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Cultural Context Of Oedipus The King

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During the interactive oral, cultural context of Oedipus Rex was explored through religion which deepened my understanding of the cultural and contextual considerations of Sophocles’s work. The social context of this book brought to light the religion of the the effect of time and place on the writing and development of the book.

My understanding of the worked developed through the knowledge the cultural background of the work. The play set in Ancient Greece, is a place rich in mythology and worship for gods. In this book, Greek mythology played a tremendous role in the development of the story, functioning as the context and the cultural background to which the story is based upon. God Apollo in this book act as an important role model, …show more content…

Nothing can make me other than I am.” While Oedipus’s fate of killing his father and sleeping with his mother is sealed, he only learns that he has fulfilled his fate through persistent searching. Therefore, it is his free will which led the that the discovery of the tragedy. In this play, Sophocles played with the idea of the extent fate and free will have on a person’s life. Through free will and choice did Oedipus began his search on the truth on the murderer of the former King Laius and of his own heritage. Throughout the play, Oedipus pushes for information and knowledge on the murderer and of his heritage although the characters refuses to answer. During his quest for truth, other characters tried to stop him, "Oh no, listen to me, I beg you, don’t do this….Listen to you? No more. I must know it all, see the truth at last " (Sophocles 195),however, he didn’t. His desire for truth kept pushing him to continue his quest and ultimately leading to his downfall. The entire time Oedipus had the capability to discontinue the plight. However he made the independent decision to continue due to his human nature of having strong will and determination. Another instance where choices directly linked Oedipus to the prophecy was at the crossroads, where important trait in his character, stubbornness was displayed. This trait is visible when Oedipus reacted to the man pushing him aside at the crossroads. "the one shouldering me aside, the driver, I strike him in anger! ….I killed them all--every mother's son!"

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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.

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A main theme throughout The Odyssey is the idea of fate vs. free will, which is also largely consistent throughout Oedipus Rex. However, instead of exclusively exploring the involvement of both fate and free will in the human condition, Sophocles analyzes the limits of human free will and the consequences of ignoring or attempting to avoid fate. Throughout the play, we see both Oedipus and his parents constantly running from their fate. They make almost every possible move to avoid their inevitable fate. Through this presentation of free will, Sophocles suggests that although humans have the independence to make their own choices, these choices will ultimately result in whatever condition they were predestined to encounter.

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His determination to uncover the truth and punish the perpetrator reveals his sense of duty to his fellow citizens and his recognition of their interdependence. Additionally, Oedipus’ actions lead to the revelation of his own guilt, demonstrating the interconnectedness of his fate with that of the city.

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The world of literature offers many different works; some may offer similarities while there are differences between others. There are more similarities than differences between Odysseus and Oedipus. Two great examples of literature is the tragic play “Oedipus the King”, written by Sophocles and “The Odyssey”, an epic poem written by Homer who were both Greek poets. Both poets’ work shows similar examples of life altering changes that were ultimately controlled by the Greek gods.

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Niya Kebreab King Oedipus: Moral Ambiguity In the play King Oedipus, Sophocles depicts Oedipus’ inevitable downfall, which represents man’s struggle between free will and fate. In an attempt to use the audience’s knowledge to his advantage, Sophocles opens the play seventeen years after Oedipus murders his father, Laius and marries his mother, Jocasta. The sequence in which the story unravels reveals the strong psychological focus towards Oedipus’ character. In search of his identity, Oedipus’ enigmatic quality and moral ambiguity compels readers to question whether his ignorance renders him morally blameless.

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  His agency is based on his drive for knowledge.   Throughout the play, Oedipus pushes many people for information regarding his beginnings. Each one of those characters in some way or form denied giving him a clear answer. As he draws close to an answer, another character tries to stop his journey.  Oedipus continues to keep moving forward even though others tried to get him to stop.

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He is stubborn in resisting the truth but he still seeks for it and that is his final undoing. Wanting to know the truth is not necessarily a bad thing but it is often the cause for bad things to happen. Oedipus is a key example of this when he finally realizes that he was the one who killed his father when he is faced with his dead wife and mother. He reacts harshly to this, stabbing out his eyes and banishing himself all over again. There is no denying that Oedipus caused a lot of his pain himself with no one else to blame.

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It can be seen as a trend throughout history that stories reflect a society’s culture and values. One of the most memorable and inspirational civilization that made a substantial contribution to literature was Greece. Sophocles, a renowned Greek playwright, is beloved for his dramatic and action-filled plays that effectively satisfied the ancient audience. In Sophocles’ tragic play, Oedipus the King, the main character, Oedipus finds difficulty proclaiming his purpose against the fate bestowed upon him by the gods. Alongside his struggling, the values and cultural aspects of the Greeks emerge, reflecting their views on society during that time period at which the play was produced.

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Sophocles’ Oedipus the King was written around 430 B.C. and earned the Greek tragedian a win in the annual festival to the god Dionysus. Clearly, a murder mystery is guaranteed to draw a reader’s attention or in this case an audience for Oedipus the King. David Guterson’s nearly identical retelling Ed King was published in 2011. It takes the classic story and reinvents it into a modern form that is as profound as the original. The basis for examining this classic and contemporary work together seems purposeful since the appeal of the story stems from a psychological and literary perspesctive which never loses its element of surprise and continues to compel the audience and the reader.

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In “Oedipus the King”, Sophocles clearly represents the Greek belief in fate controlling a man’s life despite man’s supposed free will. Man had free will in making decisions and ultimately was held accountable for his actions. Predestined to marry his mother and kill his father, Oedipus was moderately channeled by fate. Throughout “Oedipus the King”, the idea of fate and free will plays a major part in the destruction of Oedipus; however, Oedipus himself has free will in making decisions and ultimately is held accountable for his actions. Sophocles makes meaning in the play by reducing the role of the Chorus and integrating it into action more than other playwrights of his time making the Chorus a minor character, using dramatic irony extensively and effectively, and forcing Oedipus to extreme limits as a tragic hero.

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1063 Words | 5 Pages

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.

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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

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And Oedipus replied ”you have got your wish if you don’t tell the truth” . He is not pushing them to speak, he forces them using the power of his position . In addition to the reason behind Oedipus’s escape is knowing his fate and that he is going to kill his father and marry his mother. So he ran from it, and he did not know that he is running towards it. His curiosity and insistence to revel the truth made him follow his passion and never listen to anybody, hence he made bad choices.

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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.

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1318 Words | 6 Pages

The religious context of Oedipus Rex. Oedipus Rex is part of the three Theban plays set in the city of Thebes, in which the main character of the play is a king – Oedipus. By looking at the religious context of the play, we can better understand how religion influenced the play. Oedipus Rex was set in Ancient Greece and Ancient Greeks were said to have been very religious, they had a very strong belief in the cosmic order and the Greek Gods.

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