Thoughts on Oedipus Rex

My very first impression of Sophocles's play Oedipus the King was one of disinterest. I hadn't spent too much time reading plays before and I wasn't sure what the play itself would be about. I had only heard the name Sophocles a few times in passing and anything other than Shakespeare was unfamiliar to me. To my surprise, I had heard of the main character Oedipus before and the play turned out to be a very interesting thought provoking story. The questions asked for this week's discussion proved to be very thought consuming. The difference between fate and destiny is in my opinion a very slim one, however reading through the discussion my opinions began to change. More questions were brought forth from the insights of others. The play Oedipus the King revolves so much around destiny and fate, that I would like to look into it more. Also what insights can be gathered from this play? How well does Oedipus fit the tragic hero mold? What kind of person was Sophocles's?

To start off with our king is told of the weakening condition of his city and people. Some might believe because he already knew and had not fixed this issue that he choose to ignore it. However lines 72 to 78 in fact show the king's own pain when it comes to this matter. “My spirit groans for city and myself and you at once. You have not roused me like a man from sleep; know that I have given many tears to this, gone many ways wandering in thought, but as I thought I found only one remedy and that I took” (sophocles). The king is shown here to be one who truly cares for his people, but is faced with an issue bigger than himself. However, as the play goes on we learn that unconsciously and unwillingly this great king is the true cause for the turmoil that has wr...

... middle of paper ...

... and received the best education. Sophocles was more than a playwright, being rather gifted with music and “like many good Athenian citizens, he was also a politician, priest and military leader” (egs). Very little is really known about Sophocles since he lived so long ago, a lot of the information gathered on him is more guessing than anything. One thing is for sure, that Sophocles was a great play writer who left a huge impact in the world, especially on Western Civilization.

Works Cited

Struck, Peter T. "Oedipus as the Ideal Tragic Hero." Classics.upenn.edu. Department of Classical Studies, 2000. Web. 02 May 2014.

"Sophocles - Biography." Egs.edu. European Graduate School, n.d. Web. 03 May 2014.

Sophocles. “Oedipus the King.” The Norton Introduction to Literature. Shorter 11th ed. Ed. Kelly J. Mays. New York: Norton, 2013. 1737-76. Print.