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Analysis of Oedipus the king by sophocles
The characterisation of Sophocles's king Oedipus
Discuss the characteristics of different characters in the play ,Oedipus the King by Sophocles
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Truth is one of the most desirable things. Yet, often times humans can not tell the difference between lies and reality. Living under a falsehood would seem normal to people living on a lie for it is the truth to them. Sophocles and Steven Spielberg emphasize this point in their literature: Oedipus the King and Minority Report. The truth can shatter a human's illusion about the world they are living in .
“You are free to choose, but you are not free from the consequence of your choice.” (A Universal Paradox). In The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus is stuck in a whirlwind of choices, and with all of those choices come consequences. Odysseus proves throughout the book that he is the worst person you could choose to pick a choice. He does not consider the consequences of his actions because he is not logical, is selfish with his actions, and is very secretive.
Everything that happened was suppose to happen because it was Oedipus destiny. The messenger said “it's very plain you don't know what you're doing”(15). Its as if Oedipus has not been controlling himself and has been under a spell or some such. Also after Oedipus found out he was the killer he wanted to leave town instantly. He is willing to do anything to help his city go back to normal and lift the curse.
Oedipus fails to overcome the fate that has been set out for him by the gods. Though the case was different for him, as unlike Hamlet, Oedipus really couldn’t have done anything to avoid his fate of killing his father and marrying his mother. He believed that his real parents were in Corinth and the best way to avoid his fate was to flee the city. Unfortunately for Oedipus, what he had not known was that he was adopted, and his real parents lived in Thebes, the city he fled to. It was nearly impossible for him to have avoided his fate.
Considering the circumstances and analyzing the evidence that will lead to the obvious truth; it is certain that Oedipus will do everything in his power to make change his
Upon receiving the prophecy that he would kill his father and marry his mother, he unquestioningly embraced its validity without challenging it. However, if he employed his common knowledge and free will, the course of events might have been altered. For instance, he tragically killed Laius in a dispute that could have been avoided with restraint. Additionally, when tasked with uncovering the murderer of the former king of Thebes, Oedipus willingly accepted the challenge, firmly believing it was his destiny to expose the killer and save his city. Unfortunately, his unwavering trust in fate and blind devotion to prophecies ultimately led to his downfall.
The tragic hero is unable to escape his fate that was spoken over his life to happen. Even though Oedipus has chosen his own actions, the consequences he is sure to face have become undeniable and cannot be changed. Due to the flaws in his character, the king will fall from the good graces of those who once believed in him. In the tragedy “Oedipus the King” it begins with Oedipus showing his flaw of judgement when disregarding Teiresias warning.
In many Greek tragedies characters are often seen trying to run away from their fate. In the process, they only end up solidifying it. In the case of Oedipus, his fate was that he would kill his father and marry his mother. In an attempt to save himself Laius, Oedipus's father attempted to kill Oedipus. Yet fate stepped in and Oedipus was found and raised by his adopted parents.
In Sophocles' Oedipus the King, the themes of fate and agency are very strong throughout the play. Both sides of the argument can be greatly supported. The attributes of a person have either a positive or negative affect on the choices that they make. For Oedipus, his main attribute was the desire for knowledge and understanding about his own life. Because of this strong will and desire, this was Oedipus’ driving force in the play to lead him to the truth of his beginnings.
The fate of Oedipus was not his own but he caused a disruption of a nation that could have been
Truly, Oedipus sets out to change his destiny. His self determination proves he has pride in himself and confidence that he can somehow change the future. When Oedipus killed his father he allowed his pride and arrogance to control him. He was thinking with his pride and did not use self control. This hubris that is instilled in Oedipus is a serious flaw of his.
Oedipus had a number of opportunities to run down another path, or use the strength it took to kill the men to incapacitate them long enough to get away. Instead, he chooses murder and fulfilled the
Oedipus’s selfishness and temper eventually lead to his downfall. Oedipus selfishness made everyone else mad at him for him not believing them. He kept digging and digging himself into a deeper hole. This eventually made his punishment at the end worse for him. He also could not handle the truth so this made him disrespect the gods.
The destiny that Oedipus was attempting to avoid, was the destiny that he was also fulfilling. Fate is defined as a destined outcome; nothing can alter that no matter what is tried. Anyway, it was too late for Oedipus to do anything about it, for the many factors that contributed to his death were irreversible and dormant until the very ironically tragic end. Oedipus tried to master fate and it ultimately mastered him.
Greek theatre was formed back in 500 BC by the Greek civilisation that used performing, miming and dancing as ways and means to tell stories, imitate others and for their rituals. They were two forms of plays that were showcased in the City of Dionysia; tragedy and satyr. The City of Dionysia was the festival celebrating the God Dionysus. Throughout this essay I will be describing the characteristics of Greek tragedy while using Sophocles’ ‘ Oedipus the King’ as a reference.
