With millions of plays available just at one’s fingertips, modern society has the unique opportunity of being able to read any form of text that could date back thousands of years. Many times, because of the different dialects and time periods, the style of writing can confuse modern audiences and the main message authors wanted … Read more
The ancient Greeks were fond believers of Fate. Fate, defined according to Websters, is the principle or determining cause or will by which things in general are believed to come to be as they are or events to happen as the do. The Greeks take on Fate was slightly modified. They believed that the gods … Read more
Throught Oedipus Rex, Oedipus displays his heroism many times. From the Prologue of the play to the moment in which he leaves Thebes, Oedipus’ heroics become extremely apparent; however, at the same time, the decisions which make Oedipus a hero ultimately become the decisions which bring him to shamefulness and exile. From before Oedipus was … Read more
In Platos Five Dialogues and Sophocles Oedipus Rex, mans actions for the greater good of the city-state can lead to horrible consequences for the individual. Both Socrates and Oedipus carry out what they believe to be their duty for their city. Socrates believes that his actions are just and proper, but when viewed by the … Read more
Was it that the gods were poking at him like a goldfish in a small glass jar? Was Oedipus’s life actually foretold by a prophet before he was ever conceived? Or was it mere happenstance that Oedipus’s life had fallen perfectly in place with the words of that prophet? Did fate play a major role … Read more
Conflicts in Relationships by James Carvill In Othello, the Moor of Venice by Shakespeare, A Doll House by Henrik Ibsen, Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, and The Glass Managerie by Tennessee Williams involve relationships and the development of the characters through conflicts in their relationships. For Othello it was Iagos deception and Othellos jealousy, and for … Read more
Through Sophocles use of foreshadowing in the play Oedipus Rex, certain truths are revealed to the reader, such as the fact that a lack of respect for fate can eventually bring on a persons downfall, by driving them to delusion. Oedipus is looked up to by all his kingdom at the opening of the play, … Read more
Many things can describe a tragedy. However, according to definition of a tragedy by Aristotle, there are only five. The play has to have a tragic hero, preferably of noble stature. Second, the tragic hero must have a tragic flaw. Because of that flaw, the hero falls from either power or death. Due to the … Read more
At the start of the play, the city of Thebes is wasting away under a plague that leaves its fields and women barren. Oedipus, king of Thebes, has sent his brother-in-law, Creon, to ask the house of Apollo to ask the oracle how to put an end to the plague. Creon returns, bearing good news: … Read more
Oedipus began Oedipus Rex as a king, only to end the tale as a blinded beggar. Oedipus’ fall from his kingly status was not by accident or because of some other person. Oedipus is the only one that can be blamed for his misfortune. Oedipus’ character traits are shown most clearly during his spiralling downfall, … Read more
Oedipus Rex – Ignorence One of the most memorable and meaningful Socratic quotes applies well when in context of Sophocles’ Theban Trilogy. “The unexamined life is not worth living,” proclaims Socrates. He could have meant many things by this statement, and in relation to the play, the meaning is found to be even more complex. … Read more
In Sophocles’ “Oedipus the King” which is a tragic play, which discusses the tragic discovery that Oedipus has killed his father and married his mother. Oedipus is the embodiment of the perfect Athenian. He is self-confident, intelligent, and strong willed. Ironically these are the very traits which bring about his tragic discovery. Oedipus gained the … Read more
Oedipus Rex a Greek tragedy written by Sophocles in the early days of antiquity is based upon an even more ancient story in Greek mythology. Sophocles, however, knowing that his audience is aware of the outcome of the play utilizes that foreknowledge to create various situations in which dramatic and verbal irony play key roles. … Read more