Sphinx

The play Oedipus Rex was written by Sophocles in about 430 BCE. The play follows the life and struggles of the protagonist, Oedipus, as he tries to find out his true identity. The play starts in the middle of things when Oedipus is the king of Thebes and a plague has descended over the kingdom. Oedipus vows to find out the cause of the plague and sends Creon, his brother in law, to Delphi to try and find out the cause from an oracle. Creon brings Teiresias, an oracle of Apollo, back to the…

after learning his fate, Oedipus ran away from his home town of Corinth to get away from his family, rather than accepting and facing the truth of his fate; killing his father and marrying his mother. On his journey to find a new home, he fell upon a sphinx standing in front of the gates of Thebes, demanding an answer to a riddle, and cursing the city with a drought. After solving a riddle that no one could solve, the city of Thebes crowned him king. Oedipus wrongly believed that he had immense…

Sophocles' Oedipus The King tells the story of Oedipus, destined from birth to kill his father and marry his mother. It was first performed in Athens in the year 429 BC (Mastin), at a time where law was strictly carried out and courts were conducted with a trial by jury. This strong view for carrying out justice is a theme in the play and is reflected in the form of Oedipus being charged with several crimes he has allegedly committed. Whether the reason for these punishments is justifiable or…

As Herodotus is known to be the progenitor of “Orientalism,” to which Munson elucidates the interlocking Herodotean components, operating in his theory of ethnicity. Availing the The Bacchae by Euripides, Said argues in his spilt thesis that: “The two aspects of the Orient that set it off from the West in this pair of plays will remain essential motifs of European imaginative geography. A line is drawn between two continents. Europe is powerful and articulate; Asia is defeated and distant,” and,…

earliest forms of literature, agriculture, organized religion, urban development and style of government. Egypt 's cultural heritage became an important part of its national identity. With its ancient monuments such as the Giza Necropolis, the Great Sphinx, ruins of Memphis, Thebes, Karnak, and the Valley of the Kings modern day Egypt remains a significant interest worldwide. Egypt with the biggest population in North African and the Arab world with the majority of…

reiterates that he knows who he is, he knows that Queen Meropé is his mother, and he knows that he is not slave-born. He calls himself the “giver of good” to remind the Chorus, whom he is speaking to, that he was the only one able to save Thebes from the Sphinx, and was able to peacefully rule his country for 15 years. Because of these achievements, Oedipus has developed hubris, and he honestly believes that he is above all. It has become clear at this point in the play that Oedipus possesses…

Tragedy is as prominent today as it was during its origins in ancient Greece. It is a dramatic and literary archetype that instills a dreary ambience within various works of literature. Through the characterization, it “treats in a serious and dignified style the sorrowful or terrible events encountered or caused by a heroic individual” (Britannica). Although, tragedy was originally intended for the stage, it has been utilized by numerous literary works. The origins of the term, Tragedy are…

Learning about the history of art through chapters 4 to 7 has opened my mind to a better understanding of cultural arts. It can be expressed through many different cultures around the world. I have not only learned that the idea of art had started out in prehistoric Western Europe, but also started to spread out in different parts of the world like, Mesopotamia, Jericho, Ur, Babylon, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, and many other regions around the globe. Each place went through different eras,…

How tall is the Great Pyramid at Giza? The Great Pyramid at Giza is “the largest and oldest” of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It was originally roughly 146 meters tall (481 feet). However it has “lost about 10 meters in height over the millennia.” Now it stands at the height of approximately 139 (455 feet.) https://www.thoughtco.com/how-tall-was-the-great-pyramid-118066 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pyramid_of_Giza 2. How many blocks of stone are in the Great Pyramid? The…

The phrase “ignorance is bliss” is so widely used because of its universal applications. It implies that being unaware of something is preferential to being exposed to its harsh reality. However, this approach to the world only allows for superficial connections to surroundings and others, and even oneself. One may develop illusions of perfection about oneself that shields the world from insecurities and imperfections that they would rather remain hidden. Living with this illusion prevents…