Oedipus Tyrannus” is “basically is a story of a man’s discovery through persistent inquiry that he is guilty of unwitting parricide and incest, and his horrified reaction to that discovery. In “Oedipus the King”, Oedipus king of Thebes unknownly killed his biological father and married his mother. On this Ancient myth, the playwright Sophocles weaves a complex story that can be interpreted on many different levels of intellectual thinking. This play, since the time it was staged has been subjected to countless forms of analysis and interpretations. The most famous one being the Aristole’s interpretation of the play in his book “Poetics”, on what makes it a perfect tragedy. So, what is “Oedipus Tyrannus is really about”, that still keeps fascinating the intellectuals and readers alike. Is it the developing mystery that captivates audience or the feeling of catharsis effect that readers and audience get after vicariously experiencing the horror and the humiliation that Oedipus feeds at the end of the play or is it mankind’s questioning of Gods and prophecy. Which ever way, a reader choose interpret the play, “Oedipus the King” remains one of the most admirable plays ever stages in literary world.
One way of approaching “Oedipus the King” can be by looking at it as if were a detective story. When we are first reading the book, one can see the whole plot revolves around the Oedipus quest for truth. Basically, Oedipus is trying to solve a murder mystery of the former Thebes King Laius with the required elements of suspects, crimes, clues and investigator to make it to be a normal detective story. The plot of the story revolves around one significant event, which is the killing of King Laius. So now that the we have the crime stated, what we is need of a hero. Enter “Oedipus” as the detective. Continues Next Page -------
Oedipus has proven himself as an able detective possessing the essential qualities of bravery and intelligence, proven by answering the Sphinx riddle and saving Thebes. He first utilities his interrogation skills upon “Prophet Tiresias” in a sort of bad-cop manner, yelling at him or forcing him into answering questions unwillingly. Very much like the modern day detective television shows such as “Law & Order” or “NYPD Blues”. In the hope of deriving the truth out of
“Prophet Tiresais”, Oedipus yell at him
&n...
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...catharsis to be effectuated" (109) He says that that enlightenment is the decisive element is the decisive element in catharsis: "the unltimate relief comes when the dramatist brings the tragic struggle to a state of rest" (109). Since the audience cannot be left in the state of tensions, enlightment restores the equilibrium above the chaos of emotion. In the end of Oedipus, takes a prophetice quality of Tireisis. Therefore, bring end to the choas that result from the drama.
“Oedipus Tyrannous” can be interpreted in many ways and in many different levels owing to its complexity for the real meaning it is trying to convey to the reader. On the surface level it may seems a detective story alike of Alfred Hitchcock’s movie. But when analyzed further it shows it also can be about the argument of religion vs scientific methods. Also the continuity of its success in the literary world can be attributed Aristotle’s philosophy of catharsis. There are many more interpretations that can be derived out of this play, as previous scholars have done in the past. This degree of complexity continues to sustains the interests of scholars, readers and students alike.
The work as a whole seems to be a study of the nature of the mystery and how its discovery brings out the true identity of Oedipus. The clues involved in Oedipus’ puzzle surface a dark truth about his past and the fate. that he simply cannot shake the fact that he is the murderer and is indeed controlled by the Gods, not as powerful as them. When Kreon returns from Delphi, he tells Oedipus that he must “avenge”. the murderers of King Laios.
Oedipus's pride leads to the story's tragic ending. He is too proud to consider the words of the prophet Teiresias, choosing, instead to rely on his own investing powers. Teiresias warns him not to pry into these matters, but pride in his intelligence leads Oedipus to continue his search. Oedipus thinks he can change fate. He just tries to ignore it, because he counts on his own ability to root out the truth. Oedipus is a clever man, but he is blind to the truth and refuses to believe Teiresias's warnings. He suffers because of his hamartia. I t is this excessive pride fuels his own destruction. I would just say Oedipus is a tragic hero.
The roles of the characters are particularly useful when comparing and contrasting Oedipus to Darker Face. Oedipus can be argued to be a sympathetic ruler of his people, "my heart must bear the strain of sorrow for all..." (4). He shows a strong desire to rid the land of its despair. Yet as the reader captures a more in-depth glimpse into Oedipus' soul, we find him to be a jealous, stubborn, "blind", guilty, and sinful man. Oedipus' character outwardly seems to want nothing more than to find the guilty persons involved in the murder of Laius, yet when given obvious clues he turns a blind eye, not wanting to know the truth behind the prophecy.
Oedipus starts on a powerful trip to find the murderer, and this ends up throwing him into a passionate search within himself to find the truth. Because Oedipus will not compromise, and will only go after the
Greek play writer Sophocles believes human understanding has evident limits, proven accordingly in context to Sophocles works such as Oedipus Rex. There is an abundance of arguments that can be constructed in consideration to what certainty and proof can be formulated from this particular claim, pulling from the reading one could comfortably confirm that the prominent extent of an individuals understanding is related to everything they are thought from a young age. The protagonist in the play know as Oedipus lives much of his life as a cocky reigning king of Thebes, he is firm in his belief and knowledge that under no circumstance , that he is the murderer of the previous king. Even with all the evidence put forth him, which would have disproven his long-lasting belied in his so called innocence, Oedipus instead utilizes these pieces of information with his secular reasoning and constant conviction that he could never be in fact the killer.
In Sophocles' most famous Theban play consisting of two parts, "Oedipus the King" and "Antigone", both parts are necessary in understanding some of the things that happened around them, and what type of man had raised Antigone. She is the main character in the play of “Antigone”.
