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The tragic flaw in oedipus rex
Mistake in judgement for Oedipus's downfall
The tragic flaw of Oedipus the King
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The use of rhetorical appeal in Oedipus the Colonus is prominent, as it paves the way for the plot of the story. In this portion of the play Oedipus tries to appeal to the audience’s emotions by forcing them to empathize with his past horrors and misfortunes. Oedipus states” I have suffered terribly, Theseus, wrongs on wrongs, no end”(ll. 670-671). Thus, evoking sadness and extreme grief those reading or watching the play.
Sophocles ' play “Oedipus the King,” unwraps the complex nuances of a personality from one of its main characters, a woman called; Jocasta. It has to be noted that even though the play is a fictionalized version, it is something that has its roots in historic documents as well. With regards to many of the scholars who have been studying ancient Greek history, it has been noted that Jocasta was living in a time that was perhaps two or three generations before the Trojan War. She is mentioned in Homer’s Odyssey as the mother of Oedipus.
What is a hero? Do you know what a hero is? Do you know what kind of characteristics a hero must have? Well do you? No?
The gods talked, spoked, stated that the plaque would be undone when the murderer of king Laius was finally found, being Oedipus. The reason Oedipus deserved his fate was because he promised, to himself , to the land of thebes and to its people, to help them in any way they needed him, again acting like a god . He must remain a man of his word just as he made the law of exile , to keep those words and not try and erase what was his actions or his land would be doomed. “ it was murder that brought the plague wind to this city” (prologue 7).This quote is significant because it shows us the truth , the murder of the king was the reason the plaque was a problem to begin with,why it started. Now to undo has has been done , to get rid of this evil plague , the murder being Oedipus himself must be exiled or killed.
“The unexamined life is not worth living” uttered by Socrates himself can be well related when placed alongside of the Athenian tragedy best known as “Oedipus the King”. As this quote uttered by Socrates can be open to interpretation, “Oedipus the King” only makes room for a more complex meaning of this quote. Undeniably, the situation Oedipus was brought up in only ascertains to support this quote. Now we ask ourselves, what if Oedipus had not gone out of his way to
1. Oedipus is a hero, but he represents most men at the same time. He has human characteristics and feelings, such as his curiosity towards the knowledge Teiresias possesses and his horror when he realizes his horrible actions. “If you know something about our pain tell us…Speak then! Tell us what will emerge.”
Pericles was an ancient Greek Oratorian who was well respected by the Athenian community. Not only was he well respected, but he gave respect and during his speech. He did a great job during his speech by expressing the need for people to care about the big picture, and not their own individual needs. Even though a war was going on around the time of the delivery of the speech, Pericle made sure he expressed the reason why they must stand together as a city, and have a desire to continue to help those around them.
Critic Northrop Frye claims that tragic heroes “seem the inevitable conductors of the power about them… Conductors may of course be instruments as well as victims of the divisive lightning.” A perfect example of this assertion would be King Oedipus in the classical tragic play “Oedipus Rex,” written by Sophocles, where Oedipus, himself, becomes the victim of his doomed fate. As someone who was born and raised of royal blood, he becomes too proud and ignorant, believing that he was too powerful for his fate. Using the metaphor “great trees [are] more likely to be struck by lightning than a clump of grass,” Frye compares the heroic but unfortunate Oedipus to the great trees as they both are apt to experience victimization of tragic situations
Have you ever wanted to make a situation right for someone else, so much that you would do anything to fix it for them? When a person cares a lot for someone they love, a family member for example, they often times would sacrifice anything for them to be happy again. In Antigone by Sophocles, the main character Antigone gets sentenced to death by the King Creon after disobeying him for giving her brother Polyneices, a proper burial that she believed he deserved. Creon thought he should be left out in the sun for his body to rot, to make up for his act of treason. Antigone made a sacrifice for her brother that she also tried to convince her sister Ismene to join in on.
Thesis:In Sophocles play ‘Oedipus the king’,Oedipus is an example of a tragic hero because he changed from a hero at the beginning of the play into a tragic hero by the end by experiencing power,tragic flow,downfall and death. Oedipus changes into a person no can believe of,because in the beginning he was a hero for the city of thebes by solving a riddle to defeat the monster that was killing and taking over thebes. Claim:Before the play Oedipus defeats sphinx and becomes a powerful king,At the beginning of the play people rely on Oedipus’s power and help. Data:For example the priest says “Oedipus greatest in all men’s eyes We pray,find some strength again and rescue or city”. Warrant:From this quote readers can see that how empowered oedipus feels like and how people in thebes rely on him,Clearly this scene represents the power stage of the tragic hero.
Oedipus Rex [Scene: outside, in front of the palace of Oedipus. There is also a shrine to Apollo at which are seated many suppliants. Oedipus enters the stage from the palace.] OEDIPUS: My children, new-sprung race of old Cadmus, why do you sit at my shrines, wearing garlands of the suppliants’ olive?
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.
It is ironic how he talks about what could possibly be his own consequences for his actions. While giving the speech Oedipus says “I pray, too, that, if he should become an honoured guest in my own home and with my knowledge, I may suffer all those things I’ve just called down upon the killers” (Sophocles). Oedipus explains how the suspect will face bad things, and that if the murderer was let into his own house, with his knowledge, he shall be punished for it. The reader can infer that Oedipus may be the culprit considering he may ironically be the “honored guest in his own home.” This can seem like a reasonable outcome considering the reader knows that the position of a king is honorable.
Even though it seems that Oedipus has not been a particularly good monarch, having a king put to death could have serious repercussions on the rest of the kingdom. The only way to cure the plague and keep the kingdom stable seems to be the banishment of Oedipus. In this case, the question of whether or not he deserved to be punished seems irrelevant; Oedipus ' only goal was to stop the plague and by leaving, he has accomplished that goal. Banishment was the only choice.
Dear Mr. Flynn,It has come to my attention that you would like to remove certain books from our English curriculum. I would liketo inform you however that I need at least three of theses stories in order to teach the concept of the monomyth. I need the greek myth of Herculesto teach the separation stage. Homer's epic, the Odyssey, is the story I use to teach the struggle / initiation stage. Lastly, I need you to keep the story of the Holy Grail in order to demonstrate the return/reintegration stage.
