Use of Character Flaws and Literary Devices to Teach Morals in Oedipus Rex
The Greek tragedy Oedipus Rex is an excellent example of how an author can use literary techniques and personality traits to teach a certain moral or theme. In Oedipus Rex, Sophocles communicates his themes and morals to the reader through the character flaws of Oedipus, a tragic hero.
The most prominent character flaw that Oedipus possesses is his excessive arrogance. One way this flaw is displayed is Oedipus' repeated use of the pronoun "I". In lines sixty seven through eighty alone, Oedipus uses the word "I" eight times, projecting his haughty personality. "I have found one helpful course, and that I have taken: I have sent Creon…to Delphi…" states Oedipus as he describes what action he has taken to help the people of Thebes recover from there ill state (70-73). This quote is just one of the many that exhibit Oedipus' pride through the over use of the pro-noun "I".
Another example of Oedipus' hubris is the way he speaks in a condescending tone to who ever he may be speaking to. "I have sent Creon…to Delphi, Apollo's place of revelation to learn there, if he can, what act or pledge of mine may save the city" (74-77). In these lines Oedipus suggest that Creon is inferior to him by stating, "if he can"(77). Oedipus often indicates, as he does here, that people other than himself are insolent and incapable of completing tasks correctly. He also indicates in the above quote that he, the all mighty Oedipus, is the only person who could possible save the city of Thebes by saying, "what act or pledge of mine may save the city" (75). This extreme arrogance, demonstrated through patronizing speech, is apparent throughout the en...
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Van Nortwick, Thomas. Oedipus: The Meaning of a Masculine Life. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 1998.
Murray, Robert D. Jr. "Sophocles Moral Themes." In Readings on Sophocles, edited by Don Nardo. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 1997.
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Woodard, Thomas. Introduction. In Sophocles: A Collection of Critical Essays, edited by Thomas Woodard. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1966.
Another example of Oedipus’ presumptuous temperament is when he immediately assumes that Creon is trying to take his power from him. Creon sends Tiresias to Oedipus to help him solve the crime of the plague, and when Tiresias reveals that Oedipus must die in order to save the people of Thebes, Oedipus assumes Creon is trying to take his throne. Creon even tells Oedipus, “…if you think crude, mindless stubbornness such a gift, you’ve lost your sense of balance” (Meyer 1438). Oedipus’ impulsive nature leads him to discovering the truth and reveals that he has indeed fulfilled the prophecy he was running from.
Sophocles: A collection of critical essays edited by Thomas Woodward: Oedipus at Colonus. Whitman, Cedric H. Prentice-Hall, Inc. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. 1966.
Psychologists have shown that there exist two major social behaviors that are widely associated with a person as they mature into young adulthood: extraversion or introversion. Carl Yung, a swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, coined the term “introversion” versus “extroversion”. His idea was further elaborated upon by Hens Eysenck, a British psychologist, who defined extroverts and introverts by their baseline arousal. As Jerome Kagan, Professor of psychology at Harvard says, ““Introverts” and “extroverts” are not definitive diagnoses like blood types”, a person displays more or less of one of these two traits; extroverts generally has a more advantage over introverts but each of these personality traits has its own strengths and building on these strengths is what one ought
Segal, Charles. Oedipus Tyrannus: Tragic Heroism and the Limits of Knowledge. New York: Twayne, 1993.
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.
The role of the nurse is diverse and complex, and is not only concerned with the patient’s body, but also their mind and soul. Nurses are not simply trained to perform tasks, but are trained to be professionals who utilize evidence-based practice with a compassionate and empathetic approach to care. These tasks carry a heavy weight and responsibility, and require that we treat all patients with honor, dignity, and respect. While I had a small idea of these things before beginning school, their gravity has become more of a reality in recent weeks. I hope to be a nurse who utilizes evidence-based practice combined with excellent patient-centered care to touch my patient’s lives and care for them in meaningful
Symphony of Destruction is interpreted to have a political message. You take a mortal man,
O’Brien, Micheal. “Introduction.” 20th Centruy Interpretations of Oedipus Rex. Ed. Micheal O'Brien. Englewood Cliffs, N. J.: Prentice-Hall, 1968. 8-10. Print.
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. “Oedipus the King.” The Bedford Introduction to Literature. Ed. Michael Meyer. 6th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2002.
A personality is unique to each person, and has developed because of various elements in that person’s life. Theorists have studied personalities and their formation for hundreds of years now, and each theorist has their own view on how a personality is formed, and what affects the growth of that personality.
Students are still bullied, even if they are wearing identical outfits. This is due to the fact that clothing is only one of the many factors that students are bullied over. Students can still be made fun of due to how they look in a school uniform or even the way they wear a uniform provided by the education