...The analysis of works of literature allow readers to identify the author’s views and certain values that were at play during the writer’s life. By lending a critical eye to the play Oedipus Rex, the reader is able to understand various values of Greek culture. A study of the play Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, reveals Sophocles’ views on important cultural value of Greek society. It is evident that Sophocles shared the same views regarding women that the rest of his culture did as well as the idea that the gods played a large part in daily life; however, Sophocles satirized the Greek value of kleos, the glory one receives. In Ancient Greek society women were seen as inferior, Sophocles uses the treatment of Jocasta and her daughters as a way to...
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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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...“Symbolism in Oedipus the King” Literature is composed of various tactics in order to make the reading more interesting and compelling to the audience. One of my favorite literary elements or devices is the use of symbolism. According to Merriam - Webster, symbolism is “the use of symbols to express or represent ideas or qualities in literature” (Webster). This definition might seem elementary to most. However, symbolism can be used to bring out deeper meanings in a text or express the intangible elements by the means of visual representations. Sophocles did a marvelous job of this in the play Oedipus the King. While reading Oedipus the King, there were four instances of symbolism that stood out to me: Oedipus’ scared feet, the murder at the crossroads, the mention of blindness that is present throughout the play and lastly Oedipus himself. Each one of these examples of symbolism adds character to Sophocles’ work of literature. They help guide the tone of the text. When Oedipus was merely three days old his parents, King Laius and Queen Jocasta, received a prophecy from Apollo saying that one day their son would one day kill his father and intermarry in to his family with his mother. Upon hearing this news, Oedipus’ parents bound and pierced his feet. The King and Queen then sent him off to be abandoned in hopes of avoiding the dreadful prophecy. Oedipus survived the incident and was left with scars on his feet. The scars that were present on Oedipus’ feet throughout his lifetime...
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...Running head: Oedipus-A Tragic Hero Research Paper ENGL 102: Literature and Composition) Fall 2015 Melinda Meeds L26683811 APA Outline Thesis: In Sophocles’ “Oedipus”, Oedipus is exemplified as a tragic hero according to Aristotle’s definition because his story appeals to the reader’s humanity in the way he maintains his strengths after inadvertently causing his own downfall. I. Oedipus A. The noble birth. B. Describe Oedipus’ character. II. Tragedy A. Describe what a tragedy is. B. Describe the tragedies Oedipus has faced. III. A tragic hero A. Describe what makes Oedipus a tragic hero. B. Describe how Oedipus handles life after the pitfalls he has faced. Oedipus-A Tragic Hero Sophocles’ Oedipus is a very well-known tragic hero in dramatic literature. Oedipus, in the story, is a king with a great personality however his morality is what leads him to his demise. This mish mash of Oedipus’ disposition is what leads a reader to feeling sympathetic. In Sophocles’ “Oedipus”, Oedipus is exemplified as a tragic hero according to Aristotle’s definition because his story appeals to the reader’s humanity in the way he maintains his strengths after inadvertently causing his own downfall. According to Aristotle, "a man doesn't become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall” (Hume, n.d.). In Sophocles’ Oedipus, Oedipus possesses specific qualities that allow him to be considered a tragic hero. These qualities include...
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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...
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...Lectures on Psycho-Analysis. The beginning lectures are concerned mainly with parapraxes, defined as faulty acts: mishearing, mislaying, misspeaking, misreading, misprinting, and generally seemingly innocent mistakes. Freud explains to us that these are actually very intentional of our subconscious and that there is a disturbed internal contradiction. In this case it shows that outside forces no matter situation cannot and will not change our fate, we as people will act uncontrolled of outside sources, even if it’s our unconscious acting. When discussing dreams he essentially explained that they are masked expressions of unconscious desires. He later explains interpreting; but the one thing that holds true is that if he thought the idea of fate were possible, he would not think the action of our subconscious wishes, to tell the unconscious, to implant them in the conscious upon awaking, in order to satisfy our wants, would exist. While covering neurosis he essentially explains it as a solution for the conflict of the conscious and subconscious. Although Freud makes it seem inevitable, the actions a human being makes while suffering this illness is never predetermined nor unavoidable. Sophocles, like the rest of his society whole-heartily believed in fate and it is shown clearly in his play Oedipus Tyrannus. From the play we hold two things to be self evident; that Oedipus’ fate was prophesized, and that the prophecy was self fulfilled. One may argue to that “Oedipus’ and his parent’s...
