The play Oedipus Tyrannus is a work by the Tragedian Sophocles. It is regarded by many as one of his greatest works. Based off of the events that take place in this play, it is appears to fall under the theme of tragedy. However, in many ways, it can be debated that there is a heroic aspect about the actions that are demonstrated in the play. One theme that could be drawn from Oedipus Tyrannus is its symbolism of the discovery of truth. This symbolism can be tied in with the heroism that I will describe in this essay.
Let me first give a short account of the play for better understanding of the points I will make later on. The play starts out when Thebes is effected by a plague and the oracle of Apollo states that the sickness is the result …show more content…
After all, where can any form of heroism come of this? There in fact can be if we look closer at the main character Oedipus himself. For this essay, I decided to respond to the heroism of Oedipus because of what he represented not only in the end of the play, but also for what he represented in the beginning. This representation is the representation of truth. Finding out what really happened. It will be shown that there is heroism in seeking truth and Oedipus is a worthy example of …show more content…
In the play, Oedipus was interested in knowing the circumstances of Laius’s death. This was because Oedipus remembered that he killed a man and it sounded very similar to the circumstances he was informed of. Oedipus was very reluctant to accept the truth of who the murder was. He said "why, dear wife, should we observe the Oracle at Delphi, or strain to see signs from birds screeching in the sky? They led me to believe that I would kill My father, yet he’s dead and buried deep in the earth. And here am I, who never raised a hand against him, unless my absence made him die brokenhearted. Then, I suppose, I could be called his killer." (LITR201 FATE 2.8) Oedipus 's heroism shows when he states that no matter what, he must discover the truth about himself and his past. When Jocasta was trying to stop Oedipus from seeking answers to his questions, Oedipus said "You’ll never persuade me to give up the truth." (LITR201 FATE 2.8) Jocasta was seeing that Oedipus was solving the puzzle so to speak. So how is this heroism? Oedipus sought to discover the truth of his past no matter what is was. However, this would prove to be an uncomfortable truth in itself. Oedipus 's wife Jocasta hung herself and this caused an immense amount of suffering for Oedipus along with him finding out what he had
Let me first give a short account of the play for better understanding of the points I will make later on. The play starts out when Thebes is effected by a plague and the oracle of Apollo states that the sickness is the result …show more content…
After all, where can any form of heroism come of this? There in fact can be if we look closer at the main character Oedipus himself. For this essay, I decided to respond to the heroism of Oedipus because of what he represented not only in the end of the play, but also for what he represented in the beginning. This representation is the representation of truth. Finding out what really happened. It will be shown that there is heroism in seeking truth and Oedipus is a worthy example of …show more content…
In the play, Oedipus was interested in knowing the circumstances of Laius’s death. This was because Oedipus remembered that he killed a man and it sounded very similar to the circumstances he was informed of. Oedipus was very reluctant to accept the truth of who the murder was. He said "why, dear wife, should we observe the Oracle at Delphi, or strain to see signs from birds screeching in the sky? They led me to believe that I would kill My father, yet he’s dead and buried deep in the earth. And here am I, who never raised a hand against him, unless my absence made him die brokenhearted. Then, I suppose, I could be called his killer." (LITR201 FATE 2.8) Oedipus 's heroism shows when he states that no matter what, he must discover the truth about himself and his past. When Jocasta was trying to stop Oedipus from seeking answers to his questions, Oedipus said "You’ll never persuade me to give up the truth." (LITR201 FATE 2.8) Jocasta was seeing that Oedipus was solving the puzzle so to speak. So how is this heroism? Oedipus sought to discover the truth of his past no matter what is was. However, this would prove to be an uncomfortable truth in itself. Oedipus 's wife Jocasta hung herself and this caused an immense amount of suffering for Oedipus along with him finding out what he had