Sunday, December 29, 2019
Horror and Self-punishment in Sophocles Oedipus Rex
Horror and Self-punishment in Sophocles Oedipus Rex An ancient plate portraying Oedipus listening to the riddle of the Sphinx. Oedipus Rex is a play whose qualities of inscrutability and of pervasive irony quickly come to complicate any critical discussion. It is a play of transformations in which things change before our eyes as we watch; where meanings and implications seem to be half-glimpsed beneath the surface of the text only to vanish as we try to take them in; and where ironical resemblance and reflections abound to confuse our response. The play encourages us to make connections and to draw out implications that in the end we are forced to reassess, to question and perhaps abandon. The plays meaning through two†¦show more content†¦Oedipus: When he who plots against me in the dark Comes swiftly on, I must be swift in turn. If I stay quiet, his ends will have been gained, And mine all missed. Creon: What is it that you want? To expel me from the country? Oedipus: Not at all. Your death I purpose, not your banishment. Creon: Not without shewing, first, what a thing is jealousy! Oedipus: You talk like one who will not yield, nor heed. Creon: Because I see you mean injuriously. Oedipus: Not to myself! Creon: No more you ought to me! Oedipus: You are a traitor! Creon: What if you are no Judge? Oedipus: I must be ruler. Creon: Not if you rule badly. The concentration of attention at this point in the play on the state of Oedipus mind is striking and unusual in Greek tragedy. The moment of discovery, which meant so much to Aristotle, is the moment of supreme emotional shock and apparent revelation; but the revelation is at most a partial apprehension of the truth. The chorus recoil from Oedipus discovery in an instant reassessment of the whole meaning of human life, of human achievement and human existence. They burst out with a cry that reduces the whole sum of human life to nothing, and human achievement to a mocking, momentary apparition, a firework, an arrow that climbs and falls away and meansShow MoreRelatedOedipus The King, Or Oedipus Rex1249 Words  | 5 Pagesthe most famous probably being Sophocles’ Oedipus the King, or Oedipus Rex. For a play to be considered a tragedy, it must have a tragic hero. According to Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero, they must be a decent moral person, of high social standing who eventually meets with a tragic downfall, of their own doing, suffering more than deserved, and realizing their error too late. In the play Oedipus the King, Oedipus is the epitome of a tragic hero. Oedipus Rex was generally a â€Å"good†person;Read MoreThe Tragic Hero of Oedipus Rex Essay1383 Words  | 6 PagesThe Tragic Hero of Oedipus Rex According to the ancient Greeks and Aristotle the hero is a person who possesses superior qualities of mind and body, and who proves his superiority by doing great deeds of valor, strength, or intellect. In Sophocles Oedipus Rex the main character Oedipus possesses these characteristics of a true hero, which in turn lead to his self-destruction. In the beginning of the play Oedipuss great intellect is made known by the chorus who see him as someone who hasRead MoreThe Stranger in Oedipus Essay1467 Words  | 6 Pagesin novels and literary works alike. Albert Camus’ The Stranger depicts a modern system of justice; however, Sophocles Oedipus Rex portrays a simplistic system of justice. Society implements these to prevent the downfall of the human race. Society protects humanity from its own demise by condemning acts of violence. Acts of violence, weather brought on by anger as illustrated in Oedipus Rex or by environmental influences as demonstrated in The Stranger led to the downfall of society. Society sinceRead MoreEssay on Creon as the Tragic Hero in Sophocles Antigone1326 Words  | 6 PagesCreon as the Tragic Hero in Antigone   This essay will compare two of the characters in â€Å"Antigone†, Antigone and Creon, in an effort to determine the identity of the tragic hero in this tale.            To identify the tragic hero in Sophocles’ renowned play â€Å"Antigone†, we should first consider both the elements present in Greek tragedies and what characteristics define a tragic hero. Aristotle’s definition of tragedy is: â€Å"Tragedy is a story taking the hero from happiness to misery becauseRead MoreFate Vs Chance : Oedipus Rex952 Words  | 4 Pagesnegatively impact them, raises a concern As a class, we first analyzed Sophocles â€Å"Oedipus Rex,†where the reader almost instantly comes towards a realization that Oedipus fate is heavily determined by the previous sins he had committed. A second factor to consider in how Oedipus fate is determined, is the way in which how he manipulates others with his power. As the play progresses, it becomes evident to the reader that Oedipus is a self-absorbed ruler who believes is superior to the Gods. The secondRead MoreFate And Free Will In Oedipus Rex1577 Words  | 7 Pagesplays. Oedipus Rex written by Sophocles survived through the years with such universal questions provoked by the plot. Fate and free will were driving forces woven throughout the play and considerably difficult to distinguish for both characters and the audience. Fate was considered an all powerful force by the individuals in the play. Oedipus challenged the power of fate in favor of his free will seen through his rash decisions, hubris, and choice to live in ignorance. The fate of Oedipus was createdRead MoreOedipus the King1164 Words  | 5 Pagesmen of high reputation and good fortune such as Oedipus.†This attitude, commonly found in men of high station is not specifically identified as pride in the case of Oedipus and, indeed, different readings can place Oedipus’ great flaw in a number of areas. It seems as if Sophocles intended to emphasize the more common interpretation of Oedipus’ flaw being excessive pride, but other interpre tations, such as Pier Paolo Pasolini’s 1967 film Oedipus Rex, present other possibilities as the main characterRead More Mythology in Oedipus Rex Essay examples4094 Words  | 17 PagesMythology in Oedipus Rex              In â€Å"The Oedipus Legend†Bernard M. W. Knox talks of the advantages accruing to Sophocles as a user of myths in his dramas:  The myths he used gave to his plays, without any effort on his part, some of those larger dimensions of authority which the modern dramatist must create out of nothing if his play is to be more than a passing entertainment. The myths had the authority of history, for myth is in one of its aspects the only history of anRead More Mythology in Oedipus Rex Essays3980 Words  | 16 PagesMythology in Oedipus Rex        E. T. Owen in â€Å"Drama in Sophocles’ Oedipus Tyrannus†comments on the mythological beginnings of Oedipus Rex:  Professor Goodell says: â€Å"Given an old myth to be dramatized, Sophocles’ primary question was, ‘Just what sort of people were they, must they have been, who naturally did and suffered what the tales say they did and suffered?†That was his method of analysis (38).  The Greek Sophoclean tragedy Oedipus Rex is based on a myth fromRead More Characterization in Oedipus the King Essay2193 Words  | 9 PagesCharacterization in Oedipus Rex           The dialogue, action and motivation revolve about the characters in the story (Abrams 32-33). It is the purpose of this essay to demonstrate the types of characters present in Sophocles’ tragic drama, Oedipus Rex, whether static or dynamic, whether flat or round, and whether protrayed through showing or telling.  Werner Jaeger in â€Å"Sophocles’ Mastery of Character Development†pays the dramatist the very highest compliment with regard to
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.