darkness of ignorance, and the irony of vision without sight.
In the play “Oedipus Rex by Sophocles” the themes of sight and blindness are produced to develop in the readers mind that it is not the eyesight, but insight that holds the key to truth and without It no amount of knowledge can help uncover the truth. Insight can be described as the ability to see what is going to happen. Characters like Oedipus and Teiresias hold a significant role in the play and other characters like Iocaste are also important in the play.
Oedipus was blind in more then one way. He was blind to the truth about his own life. Oedipus had no idea that his real parents were Laius and Jocasta. He was so blind that he got mad at anyone who was foolish enough to suggest such an idea.
What is the definition of "to see"? I can see you over there. I see what you mean. As someone is watching a movie, they get frightened at the sight and quickly cover their eyes. As people, we are sometimes unable to uncover the real truth. Sometimes the blind can see better than other people who actually have the sight. Oedipus fails to see the truth but Teiresias could see it very clearly. He knows Oedipus was blind and left him. "You call me unfeeling. If you could only see the nature of your own feelings," says Teiresias (page119). This is a motif in the book. Oedipus has been ignorant in his lifetime. When Teiresias reveals the truth to him, he doesn't believe him. "I say that you are the murderer whom you seek," says Teiresias (page119). He also believes that Teiresias was with Kreon, and he was trying to get rid of him. He is very quick to judge people. Oedipus is disrespectful through the whole story. He talked with rage, when he was speaking to Teiresias and Kreon. "Am I to bear this from him? Out of this place! Out of my sight," yells Oedipus to Teiresias (page120). "No, not exile. It is your death I want, so that the entire world may see what treason means," says Oedipus to Kreon. Those were his negative qualities. Oedipus is also known for his intelligence. He solved the riddle of the sphinx and married Iokaste who was impressed. He goes around trying to achieve knowledge. Oedipus was a caring person to his people. As the ruler, he speaks directly to them and actually solves their problems as if they were his own. "Sick as you are, not one is as sick as I.
Sophocles’ use of symbolism and irony is shown in Oedipus Tyrannus through his use of the notion of seeing and blindness. This common motif is extended throughout the play and takes on a great significance in the development of the plot. In an effort to escape his god given prophecy, Oedipus tragically falls into the depths of unthinkable crimes as a result of the mental blindness of his character; thus never escaping his lot.
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.
Oedipus cannot see that Teiresias, one who knows all, has given him the answer he desperately sought after. Oedipus ironically mocks Teiresias for his blindness, he tells him he is a fool for not only can he not see with his eyes but he cannot see the truth as well. Teiresias, however, sets the record straight and provides another dose of truth: “You mock for my blindness, do you? / But I say that you, with both your eyes are blind” (Scene 1. 969). And Oedipus for all he sees with his eyes is blind in the face of truth. For instance, a prime example of Oedipus’s lack of vision when faced with the truth is when he and his wife, Iocaste exchange stories of their truths. His wife tries to comfort him in the fact that the prophecies and the gods are not accurate by sharing her own, which she believes never came true “If it is a question of soothsayers, I tell you/ That you will find no man whose craft gives knowledge/ Of the unknowable” (Scene 2. 977). She finds this knowledge to prove her point, but after Oedipus reveals his own ‘inaccurate’ prophecy, she realizes her lack of perception: “For God’s love, let us have no more questioning! / Is your life nothing to you? / My own pain is enough for me to bear” (Scene 3. 985). She tries to protect Oedipus from himself because while she has opened her eyes to the truth, Oedipus is still blind to it: “The Queen, like a woman, is perhaps ashamed/ To think of my
In Oedipus the King, Sophocles suggests that the impact of seeing the truth is harmful rather than enlightening. Whenever Oedipus strives to discover more to strengthen Thebes’ perspective of him, it leads him closer to his fate as determined by prophesy. Tiresias stands as a model in the play for the individual who is able to see the meaning beyond plot of events although his is blind, and Oedipus represents the oblivious arrogant individual who is never content because they need to be the unsurpassed individual. In the play, Sophocles illustrates the downside of a personality like Oedipus who desires to see the truth by ending the play with the brutality of gouging out his own eyes. Ultimately, the play reinforces that seeing the truth is harmful and being content with what you have, without greedily striving for more, can help avoid fate and a related deposition.
Ancient Greeks cared deeply about the pursuit of knowledge. Although the truth was often a terrifying concept, they still saw it as a critical virtue. One of the main underlying themes in Oedipus the King is the struggle of sight vs. blindness. Oedipus’ blindness is not just physical blindness, but intellectual blindness as well. Sophocles has broken blindness into two distinct components. The first component, Oedipus's ability to "see" (ignorance or lack thereof), is a physical characteristic. The second component is Oedipus's willingness to "see", his ability to accept and understand his fate. Throughout the play, Sophocles demonstrates to us how these components.
Many times people are blind to the truth that is right in front of them. The solution to their problems may have been blatantly obvious, however, they could not actually “see” their answer by their blindness to the truth. There have been instances where being blind is not actually a handicap, but more of a tool to see things to a deeper meaning. Although the blind may not have physical sight, they have another kind of vision. In Sophocles’ play, Oedipus the King, Tiresias, the blind prophet, addresses the truth of the prophecy to Oedipus and Jocasta. Oedipus has been blind to the truth of the prophecy of killing his father and marrying his mother his whole life. Once Oedipus discovers the truth, he loses his physical vision by blinding himself. Within these cases, the central theme of blindness can be expressed by Oedipus’s ignorance to see the higher vision- the truth
" Sight" and "Blindness" can be considered one of the main and most important themes in Oedipus Tyrannus. The themes of blindness and sight can be looked at both metaphorically and literally. When defining both physical and Metaphorical blindness, the following definitions are very useful: to be physically blind is, naturally, to be "unable to see," and metaphorical blindness is an " inability or unwillingness to understand or discern." Throughout the play, throughout the play Sophocles keeps these two components at the center of the action and uses them to create dramatic irony. When reading this play the reader must take in to account who can "see" and who is "blind" either figuratively and literally.
Then when the truth comes out, blindness is even emphasized more with Oedipus blinding himself physically. His hubris is caused by many things, one may be him thinking he has evaded his cursed prophecy, and even having his own townspeople pray to him as if he were one of the God’s. Blindness in Oedipus Rex is both literal and figurative. People can be physically blind as well as figuratively blinded by the truth. Oedipus was born with a terrible prophecy.