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...World Literature Students Name: Course Title: Institution: Professor’s Name: Date of Submission: Show how Li Bo’s “Drinking Alone with the Moon” answers the definition of a lyric by citing evidence in it of the lyric features of subjectivity, emotion, imagination. You should not include brevity and musicality. Damrosch, et al (2009) argued that it is examined that emotional intelligence and self-esteem are mediators of the relationship between adult and generally the young attachment orientations and subjective well-being. Damrosch, et al (2009) stated that Bootstrap mediation analysis revealed that both emotional intelligence and self-esteem acted as mediators of the relationship brought about through messages in lyrical form. In addition, a serial mediating role of emotional intelligence via self-esteem is found. Considering this in lyrical form it is used mystically to converse the reality of feelings among human beings. This can further be transformed in diverse form so as to suit the message across any compositions that is majorly lyrical. The different ways these imaginations are rationalized is through blending in the diverse methodologies that try to sensitize the messages that are entailed in lyrically modified means. In what way does Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 130: My mistress’s eyes are nothing like the sun” satirize Petrarchan conventions and in what way does it uphold them? Paterson, et al (2010) argued that every aspect of the Sonnet form lends itself to...
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...particular person, country, institution, etc. (…).’ Consequently, this term is opposed to free will, defined as ‘the power of an individual to make free choices, not determined by divine predestination, the laws of physical causality, fate, etc. (…).’ Human beings have thought of these antithetic concepts as something to worry about since the beginning of civilization. Because of that, playwrights have taken them into consideration when writing different plays all over the years. This essay seeks to explore the tension existing between the concepts of destiny and free will in the world of drama through the study of language as well as the analysis of character and situation development. In order to carry this research out, I will take Oedipus Rex by Sophocles (429 BC) and Dr Faustus by Christopher Marlowe (1604) as the basis for the analysis. Although the plays were written in different eras and consequently were inspired by very different social and historical backgrounds, the limits between destiny and free will play a very important role in both of them. But how does drama manage to explore this tension? How do playwrights convey the paradox that exists between destiny and free will? Over the course of...
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...An Introduction to Oedipus Rex by Sophocles. Greek and Roman plays, and even Indeed ancient Indian plays (a common Indo-European Tradition), usually had a pivotal character that “held the play together”. Also there would be a Chorus that would come into play when the tragedy would begin unfolding. The Greco-Roman variants were almost always tragedies. Be it Homer’s Iliad or Odessey. The hero after long travails always seemed to return to nothing and would come to grief. Achilles, Priam, Agamemnon, Oedipus, all came to grief. In the Greco-Roman tradition, it seems to be a common practice by the Bards and playwrights, to depict their heroes as strong and upright men who fell prey to either their fates or to the whims and fancies of jealous gods (the plight Medusa & Cassandra). It appears the Greeks and the Romans looked to tragic plays as a sort of vent for their pent up emotions. Not surprisingly, the Indian answers to Homer’s works are also tragedies in keeping with the ancient Indo-European custom. Both the Ramayana and the Mahabharata are tragedies on an epic scale, where great wars are fought over matters of honor and virtue, and great armies decimated and cities sacked, and where great heroes come to naught. Sophocles takes us back to the times when Kings made their decisions based on oracles, and made propitiatory sacrifices. Sometimes even of their near and dear ones, as the sacrifice of a child, made by the Greeks at the outset of the Trojan war, for favorable winds...
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...Literary Analysis of Antigone Sandra Peppers South University Antigone is an epic Greek tragedy written, by Sophocles, around 442 B.C.E. The women of ancient Greek were considered to be less significant than were the males of the same time period. As with this tragedy, gender roles play a pivotal part in understanding why Antigone, the female heroine, did what she did and graciously accepted the punishment that she was dealt. During this particular epic, it will be evident that power, wisdom and experience lay with males, while females were subjected to the obedience and dominance of the males. The males of this era were more assertive and demanded respect from females, as well as other males. Antigone, in the play by the same name, is portrayed as a strong willed female who has strong family ties and will do whatever it takes to honor her family. Antigone is not one to stand aside and play the role of victim when, in her heart, she knows what is right. Antigone is the daughter of the late king of Thebes, Oedipus. After the death of Oedipus, Etecoles and Polyneices take turns in ruling Thebes, but ultimately die by each other’s sword. Antigone has just learned that Creon, the new king of Thebes (and her uncle), has just issued a law stating that Eteocles will have a proper burial whereas Polyneices, who was considered a traitor, will not be mourned or wept over. He will be left for the birds to feast upon; ‘ But the hapless corpse of Polyneices-as rumour saith, it...
