...years after the death of Sophocles, the author of Oedipus Rex. Aristotle was a great admirer of the works of Sophocles and is said to have considered Oedipus Rex to be the perfect tragedy and the basis for his thoughts in Poetics. He defines tragedy as, “an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude; in language embellished with each kind of artistic ornament, the several kinds being found in separate parts of the play; in the form of action, not of narrative; with incidents arousing pity and fear, wherewith to accomplish its catharsis of such emotions…Every tragedy, therefore, must have six parts, which parts determine its quality – namely, plot, characters, diction, thought, spectacle, melody”. The work Oedipus Rex fits very well into this structure using the specific characteristics of; late point of attack, exposition, several key incidents, climax, catharsis, protagonist, antagonist, hamartia, anagorismos, metabasis, and perpetia. Aristotle’s first principle of tragedy is that of the plot. He defines the plot as how the incidents are presented to the audience in the structure of the play. This is the most important of the parts and holds the meat and potatoes of a tragedy. According to Poetics the best plots should be complex, arouse fear and pity, and involve a high degree of suffering for the protagonist. These are all seen in Oedipus Rex as there are plot twists, we learn to care about Oedipus and the decisions he makes, and finally understand...
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...medicine on the human body. Consequently, throughout time, people regarded tragedies, including Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex, as a mechanism to achieve this psychological disposition. Using Aristotelian theory, one can experience and understand the implementation of catharsis in Oedipus Rex through the elements of a tragic hero, peripeteia and anagnorisis, and the ultimate pathos. Contrary to a traditional protagonist, a tragic hero faces eventual downfall through unavoidable fate and his devastating hamartia. Utilizing Sophocles' Oedipus Rex as the ideal demonstration, Aristotelian theory outlines the elements of a tragedy. Therefore, Oedipus exhibits a fatal inadequacy in his overconfidence, specifically when he accidentally murders King Laius, his father, at the crossroads in an outburst of arrogance. Consequently, his insufficient knowledge and carelessness sanction the audience to gain wisdom through reflection of their own misunderstandings, therefore allowing for catharsis through...
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...Hamartia in Oedipus the King According to the Aristotelian characteristics of good tragedy, the tragic character should not fall due to either excessive virtue or excessive wickedness, but due to what Aristotle called hamartia. Hamartia may be interpreted as either a flaw in character or an error in judgement. Oedipus, the tragic character in Sophocles’ Oedipus the King, certainly makes several such mistakes; however, the pervasive pattern of his judgemental errors seems to indicate a basic character flaw that precipitates them. Oedipus’ character flaw is ego. This is made evident in the opening lines of the prologue when he states "Here I am myself--you all know me, the world knows my fame: I am Oedipus." (ll. 7-9) His conceit is the root cause of a number of related problems. Among these are recklessness, disrespect, and stubbornness. Oedipus displays an attitude of recklessness and disrespect throughout the play. When he makes his proclamation and no one confesses to the murder of Laius, Oedipus loses patience immediately and rushes into his curse. Later, he displays a short temper to Tiresias: "You, you scum of the earth . . . out with it, once and for all!," (ll. 381, 383) and "Enough! Such filth from him? Insufferable--what, still alive? Get out--faster, back where you came from--vanish!" (ll. 490-492) If an unwillingness to listen may be considered stubbornness, certainly Oedipus would take advice from no one who would tell him to drop the matter of his...
