Tiresias

Responsibility Oedipus the King, a famous tragedy by Sophocles, tells the story of King Oedipus, a man whose entire life is a fulfillment of a prophecy. Unfortunately, Oedipus is unwitting and fulfills the prophecy that entails him killing his father and marrying his mother. Among the major themes in the story is responsibility (Charters and Samuel 67). Despite his ignorance of his role in the tragedy, Oedipus comes out as a responsible man and king who sought to protect his integrity as the…

The Greek tragedy, Oedipus Rex, written by Sophocles, teaches vital lessons about metaphorical blindness and reveals that society values happiness over truth, no matter what the circumstances display about the realities of life. The play begins with the Priest explaining, “Your eyes see the truth: Thebes is drowning in a deadly sea, is sinking beneath the waves of death” (Sophocles, Page 9). Through his interaction with Oedipus, readers learn that Thebes is being devastated by a plague. Oedipus,…

by telling him that there is no truth in oracles or prophets, and she has proof. Jocasta then tells him a brief story of how Oracle predicted that Laius would be slaughtered by the hands of his own. Giving more into the ¨factual”evidence that his prophecy´s were in fact irrelevant, by stating that he was killed by robbers.While listening to the story, Oedipus had his own doubts about it,which troubled him.Going more into depth,Jokasta stated that that Laius was slaughtered where three…

Antigone and the Death of a Salesman Most plays focus on a central theme. The Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller and Antigone by Sophocles are two examples of plays which use betrayal as their central theme. Antigone is a Greek play by Sophocles. It is a Greek tragedy full of loyalty, betrayal, love and death. The play Antigone features many central themes with betrayal being the main theme of the story. The theme of betrayal is evident in the beginning of the play when the king Creon betrays…

The characters in the play Othello by Shakespeare depict different attributes from revenge to love. The behavior of Lago is the subject of analysis of the essay. Lago’s attitude towards women and Othello is appalling. He feels an obligation to serve Othello while also accusing him for having an affair with his wife. In Act one, scene three, Lago believes that Othello has slept with his wife. He states; “it is thought abroad that ‘twixt my sheets/ he has done my office” (1.iii.286). Lago is the…

“Tradition is our security. And when our mind is secure, it is in decay,” laments Jiddu Krishnamurti wisely. While tradition is a solace to many, as Krishnamurti puts it, once outdated, it can result in the deterioration of society. And worse, perhaps, are the consequences faced by those who protest antiquated values. Set in a stereotypical American town and initially written with a joyful tone, “The Lottery” explores such paradoxical views on tradition shifting to a dark and sinister tone…

In 430 B.C around when drama first came to be, Sophocles wrote the play Oedipus Rex, a story of the great king of Thebes who killed his own father and took his mother to bed. A baffling tale of fate and incest that surprises all who read it. Many wonder why he would write such a morbid play; it’s main character made to do foul things without knowing and later coming to realize his dirty deeds and be haunted by them. Did Sophocles have a point to prove? A lesson to teach? The play seems to play…

Aeneas' Leadership in the Aeneid. In the Aeneid by Virgil the main character Aeneas tries to be a good leader to his people, but fails; showing the lack of good leadership qualities in the majority of the book. A good leader is a person who supports people he/she is in charge of, sets a good example following rules of pietas, and helps in accomplishing a common goal.Pietas is to fulfill one’s obligations to the Gods, family, and people. Aeneas is a Trojan hero whose task in the book (which was…

If one fact were to be stated as an absolute truth, it would be that man is mortal. Man is born, man lives and man dies. Man also makes mistakes, man is not perfect, and man is flawed. In Sophocles’ play, King Oedipus, the titular character of the same name is a man who possesses many flaws and unfortunately suffers from these flaws. It is Oedipus’ pride, impetuous behaviour and lack of insight that ultimately determine his inevitable fate. Oedipus lacks insight, which leads to his being harmed…

Most of us know our family and our family history, but how would that change if one didn’t know that? Sophocles wrote Oedipus Rex because he thought that men were trying to place themselves above the gods, since the discovery of science. He wanted to remind the people that the gods were all powerful, and that man was not. In the play, Oedipus Rex, Oedipus doesn’t know himself, both literally and figuratively. Oedipus doesn’t know himself; he has been living a lie all his life. When he was born,…