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How Does Sophocles Present Oedipus's Actions

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How does Sophocles present Oedipus so memorably in lines 1048-1078 and lines 1351-1421 of Oedipus the King? The play Oedipus the King, written by Greek playwright Sophocles, centres around Oedipus’ life as the king of Thebes and what is to come of his tragic downfall. In lines 1048-1078 and lines 1351-1421, Sophocles creates thought-provoking and memorable scenes for the audience by using symbols of birds and flight, exploring the theme of Greek tragedy and its different aspects, and relating characters to imagery of light and darkness. Oedipus’ retaliation against the prophecy is made memorable through the use of rhetorical language and the symbolism of birds and flight in lines 1055–1057. As the messenger reveals the death of Oedipus’ supposed father, Polybus, he is quickly drawn to believe that the prophecy has been proven false, and in return, he rejoices: “So! Jocasta, why, why scan the birds that scream above our heads? They winged me on to the murder of my father,” which utilises exclamation and repetition of rhetorical questions to express Oedipus’ exaggerated feelings of arrogance …show more content…

Followed by the stage direction, the Messenger enters from the palace to report: “it soon will bring to light– terrible things, and none done blindly now, all done with a will.” Sophocles uses the metaphor of bringing the uncovered truth “to light” to reveal the result of Oedipus’ persistent efforts to prove the prophecy wrong, which emphasises the power of fate over the action he takes. By focusing on the inevitability of fate, Sophocles elicits sympathy and pity from the audience by emphasising Oedipus’ lack of autonomy over his own life; that his fate had been predetermined by not only Tiresias, the oracle, but also the paramount choices of superior Greek gods right from the very

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They were both in utter shock. When Oedipus finally accepts the truth, he is surprised that the prophecy became true. After all he did to avoid his fate, it happened exactly like the prophecy. Sophocles uses blindness to represent the irony of Oedipus. In the beginning, Oedipus is “[able to] see and still [is] blind” to the truth (Sophocles 23).

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The motif of light and darkness play one of the most substantial rolls in the play. Sophocles introduces Oedipus as a seemingly powerful and virtuous man bursting with great strength. Ever since Oedipus had defeated the Sphinx, it became apparent that this was the King that the Thebans have been pleading for. Only a great King can effortlessly assert themselves in dominant manner over others, on the contrary, Oedipus had pushed it to the point where he overlooks the thoughts of others. As a tragic result, he was constantly becoming ever more blind throughout the passage.

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In the novel Oedipus the king,what Sophocles strives to reveal to us about his society is that although the truth can often hurt, knowledge to the greeks was very important to them because they were a people who needed to be informed about everything. In Sophocles time gods were revered more than anything, and because of how powerful these divine beings were it was not in any human's control to question them since they could not confront these all divine beings who controlled their fate and actions. Throughout the novel Sophocles intentions are to show the readers the concept of sight and blindness as well as the idea of fate and freewill, greek plays in these ancient times were designed to incorporate throughout the story dramatic irony which a theme that revolves around the story..

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Sophocles further shows this in his writings of Oedipus Rex to convey that no one can escape their fate; the symbols of Oedipus’ scars and sight vs. blindness help to reinforce this theme. The symbols of sight and blindness in Oedipus Rex represents knowledge and expresses denial. In the first scene Sophocles writes about an old wise man named Teiresias visiting Oedipus to try and help the young king find the murderer of king Laius; during this visit Teiresias states, “You cannot see the

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614 Words | 3 Pages

From the beginning Oedipus was destined to fulfill a terrible prophecy, but through particular events that follow the steps of the Hero’s Journey, Oedipus becomes a powerful king of Thebes, only to be destroyed by the prophecy that should have ended his life as a child. The Hero’s Journey typically leads to self-confidence and power, however; the Hero’s Journey of Oedipus leads to his tragic demise. The Hero’s Journey lays out the steps of Oedipus’s future actions, which create suspense, fear, pity, and other emotions that captivates the audience. Similar to many famous stories, Oedipus the King, written by Sophocles in 430 B.C., follows the Hero’s Journey path, which is evident in Oedipus’s departure, initiation, and return.

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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.