Few people think of detective work in regard to “Oedipus the King”, but this play builds on riddles solved, and unsolved, making it to be a mystery. Oedipus starts out as an optimistic individual who is in charge of a cold case proclaiming that he is going to solve the mystery of the murder of King Laius, in order to life the plague from his city Thebes. The people of Thebes look up to and Oedipus for solving the Sphinx riddle, “You freed us from the Sphinx; you came to Thebes and cut us loose from the bloody tribute we had paid that harsh, brutal singer. We taught you nothing, no skill, no extra knowledge, still you triumphed (Sophocles 44-47). The people believe in him without any prior knowledge of him. When he first hears of the murder, Oedipus immediately takes on the role as a detective when he hears “where shall we find clue to solve that crime after so many years” (Sophocles). The Oracle at Delphi tells Oedipus that the plague will be lifted if Thebes banished the man who killed Laius (Sophocles 74, line 350).
Tiresias, from “Oedipus the King” by the Ancient Greek playwright Sophocles, is a blind prophet and whilst he is only on the stage for a little time he plays a major role by what he does and what he represents. Tiresias enters the play after being summoned by Oedipus to tell him of the murderer of Laius, the recent King. Tiresias for the sake of Oedipus does not tell him the truth at the start saying that “what will come will come. Even if I shroud it all in silence”. In is conversation, Sophocles, uses Tiresias as a turning point in the plot as it is the beginning of Oedipus’ downfall. As well as that Sophocles uses Tiresias to represent many of the key ideas in the play. Tiresias represents the idea of fate and how
The play "Oedipus Rex" is a very full and lively one to say the least. Everything a reader could ask for is included in this play. There is excitement, suspense, happiness, sorrow, and much more. Truth is the main theme of the play. Oedipus cannot accept the truth as it comes to him or even where it comes from. He is blinded in his own life, trying to ignore the truth of his life. Oedipus will find out that truth is rock solid. The story is mainly about a young man named Oedipus who is trying to find out more knowledge than he can handle. The story starts off by telling us that Oedipus has seen his moira, his fate, and finds out that in the future he will end up killing his father and marrying his mother. Thinking that his mother and father were Polybos and Merope, the only parents he knew, he ran away from home and went far away so he could change his fate and not end up harming his family. Oedipus will later find out that he cannot change fate because he has no control over it, only the God's can control what happens. Oedipus is a very healthy person with a strong willed mind who will never give up until he gets what he wants. Unfortunately, in this story these will not be good trait to have.
Owen, E. T. “Drama in Sophocles’ Oedipus Tyrannus.” In Twentieth Century Interpretations of Oedipus Rex, edited by Michael J. O’Brien. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1968.
The myth of Oedipus is one of a man brought down by forces aligning against him. Over the years, different playwrights have interpreted his character in various fashions. In Sophocles’ Oedipus the King, Oedipus is a man who is blind to the path on which his questions take him and exemplifies the typical tyrannical leader in ancient times; in Senaca’s Oedipus, it is the fear of his questions that give Oedipus a greater depth of character, a depth he must overcome if he is to survive his ordeal.
Dodds, E.R. "On Misunderstanding the Oedipus Rex." Twentieth Century Interpretations of Oedipus Rex: A Collection of Critical Essays. Ed. Michael J. O'Brien. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice, 2005. Print.
Sophocles’ Oedipus is the tragedy of tragedies. An honorable king is deceived and manipulated by the gods to the point of his ruination. In the face of ugly consequences Oedipus pursues the truth for the good of his city, finally exiling himself to restore order. Sophocles establishes emotional attachment between the king and the audience, holding them in captivated sympathy as Oedipus draws near his catastrophic discovery. Oedipus draws the audience into a world between a rock and a hard place, where sacrifice must be made for the greater good.
Sophocles, a Greek author and philosopher, created a magnificent work of literature, Oedipus Rex. Oedipus Rex describes the legendary tales that King Oedipus of Thebes took in order to confirm that his biological parents were King Polybus of Corinth and his wife Merope. This tragedy of fate explores the depths of modern psychoanalysis as Oedipus unwittingly kills his father and marries his mother in an attempt to avoid the very prophecy he ultimately fulfills. The play was created by Sophocles, an intellectual philosopher that was born in 495 B.C. about a mile northwest of Athens. Sophocles has become one of the most prominent playwrights of the golden age. He was a son of a wealthy merchant, therefore, he enjoyed all the benefits of a thriving Greek empire. As an accomplished actor, Sophocles performed in many of his own plays, such as Oedipus Rex. The famous Sophocles is known as one of the greatest innovators of the theatre. The Theatre of Dionysus is where the greatest playwrights performed their infamous tales, it was a major open-air theatre build in Athens, the theatre was dedicated to the god of wine and fertility, it hosted the City Dionysia festival. The Theatre of Dionysus is where Oedipus Rex is first acknowledged to the world. Oedipus Rex embodies the nature of life and society in ancient Greece.
Elements of Tragedy in Oedipus Rex It is not the tragic subject matter of the text that is of primary interest but rather the manner in which the plot is developed. The story line progresses as if the reader is "unpeeling an onion. " The tale of King Oedipus is well known. An enraged Oedipus unknowingly slays his father (Laiusq, King of Thebes) and supplants him as monarch and as husband to his own mother (Queen Jocasta).