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... G. Davies-Morris HUM 110 2013.5.13 Oedipus Rex Reflection Laius and Jocasta were King and Queen of the Great City of Thebes. After they bore a child Oedipus ,they took him to an oracle to see what was to become of him. Warned in a prophecy that Oedipus will grow up to murder his father and marry his mother, Laius and Jocasta arrange for his death - instructing a herdsman to kill the child. But the herdsman pities little Oedipus, and instead of killing him, passes him on to another herdsman from a neighboring kingdom, where Oedipus is raised by the king and queen as their own. Later in his life, Oedipus himself hears the prophecy that he will kill his father and marry his mother, he left Corinth. Heading to Thebes, Oedipus met an older man in a chariot coming the other way at the crossroads which three roads meet. The two quarreled over who should give way, which resulted in Oedipus killing the stranger and continuing on to Thebes. He found that the king of the city (Laius) had been recently killed and that the city was at the mercy of the Sphinx. Oedipus answered the monster's riddle correctly, defeating it and winning the throne of the dead king and the hand in marriage of the king's widow, Jocasta. One day, Tiresias, the blind prophet accuses Theban King Oedipus of murdering King Laius. He cautions that this is not the only disturbing revelation that Oedipus will receive within the day's passing. He says that Oedipus' knowledge of who he really is and what...
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... incidents arousing pity and fear,” this simple definition of a tragedy ideally matches the structure of the play Oedipus Rex. This play consists of a king known as Oedipus who has been doomed with a horrendous fate. For example, his prophecy was: “As, that I should lie with my own mother, breed children from whom all men would turn their eyes; and that I should be my father’s murderer,” (42) this was brought upon him by the gods. Oedipus assumed that he could simply run away from this issue that is his destiny. But little did he know he had no power to alter the future, his fate rested in the hands of the Greek gods. The play clearly...
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...It's hard to acknowledge Oedipus tragic flaw I will explain who explain who or what is responsible for his downfall. Basically the theme of the book is “the desire to avoid the truth” basically the truth about his history. He's the son the prophecy foretold the one who would kill his father and marry his mother. Unfortunately, oedipuss desire to avoid the truth only puts off the inevitable and the tragic irony is that even as the facts are piling up against him, Oedipus can't seem to make even the most obvious connections. The desire to avoid the truth manifest itself, all along Oedipus continues to look at the truth, but never to really see it. There has been many reviews on showing how Oedipus is in fact a tragic flaw or tragic hero, for...
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...The author’s Dudley Fitts and Robert Fitzgerald created the English version of “Oedipus Rex” which was about a king that did not know about his identity as a child or who exactly his parents were and was on a mission to find out. Oedipus has been made King of Thebes since Liao’s the former king, had shortly before been killed, Oedipus was honored king by the hand of Queen Iocaste. The new king’s search for the murderer of Liao’s soon led to the discovery of who the killer was and also allowed Oedipus to find his identity as a child and where or who his parents were. The main focal point is about Oedipus’s life and how he was abandoned as a child, left to die, but with pity from a Sheppard that was suppose to get rid of the “baby” (Oedipus) and never did, let the child live and he tended growing up to be the king of Thebes and the killer of his father. Analyzing the text from “Oedipus Rex” allows the reader to understand the characteristics of Oedipus and how the developments of his childhood revealed the true person he was and how the message that Teiresias told him actually was true about his fate coming. In "Oedipus Rex," the plot begins in the heart of murder. A King (Liao’s’) has been murdered, and the new king Oedipus seeks retribution. The city of Thebes is suffering from a plague, which is symbolic of the blight about to befall Oedipus. As Oedipus sends for the clairvoyant, the reader expects a mystical moment of truth. Instead we are presented with a stubborn character...
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... Extract 4 (Sophocles, Oedipus the King) In Greek Tragedy the medium, as in all forms of poetry is language, to convey a story through an imitation of an action, or as Aristotle defines in S.H. Butcher’s translation of Poetics “Tragedy is a mimesis of a praxis.” (Jones, 2000). This translates to an imitation/ representation of an action. Oedipus the King is structured into five episodes with a prologue to begin, each scene is introduced by the Chorus (the citizens of Thebes) who depict the state of affairs within Thebes. The city is plagued, as a Priest describes to Oedipus “look around you, see with your own eyes- our ship pitches wildly, cannot lift her head from the depths, the red waves of death… Thebes is dying. A blight on the fresh crops and rich pastures, cattle sicken and die, and the women die in labor, children stillborn, and the plague, the fiery god of fever hurls down on the city.” (L 28 – 34) This shows us that Thebes is being punished, and Oedipus, as the King of Thebes is begged by his subjects to put an end to the curse. This shows a good use of dramatic irony, as in fact it was Oedipus who is responsible for the actions of the gods. Oedipus has two conflicts going on within him, the first is that he does not want to kill who he believes is his father, “the man who reared me” (L 916) and the second is he does not want to lay with his mother. These conflicts have followed Oedipus and his father Laius throughout the play, although...