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Oedipus is ecstatic to learn of this and feels that he has managed to evade the prophecy of killing his father and marrying his mother. Oedipus exclaims with joy, “.... Polybos/ Has packed the oracles off with him underground./ They are empty words.” (Scene 3, 50). Oedipus felt that even though Merope, his "mother" and the queen of Corinth, was still alive, he had to be afraid of going back to Corinth.

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Sophocles portrays Oedipus as a tragic hero which develops his tragical life from the King of Thebes to a fragile man by a series of “happenstances”, or it can be argued as destiny. By the end of the play, he will revealed as a character to be pitied his arrogance at believing that he is above the law of the land and that he can somehow escape his own fate, contributing to his downfall. This passage will focus on three main points that Oedipus is shown a boastful king, he is short tempered and he blames his fate to gods which lead Oedipus’ decline.   Oedipus is highly respected and feared as a boastful king. The metaphor, “I was not sleeping, you are not waking me.”

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As in the Sophocles’ drama, the happenings are not so much a new action as a conversation that, driving to its painful denouement proceeds over the ancient events depicting their significance as entirely different from the imaginations of the participants. Oedipus finds that the man that he murdered sometime back was instead his father while the man that he previously regarded as his father was

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The audience that has the pleasure of witnessing a performance of Oedipus Rex may come to pity and fear the character of Oedipus. Oedipus lives his whole life believing Polybus is his father, as a native from Corinth, and upon learning his prophecy that he will kill his father and bare children with his mother, he leaves to protect his family and save himself. When hardships in Thebes abrew, Oedipus is told he is the problem and must leave because he has fulfilled his prophecy, because of this Oedipus is fearful that anyone such as Creon is out to get him for his power. The audience witnesses Oedipus lose his sanity as he grows closer to the source to be told Laois is his father that he did indeed murder, Jocasta is his mother that he married

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790 Words | 4 Pages

As more information is uncovered, Oedipus’ legacy is exponentially diminished as a childhood prophecy revolving around Oedipus, murdering his father and marrying his mother, is brought to light. Knowledge possesses the power to catalyse devastation in stages as demonstrated through Oedipus’ ignorance, his overwhelming curiosity, and his psychological anguish. From the beginning, Oedipus was raised in a legion of lies, believing Merope and Polybus to be his true parents. This cloak of ignorance not only shielded Oedipus from the knowledge of his biological parents, but allowed the prophecy to act as a catalyst for his fleeing of Corinth.

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1252 Words | 6 Pages

In the story of Oedipus Rex, messengers can be classified into two groups, ones that convey the message of human, and others that foretell gods will. By delicate touches, these seemingly minor characters could reverse the mood of our protagonist in various occasion. Such an intricate usage of this repeating element motivates the mood, elevating the tension in the passage. A clear example of this manipulation can be seen with the messengers sent from Corinth. When the messenger comes to inform Oedipus, he freed Oedipus from his concerns about his mother and father.

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The Freedom of Oedipus is the Freedom of Thebes: Why Oedipus Cannot be Free Until the Truth is Exposed In Sophocles’ Oedipus Tyrannus, the theme of human fate versus free will is explored in the age-old tale of the king of Thebes who inadvertently murdered his father and married his mother. The play opens with Oedipus, a strong man and compassionate leader whom the audience can easily admire. By the closing of the play, a journey of self-discovery has lead Oedipus to his fall from kingship and exile from the city he loves, as well as the suicide of his wife and his self-blinding.

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The plot is thoroughly integrated with the characterization of Oedipus, for it is he who impels the action forward in his concern for Thebes, his personal rashness, and his ignorance of his past. His flaws are a hot temper and impulsiveness, but without those traits his heroic course of self-discovery would never occur. Fate for Sophocles is not something essentially external to human beings but

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The theme of ignorance versus knowledge is greatly portrayed in this extremely impactful Greek tragedy written centuries ago, discovering and acknowledging great defeat and one’s destiny. The author of this Greek tragedy is a man named Sophocles. He has written a play that involves Oedipus, the King of Thebes, his wife and queen Jocasta, Tiresias, the blind prophet, and Creon, his brother-in-law. The play “Oedipus the King” by Sophocles explores ignorance versus knowledge to truly understand that one cannot control their destiny. This theme is illustrated through point of view, imagery, and symbolism.

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