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...tragedies or make the characters in them tragic heroes. In one of the “earliest surviving works of dramatic theory” of the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle, he laid out his rules for what is the foundation of a tragedy and a tragic hero. In the play by Sophocles, Oedipus stands out as a classic representation of what a tragedy hero is. Oedipus the book has key aspects that Aristotle said to make a tragedy and a tragic hero. One of the requirements for being a tragic hero according to Aristotle is "a [great] man who is neither a paragon of virtue and justice nor undergoes the change to misfortune through any real badness or wickedness but because of some mistake." There must be some mistake made by the character flaw that causes the great man’s fortunes to turn for the worst. Aristotle felt that there were certain plot devices that needed to take place in order for it to qualify as a tragedy and for the character to really be a tragic hero. Without a tragic hero there cannot be a tragedy happening, plot is a very important point. The plot of a true tragedy should be complex and consist of reversal and recognition. Both of these plot elements are contained within the play Oedipus the King. The play starts out highlighting Oedipus’ character by showing him talking to the grieving citizens in front of his palace. They are praying to the gods to stop the plague that is destroying Thebes. He mourns with his people over the hardships that have befallen the land of Thebes. He tells...
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...The principal aim of this dissertation was not only to trace but to prove as well the possibility of any influence from Classics on Shakespeare’s plays. Although this opinion has been principally neglected by most of the literary theorists, there is also another category of people who claim that Shakespeare might have read Greek plays. I strongly believe that Sophocles and Euripides have considerably contributed to the writing of Shakespearean plays and I have proved that through the research I did for this dissertation. The first chapter presented some information about Aristotle and his elements for the ideal tragedy while I also pointed out how Aristotle’s and Shakespeare’s ideas are in some points different. It is important...
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...Comparative Rhetorical Analysis Essay In “Their Eyes Were Watching God” by Zora Neale Hurston, Joe Stark delivers a speech to Janie and displaying his pride and arrogance. In “Oedipus” by Sophocles the Chorus delivers a speech making an argument against the pride of man. While Joe Stark’s and the Chorus’ speech are different on the surface however, the tone used throughout the speeches are similar in that the speakers are trying to appeal to the audience using their authorities to try and argue their points. These speeches prove that men can be very prideful and base large decisions solely on their pride. Throughout Joe Stark’s speech he relies on his authority, He assumes that just because he is a man he is smarter and stronger and he relies...
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...Oedipus the King: Part I Analysis The audience learns about everything in this somewhat short sequence of events and stories. The audience as well goes on to figure out that all the prophecies given by the oracles and Teiresias were completely true, from the murder of his own father under his sword to even having children and marrying his own mother. Although the audience learns most, if not all as to what his life contained, we as well realize that Oedipus is completely oblivious to all these facts and completely unaccepting of the mere concept of things such as this being remotely conceivable. In this section of Part I in Oedipus the King, Sophocles gave the audience/readers some major information towards the plot and how the rest of the play will proceed. One of the biggest revelations that occurs in this section is when the shepherd who was revealed to be the only survivor of the slaughter of the crossroads refuses to go anywhere the city or especially near Oedipus and specifically asks Jocasta if he can be sent to the fields and never see that place ever again. Jocosta stated that the shepherd, “...came home again and saw you king and Laius was dead, he came to me and touched my hand and begged that I should send him to the fields to be my shepherd and so he might see the city as far off as he might. So I sent him away. He was an honest man, as slaves go, and was worthy of far more than what he asked of me.” The shepherd knew that he was the murderer and did...
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...poetry represents something that is real, something that exists in the world. Whereas Plato believed that the poet was cut off from reality, Aristotle saw the poet’s act of imitation as directly connected to life itself, instead of an attempt to reach a larger ideal. In his analysis of the origins of poetry, Aristotle argues that imitation is natural to childhood, and children learn most of their first life lessons through the imitation of others. People are also naturally given to taking pleasure in imitation. Unity of Plot In his analysis of tragedy, Aristotle argues that the most important element is plot. Further, he insists on the necessity of unity in the plot. All the events portrayed must contribute to the plot. There must be no subplots or superfluous elements. Every element of the plot must work together to create a seamless whole. If any part were to be altered or withdrawn, this would leave the play disjointed and incomplete in some way. The plot must have a beginning, a middle, and an end, in which each event follows either in likelihood or necessity from the previous one. There must be a clear cause and effect relationship in the events depicted. The Structure of Tragedy In his analysis of the structure of tragedy, Aristotle uses four terms that are of particular...
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