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...Blindness and Insight In Othello the Moor of Venice by William Shakespeare, Othello is blind to what is going on around him; similarly in Oedipus the King by Sophocles, Oedipus Rex is ignorant to the fate he was tragically born into. Both Oedipus Rex and Othello commit suicide at the end of the play because they gain knowledge of what they have been blind to throughout the entire drama and cannot live with what they have done. Othello cannot live with the knowledge that he murdered his wife whom had done no harm upon him; he was tricked by Iago. Furthermore, Oedipus cannot live with himself after the truth came out that he had murdered his own father and married his mother. Both of these psychological dramas remain timeless because the motifs within them remain to exist in today’s culture. First, in Shakespeare’s “Othello the Moor of Venice," Iago wants to rid Othello and take his place. Iago convinces Othello that Desdemona is the mistress of Cassio, and has been unfaithful to Othello. To convince Othello of Desdemona's infidelity, Iago steals Desdemona’s handkerchief and sets up Cassio to make it seem as if he is having an affair with Desdemona. Othello’s jealous rage blinds him to the plot going on around him and he murders Desdemona without a second thought. “But words are words; I never yet did hear that the bruised heart was pierced through the ear”, as stated in Literature quotes. After the deed was done, Iago’s wife tells Othello the truth, and he makes himself...
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...is evoke in us when we are in the presence of a character who is ready to lay down their life… to secure… their sense of personal dignity”. For Willy this is to be known as a salesman, He bases his goals for the American Dream, which is flawed as it forever leaves him wanting more as a person. He bases his end goal on Dave Singleman who has people from all America come to his funeral; Willy believes that he is the embodiment of the American dream. Aristotle says in his Poetics, that tragedy represents men as better than they are. The purpose of tragedy was to create pity and fear in the audience. This was achieved by showing the audience that we feared and a character that deserved our pity for undergoing it. It could be argued that “Death of a Salesman” conforms to this pattern. In Act 1 might be used to inspire horror and fear as Willy’s sad state is made abundantly clear, and Act 2 could insight pity...
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...Why do most teams go for the difficult win when they could go for the easy tie? The thinking that goes on after going for the win and losing is similar to what Oedipus from Sophocles’s Oedipus the King and Othello from Shakespeare’s Othello the Moor must think after they have lost everything they once had even though they didn’t have to. Oedipus the King, born royal, runs away from his prophecy to Thebes, his new land, where he completes what the prophecy had in mind. Othello the Moor, a general, questions his wife, Desdemona, after an evil man manipulates his mind. Though both authors use irony and a tragic hero to move their audiences, Sophocles uses those elements to stress the role of fate, while Shakespeare uses them to demonstrate the importance of personal choice. Both Oedipus and Othello are tragic heroes, and the downfall of each moves the audience. Both heroes are blinded by their emotions. Oedipus was blind to his prophecy that he never realized that he actually married his mother and killed his father. He thought that he could run away from it, and got mad at anyone who suggested that he already reached the destination. For example, when Teiresias tells Oedipus that he is the cause of Thebe’s plague, Oedipus says to him, “Your infantile riddles! Your damned abracadabra!” (Sophocles 24). He is basically getting angry because he believes that Teiresias is threatening his power. Similarly, Othello is blinded by his trust in Iago that he falls for all of his tricks....
