The Downfall of Oedipus Essay

The Odyssey can be taught sophomore year of high school. While Plato can be taught junior year and can teach that with the pursuit of education there are rewards and risks. Lastly, Oedipus Rex can be taught senior year of high school showing how ignorance and the pursuit of the truth may not always set you free. The three writings also will call upon student’s morals by asking each one if we are subjected to fate or free will. These…

meant (Bowra, 1944). The scene, when Oedipus declares himself as Child of Fortune, was trying to take control of things by interpreting the past, present and future. Oedipus’ characteristic seems to depend on how to control the outcome of life since he was under the mercy of many allegations that happened in the past and will happen in the future. When Oedipus becomes uncertain of his identity he pronounces his defence confidently. Some critics claim that Oedipus is not a child of furtune. As in…

The play, “Oedipus Rex”, is an interesting piece of literature that links to the views and behaviors of modern society. The play has various themes ranging from blindness to the sight of free will. Sophocles writes the play as a method of providing morals to readers. The play demonstrates how our choices come with consequences. We as humans are blind to the truth because we are afraid of facing and dealing with reality. Sometimes the truth can have a positive or negative impact on our lives.…

hamartia is a tragic flaw that causes the downfall of the tragic hero. Examples of a tragic flaw would be things such as excessive pride, guilt, and not listening to the gods. Hubris is a trait that almost goes with hamartia. It means excessive pride and disrespect for the natural order of things, which could be a trait that causes the…

“Creon is not strong enough to stand in my way .“when the choragos in sophocles play, antigone, speaks this line to prevent that she is a strong woman. She would do anything that she believes that is the right thing. Antigone is the daughter of Oedipus, and she is the sister of Ismene , she is also the sister of Polyneices. Antigone has lost both of her brothers in the civil war and is confronted with a difficult choice. Antigone honors her fallen brother and is willing to risk losing her own…

and the idea can be found in multiple tragic works. For example, in Oedipus Rex, Oedipus tries to escape fate but fate reminds him that he is still its puppet. Also, Creon from Antigone believes that his authority surpasses the gods’, until they abruptly bring him back down to earth. Finally, the fisherman from “The Ledge” believes he could master the seas and time, but finds out that they play by their own…

“Oedipus Rex”, is an interesting piece of literature that links to the views and behaviors of modern society. Sophocles wrote the play as a method of providing morals to readers by demonstrating how our choices come with consequences. The major theme of Oedipus Rex is that humans are blind to the truth because we are afraid of facing and dealing with reality. While the truth can have a positive effect on our lives, it can just as easily have a negative effect. Some people are so used to having a…

The story of Oedipus, as presented in Oedipus the King, was the original outline for Aristotle’s criteria of a tragic hero. While Oedipus meets the criteria to become the tragic hero of his own story, in the play Antigone the hero is not so clearly defined. The two contenders for tragic hero in Antigone are Creon, king of Thebes, and Antigone, daughter of Oedipus, former king of Thebes. While both of these characters meet several of the characteristics of the tragic hero, neither completely…

able to masterfully create a tragedy where the reader falls in love with the protagonist before his or her demise. Such can be seen in Antigone. As the title suggests, the plot revolves around the protagonist Antigone the daughter of the cursed king Oedipus. Another important character in the novel is Creon Antigone's uncle and current ruler of Athens. Through these characters and their interactions, Sophocles creates a plot in Antigone that develops the ironic climax where the living suffers…

The final revelation of Oedipus Tyrannus is easily understood as a revelation of Oedipus’s actions as sins, and but such an understanding ignores the true nature of these actions and the larger choice given to Oedipus when they are revealed. The radical nature of Oedipus’s threefold deed, the killing of his father, the solving of the sphinx’s riddle, and the union with his mother, might make Oedipus a sinner, but it might also make him a god. The Thebans, however, are not prepared to take on the…