Compare And Contrast Odysseus And Oedipus

Bailey Holland
10-12-15
Dr. Shikiar
Philosophy Aesthetics Midterm Paper Plotinus challenges Plato 's theory that art imitates nature and the world of appearances and is therefore twice removed from reality. He gives art a higher position and develops the Platonic distinction between the world of appearance and true reality and takes art as an emanation from the ultimately unknowable "One". Throughout history, writers and philosophers have expressed their views about how the life of man is ultimately defined in their works. The Greeks have played their part in this quest as well. One of the great plays of the ancient Greek world that paved the way for others was Sophocles’ “Oedipus Rex”. In this play, Sophocles shows us a chapter from the life of man. Throughout the book, he hints at the idea that life poses a riddle for man to solve thus being a

He displays the defining qualities of a “morally correct human”. Oedipus, unlike Odysseus in the Odyssey, had no divine influence, yet he still is able to continue looking for the truth after much hardship. Given all the circumstances, Oedipus still manages to live through to the end without losing composure. Sophocles would definitely honor such a man, as well as Plotinus. Both Oedipus’ life and his kingdom were filled with riddles, paradoxes, and mysteries. Oedipus’ beginning and end at Thebes arose from the riddle of the oracle. Without his parent’s confrontation with the oracle, Oedipus would not have been cast away from Thebes in the first place. Yet without the riddle of the sphinx, Oedipus would not have arrived at his royal position. This could be Sophocles’ method to involve our minds, letting us know that every action we take has an effect on us later in life. At Thebes he is bothered by the plague of the city. For this mystery, Oedipus consistently strives for the truth, disregarding all tries to stop his