Percy Jackson: Sea Of Monsters By Rick Riordan

Nick Behnke Mrs. Hollimier Pre-AP English 2 Honors 19 April 2024 Oedipus Rex Essay In Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan, Annabeth explains to Percy that her fatal flaw is hubris. She explains that “Hubris means pride, Percy. Thinking you can do things better than anyone else. Even the gods” (Riordan 199). Annabeth and Oedipus are both similar in that they both want control, and they both are proud. Oedipus’ flaw, or hamartia, is just one example of many that prove that Oedipus Rex is an example of a classical tragedy. Other examples that back up the tragedy are catharsis, peripeteia, ideas of the tragic hero, and the three unities. In many tragedies, writers will include catharsis to add drama to the play, normally at the conclusion.

In the story, it is seen that “She [Jocasta] ran to her apartment in the house. And there we saw her hanging.” (Sophocles 68). This evidence supports the idea that Jocasta, to escape her emotions of being Oedipus’ mother and wife, hangs herself. Later on in the story, catharsis is reintroduced when Oedipus punctures out his eyes to escape his emotions of the horrors that he has done. This can be proven in the story when Oedipus “... struck at his eyes- not once, but many times” (69). This backs up the claim of why Oedipus punishes himself for his actions. In conclusion, catharsis proves that Oedipus Rex is a tragedy because Jocasta and Oedipus both escaped their emotions, through death and pain. In addition to catharsis, peripeteia and the tragic hero both prove the ideas of tragedy. To introduce a plot twist and to add more style, writers will introduce information with peripeteia. Peripeteia is a sudden

This is evident when Teiresias says that “... you [Oedipus] are the murderer whom you seek” (20). This is an example of a sudden change in events, where Oedipus is in denial and the audience sees that he is the true killer. The tragic hero is Oedipus Rex, whose fate is controlled by the gods. His fate is destined by Apollo, where Creon explains to Oedipus that “The god commands us to expel from the land of Thebes, an old defilement we are sheltering. It is a deathly thing, beyond cure; we must not let it feed upon us longer” (7). This elaborates on what the cause of the plague is, why the plague was sent, and who to look for to stop it. This also will seal Oedipus’ fate when the others find out that their leader is the reason for the plague. Oedipus, although he is seen to be a hero and a leader, will succumb to the gods' will. To sum it up, Sophocles adds peripeteia to add dramatic details to the news of the prophecy, and he also adds the portrait of Oedipus being the tragic hero. Lastly, the three units of drama are used to identify a Greek tragedy. The three unities are the unity of action, time, and