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How Is The Sphinx To Create Tension In Oedipus Rex

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Sophocles revisits Oedipus's past experience with the Sphinx to create mystery and tension about Oedipus's future in several ways. First Oedipus says “But then I came, Oedipus, who knew nothing. Yet, I finished her [the Sphinx], using my wits rather than relying on birds” (lines 476 to 478). This quote causes the reader to feel several strong emotions. First, there is the feeling of mystery because the readers have not yet been informed of what exactly this great riddle that Oedipus solved was. In addition to this, tension is also created from this quote because Oedipus’s past puts pressure on him to save the city as he has done before. Oedipus also says that “when the Sphinx, that singing bitch, was [in Thebes], [Teiresias] said nothing to
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P.13 Oedipus questions Teiresias, curious to know what he knows. “Oh gruesomely clear it has all unraveled… I was bonded with the people I should have never killed.” P.40 Oedipus sees what he has done wrong and feels vulnerable and horror. The audience clearly sees that heroes are very human and how real their limitations. Most people would have felt that same vulnerability if the gods had made us their plaything and tormented us, writing a prophecy of our doom.

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Oedipus talked to Teiresias about his powers and what he knows in lines 110-125, however, Teiresias initially just wants to leave and let Oedipus deal with his own fate. As Oedipus’s patience runs out, he demands “Out with it! Have you no feeling at all!” to Teiresias, which fails to accomplish anything but anger him. Teiresias then tells Oedipus he is the actual murderer of the previous king, causing Oedipus to go into a rage where he accused Creon of being a usurper, and Teiresias of helping him in his task from lines 160-185.

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When Teiresias accuses Oedipus of being the defiler of the land he forgets the problems of the people and is encased in anger making him accuse Creon of bribing Teiresias. When he is speaking to his wife, Jocasta, he can only concentrate on one thing at a time and forgets the mention of Laius having a child and also forgets the problem concerning his birth. Finally with the message from Corinth he starts to realize how everything ties together. Bloom states that “we learn that the best sort of tragic hero is a man highly esteemed and prosperous who falls into misfortune because of some serious (mega√lh) aÓmarti√a:examples, Oedipus and Thyestes.”(18).

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Briefly following, Oedipus goes on to explain his perspective of Thebes saying, ‘"for what the light of the day has spared that darkness of night destroys”’ (Sophocles 198). Oedipus knows that the darkness that the city encounters and figures that he could help save it. After defeating the Sphinx and 15 years as being the King, Oedipus faces his first conflict; what man is responsible for the death of Laius? The immense pressure that the King of Thebes faces daily, Oedipus is frantic and reluctant to figure out the murderous man.

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Brilliantly conceived and written, Oedipus Rex is a drama of self-discovery. Achieved by amazing compression and force by limiting the dramatic action to the day on which Oedipus learns the truth of his birth and his destiny is quite the thriller. The fact that the audience knows the dark secret that Oedipus unwittingly slew his true father and married his mother does nothing to destroy the suspense. Oedipus’s search for the truth has all the tautness of a detective tale, and yet because audiences already know the truth they are aware of all the ironies in which Oedipus is enmeshed. That knowledge enables them to fear the final revelation at the same time that they pity the man whose past is gradually and relentlessly uncovered to him.

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And this first part of the riddle was very relevant to Oedipus’s life as how he was taken to the mountain by the shepherd to be killed. Oedipus was at the weakest point of his life at that time, which is related to the first part of the riddle of him walking on four legs meaning he is still young. But this relevance is evident through the way the Omen of the god Apollo that Lauis’s son would kill him and wed Jocasta would not come true. And in Other words Oedipus did not know what was waiting for him at the other side of the gate and what he had done was brilliant but it lead to fatal consequences later on. To recap Oedipus has solved the riddle based on his view of the riddle, but did not know that the sphinx riddle meant that it will happen to him.

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