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...hero definition and how that applies to the play IV. The big revaltion in the play that Oedipus sees V. Talk about Apollos power and the meaning of that and conclude to paper with that. The first criterion of a Greek tragedy is that the protagonist be a good person; doubly blessed with a good heart and noble intention. Sophocles reveals immediately at the start of the play that Oedipus is such a man. As is common in the Greek tragedy Oedipus is also an aristocrat. Born of the King and Queen of Thebes he is of true nobility. Oedipus on the other-hand believes his parents are the King and Queen of Corinth. Oedipus was abandoned as a baby and adopted by them. Because that information is known to the audience and not to Oedipus prior to the start of the play, it is a perfect example of tragic irony because when he declares that he will find the murderer he is the man that he pursues. Here he is told by Tiresias,” I say you are the murderer you hunt” (1235). The theme of Oedipus the King is not clear-cut. The theme in this tragic play seems to be you can‘t escape your fate. Contentment leads to ignorance as Oedipus lends fate a hand in his bitter end. This trait is touched-on in these lines spoken by Creon. “Look at you, sullen in yielding, brutal in your rage- you’ll go too far. It’s perfect justice: natures like yours are hardest on themselves” (Sophocles 1242-1243). Oedipus is a true hero in the Greek tragedy. He has the fate of the community in his hands along with...
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...Oedipus the King – STUDY GUIDE Section 1 – Greek Culture Home of the Greek Gods & Goddesses… Mount Olympus King of the Gods… Zeus Type of politics that began in Athens… Democracy God of War & Wisdom… Athena Peloponnesian War between… Athens & Sparta Wealthy landowners… Aristocrats Women were appreciated in… Sparta Most famous artist… Sculptor Women treated like slaves in… Athens City that liked poetry, writing and art… Athens Military state… Sparta Another word for slaves… helots Type of poetry written… lyric Word comes from a small harp called… lyre Greek kept literature alive by… singing Popular sports competition still done today… Olympics Winner of Olympics won… Olive Branch Section 2 – First Readings Oedipus the King Writer of Oedipus the King… Sophocles Write 120 plays but only ____ survived… Seven Tragedy means… Goat God of wine… Dionysus Lyrics chanted called dythrims chanted to… Dionysus To become king, Oedipus solved… the riddle of the sphinx Contrast between audience and character… Dramatic irony City is suffering from… plague The plague causes… Stillborn children Animals to die Crops to die Women/mothers dying Who did Oedipus send to Delphi too figure out the problem… Creon Apollo says the cause of affliction is that… the murderer of Lauis is in Thebes Blind prophet who says Oedipus is the murderer… Tiresius Oedipus says Tiresius is worthless prophet because… should have solved the riddle and saved the city Who...
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...Pig-headedness IV. Downfall V. Conclusion Dramatic Research Paper “Oedipus Rex” by Sophocles “Oedipus Rex” was a Greek Tragedy written by Sophocles in the fifth century BC. It was the first of a trilogy of plays surrounding the life of Oedipus. Sophocles wrote over 120 plays approximately 100 years before Aristotle even defined a tragedy and the tragic hero. Aristotle’s definition of a tragedy is “… an imitation of an action of high importance, complete and of some amplitude; in language enhanced by distinct and varying beauties; acted not narrated; by means of pity and fear effecting its purgation of these emotions” (Kennedy and Gioa 2010). According to Aristotle there were six elements to a tragedy: the plot, the character, the thought, the spectacle, the diction, and the music. He believed that “[t]he plot, then, is the first principle, and, as it were, the soul of a tragedy; character holds the second place” (Aristotle 1999). The character (tragic hero) being the second most important element of the tragedy, he must be of nobility, he is not infallible and his downfall is due to an error in judgment, and is capable of making his own choices and, most important, accepting the consequences for those choices. “Oedipus Rex” is not only a classic example of Aristotle’s definition of a tragic plot; Oedipus (the protagonist) has all the characteristics of a tragic hero. Oedipus is the son of a king and eventually becomes a King; his character is also that of...
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...truths will cause them more harm then it will good. In Sophocles Oedipus Rex readers are able to watch the main character Oedipus go through this process which can take people years of their lives happen in a span of a few short days. In this process, people discover that it is not necessarily beneficial to know every truth and that it is ok to stay blind to some issues. As people go through the aging process they are...
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