Oedipus Essay

to the word destiny in his Greek tragedy Oedipus Rex. King Laius and Queen Jocasta of Thebes are told a horrific oracle in which their son kills his father, marries his mother, and has children with her as well. In order to prevent the oracle from coming true, they abandon their son, Oedipus, on top of a mountain. A man working for King Polybus, who is the king of Corinth, finds Oedipus and gives him to King Polybus and Queen Merope. Many years later, Oedipus hears the oracle and decides to…

In Sophocles’ Oedipus the King, the Greek tragedy consumes its audiences with fear and pity to build a heightened sense of tension that ultimately climaxes with a grand catharsis. The use of dramatic irony, a literary technique in Greek tragedy by which the full significance of a character’s words or actions are clear to the audience but unknown to the character, creates a deep sense of fear and pity for the unconscionable acts of Oedipus and Jocasta. This fear and pity is alleviated through the…

Fate and Personal Responsibility in Oedipus the King In Sophocles 's Oedipus the King, Oedipus suffers a tragic fate after learning that he is the cause of the plague that is devastating his city. Although Oedipus does not directly bring the plague into to the city, it becomes increasingly clear throughout the play that the plague is a punishment from the gods for unknowingly killing his father and marrying his mother. The play begins in the middle of things, so understanding the preceding…

In Oedipus The King, by Sophocles, a dramatic tragedy stars Oedipus guilty of hubris and his mother/lover, Jocasta, in a windstorm of the truth beginning to unleash. Many prophecies have been told that the characters played tricks on their fate. However their fate soon becomes a reality. Oedipus’ worst fear of murder and an affectionate relationship with his mother came to be. Aristotle’s theory explained what a tragedy really is and how this play follows his theory. As the audience begins to…

Oedipus the King is a exceptional play written by Sophocles. Despite he was made to be killed when he was an infant, only because King Laius didn't want Oedipus to kill him and marry Queen Jocasta, his mother. Oedipus Rex is now the king of Thebes and the citizens of Thebes love Oedipus. Three major characters in this play would have to be Oedipus, Tiresias, and lastly Creon. Oedipus is Jocasta’s husband and is the king of Thebes, Tiresias is the blind prophet and Creon is Jocasta’s brother.…

destined for negativity and an eventual downfall. Oedipus in Sophocles’ Oedipus the King does not believe in the infallibility of the gods and has all the characteristics of a classic, tragic hero. He displays these characteristics throughout the course of the entire play. As a result, his downfall is inevitable. Hubris is the most well known trait among the palette of a tragic hero’s characteristics. Hubris is defined as being overtly pompous. Oedipus shows hubris all throughout the play and…

Cartmell Ms Willis Period 6 16 October 2014 Oedipus Rex Seminars 1.) In the play Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, Oedipus is described as a “everyman” figure because through the towns eyes he has done the most difficult thing that any man could ever do and that was defeating the Sphinx. Even though Oedipus is a regular human, the town believes because he defeated the Sphinx that he has the ability to do more than the average human being. “We are not saying, Oedipus that you’re equal to the gods but we…

Sophocles, Oedipus the King, uses the characteristics of Aristotle’s ides on what makes a good tragedy. Oedipus left his homeland after he heard a prophecy that he would one day kill his father and marry is mother. Rather than take the gamble he elected to leave. While on his journey he came in contact with a man at a crossroad that he had to kill. Never giving the killing another thought, Oedipus continued his journey when he came across a Sphinx that was holding a town hostage. Oedipus solved…

The play Oedipus the King written by the world renown Sophocles is a continuous struggle between the ruling of the gods and Humans. Oedipus, the main character within the story, is awarded his power due to his a prestigious doings while on his first journey to the City of Thebes. Fate takes its toll on multiple characters throughout the play. The gleaming success of Oedipus causes the queen and other officials within the kingdom, not to conduct a thorough background on the man; they are soon to…

In the Athenian tragedy Oedipus the King, written by Sophocles, the character Jocasta was the victim of the negative actions of others. In the play Jocasta was the widow to Laius, who was thought to have been murdered by a band of thieves. Little did she know that her late husband was murdered by her now husband Oedipus, who turned out to be her son. When she learned the truth she hung herself. Jocasta had little to do with what happened to her as it was the actions of the men her life that…