Essay On Oedipus The King - 1320 Words

Greta Oulman Windish English II 3 December 2017 Oedipus: An Apparent â€Å"Hero† Did you ever think that a man who killed his father and married his mother would ever be considered a hero? NOBODY DID. (Except the Greeks†¦) The story of our tragic â€Å"hero,† Oedipus, depicts him in the midst of his life, just learning about his adoption and, years later, the birth of his four kids (with his mother) that - apparently - inspired so many people. Oedipus’ Story Oedipus’ story is about how he became an apparent â€Å"hero†. In the beginning, Oedipus’ father, King Laius, and mother, Queen Jocasta of Thebes wanted to know if they would someday have kids. Laius went to the Oracle of Delphi and asked the burning question. The Oracle replied that their first†¦show more content†¦She asked him the same riddle as she did everybody else: â€Å"What walks on four feet in the morning, two in the afternoon, and three at night?† Oedipus thought long and hard until he finally answered with â€Å"Man, who crawls on all fours as a baby, he walks on two legs as an adult, and needs a walking stick when old.† The Sphinx - never bested at her own game - was so angry at Oedipus, she fell off the rock she was sitting on and killed herself. He was then greeted by Creon, the uncle he didn’t know he had. Creon said that whoever killed the Sphinx would become king. Oedipus met Jocasta and they were married, unknowingly completely fulfilling the prophecy. The new king had fathered four kids with his mother: Eteocles, Polynices, Antigone and Ismene. Years later, a plagued smothered the land. Oedipus sent Creon to the Oracle to find out why. The Oracle told Creon it was because Laius’ killer (his first son) hadn’t been caught. Oedipus ordered a search for everyone to help find the killer. A messenger came in (at that exact moment) to tell the king that he, in fact killed the previous king. Creon and Oedipus argued, and Jocasta added that her first son was dead. Then, another messenger came in and said that King Polybus was dead. Oedipus was relieved and said he would not attend the funeral anyway, just to prevent the second part of the prophecy from possibly coming true. The messenger then said Oedipus wasShow MoreRelatedOedipus The King Theme Essay1076 Words   |  5 Pages Oedipus the King: Themes of Blindness and Sight in the Sophocles Oedipus the King What does it mean to truly see? Do those blessed with normal vision really see? Oedipus the King by Sophocles’ is intertwined with many powerful themes and messages, establishing what real vision and real sight are. Sophocles’ play also demonstrates that sometimes in life we have to experience great loss in order to rediscover our true selves. In Oedipus’s quest for truth, lack of self-control, ignoranceRead More Realism in Oedipus the King Essay1234 Words   |  5 PagesRealism in Oedipus Rex  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   This essay will examine a feature of Sophocles’ tragedy which causes the reader to doubt the realism underlying the literary work. Specifically, the essay will consider the feasability of the belief at that time – that the Delphi oracle possessed credibility with the people.    At the outset of the drama the priest of Zeus and the crowd of citizens of Thebes are gathered before the royal palace of Thebes talking to King Oedipus about the plague whichRead MoreAnalysis Essay: Oedipus the King1017 Words   |  4 Pages Casual Analysis Essay: Oedipus the King Sophocles play Oedipus the King has endured for over two thousand years. The plays lasting appeal may be attributed to the fact it encompasses all the classical elements of tragedy as put forth by Aristotle in Poetics nearly a century before it was written. According to Aristotle, tragedy needs to be an imitation of life according to the law of probability or necessity. Tragedy is serious, complete, and has magnitude. It must have a beginning, middleRead More Characterization in Oedipus the King Essay2193 Words   |  9 PagesCharacterization in Oedipus Rex  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚   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 toRead MoreOedipus the King Essay1611 Words   |  7 Pagestragic hero? â€Å"Oedipus the King† by Sophocles is a very good play which talks about a guy who was fated to kill his father and married his mother. Aristotle defines â€Å"tragic hero as a person of great stature and virtue who becomes aware of a mortal defect within himself.† This defect leads to great tragedy. Oedipus’s own essential nature makes him a tragic hero because his ignorance (lack of knowledge) led him to his own destruction. Also Fate plays an important role in make Oedipus a tragic hero becauseRead MoreOedipus the King Essay1127 Words   |  5 Pages Oedipus the king written by sophecles when read for the first time the reader will realize that the audience already knows what is going to happen its just the way that the characters deal will with it. There is an oracle that says that Oedipus will kill his father and marry his mother. Sophecles examines the relationship between fate and free will. Fate being what some say is an excuse. For example if I said that I could not do what I wanted to do I could say it was fate, which is junk. What isRead MoreOedipus The King Essay1137 Words   |  5 PagesOedipus was a thoughtful king in the book Oedipus Rex written by Sophocles. Before Oedipus was born, Laius and Jocasta (Parents of Oedipus, King and Queen of Thebes) went to go see Apollo. Reason being, they wanted to talk to Apollo to see what future was ahead for their family. He told them that their baby (Oedipus) would end up killing his father Laius and marrying his mother Jocasta. Them hearing such awful news, they pierced his feet together and gave him to a servant/shepherd to leave him inRead MoreOedipus The King Essay1360 Words   |  6 Pagesabout by the suffering of a heroic figure. In Oedipus The King, by Sophocles, the agony of pain attacking the protagonist is a result of his tragic flaw. Sophocles often uses a characters hamartia to alter or influence the future or outcome of the hero, in this case, Oedipus. Oedipus hubris traps him into fulfilling the vision and intensifies his punishment. Oedipus pride is an inherited characteristic. Even before his glory and power as King of Thebes, he allowed his conceit to affectRead More Oedipus the King Essay1073 Words   |  5 PagesOedipus the King The ancient Greeks were famous for their tragedies. These dramas functioned to â€Å"ask questions about the nature of man, his position in the universe, and the powers that govern his life† (â€Å"Greek† 1). Brereton (1968) stated that tragedies typically â€Å"involved a final and impressive disaster due to an unforeseen or unrealized failure involving people who command respect and sympathy. It often entails an ironical change of fortune and usually conveys a strong impression ofRead MoreOedipus the King Essay615 Words   |  3 PagesSophocles Oedipus the King   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the play Oedipus Rex the main character, Oedipus, has to deal with his predetermined fate and his own nature. He is cursed from the beginning of his life when a soothsayer tells of his fate upon his birth. It is predicted that he will kill his father, and marry his mother, and raise a family.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Oedipus was born to Laios and Iocaste who were the king and queen of Thebes. Upon his birth, his parents were shocked at a soothsayer?s prediction of Oedipus?s fate