For more than 2,500 years, Sophocles was one of the greatest playwrights, and his work continues to be studied. His two plays, Oedipus Rex and Antigone, are part of the Oedipus Cycle of plays. Oedipus Rex, the first play featured in the Oedipus Cycle, reveals the past of the main character, Oedipus. As a baby, Oedipus was meant to be killed to avoid a prophecy. Instead, he grew up to unknowingly murder his father, Laius, and marry his mother, Jocasta.…
Sophocles, was a playwright about 2,500 years ago, who specialized in writing about Greek tragedies. In Sophocles’ plays, Oedipus Rex and Antigone, the main characters Oedipus and Creon, are both found in a position of power as the ruler of Thebes. Oedipus, who has been doomed by a prophecy, finds out that his wife is truly his mother and the person he killed on the roadway is really the King, and his father. Creon, who is Oedipus’ uncle, takes the throne after Oedipus leaves Thebes due to his mother committing suicide and Oedipus blinding himself. Creon becomes King, and is seen as a very strict ruler.…
The story of Oedipus by the Greek playwright Sophocles is an important and influential aspect of Greek theatre due to the fact he was one of Greece’s most celebrated playwrights at the time. In this essay I will outline the basic use of dramatic style, performance space, masks and festivity, these aspects are all very typical of Greek theatre, whilst using references to Oedipus. For almost 50 years, Sophocles was the most-fêted playwright in the dramatic competitions of the city-state of Athens that took place during the religious festivals of the Lenaea and the Dionysia. Oedipus the King also known by its Latin title Oedipus Rex, is an Athenian tragedy by Sophocles that was first performed about 429 BC.…
Sophocles's Theban plays demonstrate mastery of tragic irony, character development, and plot. The story surrounds Oedipus, the king of Thebes, who murders his father and sleeps with his mother, as was prophesied. The main character exhibits several character flaws which impact his actions during the play. Oedipus reflects his hubris through his intelligence and arrogance, as seen in his treatment of Tiresias and his confidence in finding the murderer of Laius. His hubris harmfully affects his ties with his family and his community, as demonstrated by the deaths of his loved ones and the curse on the city, and the loss of his hubris teaches audiences the value of learning through suffering, demonstrated through Oedipus’s burial.…
In the play Antigone by Sophocles the protagonist, Creon, discovers that Antigone is going against his word and attempts to follow the Laws of the Gods. Told in third person point-of-view, the author supports his theme by describing the setting of a strict ruling city, establishing the central conflict of Antigone disobeying the Laws of Man. This affects the work as a whole because the author’s purpose is to portray Creon as a tragic hero in order to advise the audience the transformation Creon showed throughout the play. The author creates a mood of distress throughout the story for an audience of all ages. The author’s treatment of Creon’s laws and actions relates to the overall meaning of the play showing that Creon is the tragic hero of the play.…
Three Ancient Greek plays (Oedipus Rex and Antigone by Sophocles, and Medea by Euripides) share some common similarities including prophecy, tragic flaws, and death. These three similarities occur in all the plays, and they are closely related to each other, meaning, one leading into the next. All these similarities are motifs and can be seen throughout the plays. The first similarity the plays have in common is their use of prophecies. Prophecies foreshadow events that will happen later in the play, and almost one hundred percent of the time, prophecies come true, even if the characters try to prevent them.…
Oedipus Rex is a chaotic play written by Sophocles that can leave quite the impression, as it takes unexpected twists and revolves around a tense atmosphere. The play takes place in Thebes, a kingdom ruled by Oedipus, who attempts to rescue his people from a gruesome plague. As cruel as it may have been, Oedipus, ruler of Thebes, did deserve his fate due to his foul, stubborn behavior and his questionable actions. Though this topic may be controversial, there is no way to overlook Oedipus’s greed, arrogance, and kill count. It is easy to pity Oedipus and what he was put through, yet he had unknowingly placed himself in these horrendous situations.…
In the play Oedipus Rex, by Sophocles, many themes are present that add to the complexity of the story. He explores the potential dangers of pursuing self-knowledge, the question of guilt and innocence, and the nature of fate. Throughout this journey, the characters undergo major transformations. Everything from how they see themselves and those around them, to the actions they take. Oedipus had the most drastic and noticeable change of all.…
Web. 1 Apr. 2012. Knox, Bernard MacGregor Walker. Oedipus At Thebes : Sophocles' Tragic Hero And…
Throughout history audiences have been drawn to stories of tragedy. The plays Oedipus the King by Sophocles and Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller are considered to be the greatest fictional tragedies of their time. While Oedipus the King and Death of a Salesman are very different tragedies, it’s amazing that even with 2,400 years separating them, these plays manage to have many similarities and differences in their stories. Oedipus the King was written around 420 BC by Sophocles which was considered to be the most successful writer of Greek tragedies for his time. The main character in Oedipus the King is Oedipus; he was the noble and respectable King of Thebes.…
Web 7 March 2012. Sophocles. “Oedipus Rex”. Literature Reading Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Ed.…
As Oscar Wilde once said “The truth is rarely pure and never simple.” This quote correctly portrays the tragedy that is reveled in Oedipus the king, written Sophocles. Oedipus who is the protagonist in the play is characterized as a tragic hero. As he is a man of high estate and suffers from a tragic flaw, combined with his own fate he is a man who is destined for his downfall. Despite all this, prior to his death, Oedipus shows redeeming qualities and order is finally restored.…
Oedipus the King was written by Sophocles, who was famous drama writers in ancient Athens in fifth century B.C.E. Sophocles held the idea of the unity and close relationship of society and the governor of the state. He described Oedipus as a king who feels responsibility for his people’s future, for homeland and he is ready to find a resolution that can help to stop the plaque in Thebes. Sophocles tries to show the human desire to control their own life by their own accord. Sophocles believed, even though a person cannot avoid the troubles “predicted by the gods”, but the cause of these problems is the nature of the person, which is shown by the person’s actions.…
The downfall of Oedipus is the work of the gods; the downfall of Othello is self-inflicted.” The time periods and customs they had during that time, in each of these stories help lead to the downfall of Oedipus and Othello. The age of the two characters plays a role in who is to blame for the downfall of each. The personality of each differed, Oedipus being more selfless and Othello more selfish. Oedipus looked to his people and to the gods, Othello looked to his own strength.…
Oedipus Rex and 21st Century World The story of Oedipus Rex written by Sophocles is a tragedy. This story reveals a lot of truths not only Oedipus has to deal with, but all of humanity. He faces a great deal of pain and suffering much like there continues to be pain and suffering in today’s society.…