In the classic tale of Oedipus the King, the author uses Oedipus as a symbolic symbol of betrayal, naïve, and despair. The tale in itself is a classic tragedy; it depicts characters in which is an act of betrayal, yet of the truth. Aristotle and Freud both have their own interpretation of the classic story of Oedipus. Aristotle idolizes tragedy in a significant manner as opposed to Freud emphasizing the true destiny and fate of Oedipus himself. Somehow, they are all juxtaposed into one complete symbolic meaning. Through the definition of tragedy, the destiny and fate of Oedipus the King, and the symbolisms used throughout the classic story, it is clear to say that Oedipus ‘role is a tragedy in itself and the act of him blinding himself is a symbolic meaning of despair.
In Oedipus the King, the main character, Oedipus, learns that his own eyes have betrayed him all along. In the classic tragedy of Oedipus the King, Oedipus is the new King of Thebes who learns that the old king, Laius, was murdered. It is soon his own destiny to find out the truth about Laius. In hopes of finding out the truth to set the people of Thebes free from destruction, he soon finds out that the truth affects him more than his people. In the beginning of the story, the people of Thebes come to him in hopes of finding safety. “Therefore, O mighty King, we turn to you; find us our safety, find us a remedy, whether by counsel of the gods or men (pg. 950, lines 43-45).” It was his duty as the new King to be the hero of the land of the people and solve the crime of the murder of Laius. He wanted to be praised for his works, and to also gain more fame, wealth, and respect by all of the people of Thebes and Kadmos.
In the story of Oedipus, there are several ...
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...r own son blinded himself so he could escape future betrayal. In the world today, there are several who have killed themselves, and self-mutilated themselves due to some type of tragic event that they couldn’t face alone. We all have a fate; the oracle is the God above. This is what Freud is saying; before we are even given a chance to take our first breath on this earth, we are given a destiny. However, it is by our own decisions that allow us to successfully fulfill it or not.
Works Cited
Kennedy, X. J., and Dana Gioia. Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. Boston, MA: Pearson, 2012. 949-88. Print.
Oedipus Rex or Oedipus the King Summary and Analysis." Oedipus Rex or Oedipus the King Study Guide : Summary and Analysis of First Stasimon, Second Episode, Second Stasimon and Third Episode (462-1086). N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Jan. 2014
Source #3: Kennedy, X.J., and Dana Gioia. Literature An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. 9th. New York: Pearson Longman, 2005.
...X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama, 8th Ed., edited by Joseph Terry. New York: Longman, 2002.
that their son would kill his father and marry his mother (page 56). A son was
Charter, Ann, and Samuel Charters, eds. Literature and its Writers: A Compact Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. 3rd ed. Boston: Bedford/ St. Martin's, 2003.
The choir represents the voice of the people, the voice of the masses. People often conform to this uniform truth, they want to be like other people. This conformation leads to a uniform voice from the public. This voice is often ignorant to the truth, seemingly to the point that it creates its own truth.
On a warm, Summer's afternoon, I sat in my room, a Wii remote clutched in my right hand and a Wii Nunchuck in the other.
Initially, Oedipus is a confident leader who believes he is educated and knows the truth about himself and the land he presides over, Thebes. This is because he was proclaimed the most famous man alive as a result of his answering the Sphinx’s riddle to save Thebes from a tragic epidemic. However, at the beginning of the play there is another plague causing grief to the members of Thebes, and Oedipus goes so far as to say that he will stop at nothing to rid Thebes of this pollution. He states, "Each of you grieves for himself alone, while my heart must bear the strain of sorrow for all--myself and you and all our city’s people. No I am not blind to it," (p.4). Yet in essence he is blind to it because he is the indirect cause for the epidemic in Thebes. Oedipus finds out that the cause for the Epidemic is that nobody came forth as an avenger in the murder of King Laius. Oedipus then states, "I shall not cease until I bring the truth to light. Apollo has shown, and you have shown, the duty which we owe the dead," (p.5). This is ironic in that Oedipus vows to make the truth come to light so that everybody can see it, including himself. Moreover, th...
Some people say that there is no way to control your own life, that your life has been planned out for you ahead of time and there is nothing you can do to escape this fate. Others believe that your life is a matter of choice, and what happens to you during your life is a result of your actions. The story of Oedipus Rex by Sophocles seems to prove truth in both of these statements, that there is a life predetermined for you yet you can alter your life, but you can not escape your prophecy. The quote "I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul," by William Henley states just the opposite of what seems to be proven in Oedipus Rex. Because of the references in the story of Oedipus, I disagree with the quote made by William Henley.
Updlike, John. "A&P." Literature. An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. 12th Ed. X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 12th ed. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education (US), 2012. 17-21. Print
Kennedy, X. J., & Gioia, D. (2013). Literature: An introduction to fiction, poetry, drama, and
Oedipus is a story about a few basic human emotions. Among them are rage, passion, humility, and guilt. The Ancient Greeks understood these emotions well; their society was based upon the logical emotions, but always threatened by the violent ones. Oedipus was at first told that he was destined to kill his father and marry his mother. Fearful of himself, he fled showing a lack of humility away from his home, thinking that his problems would be solved. Later on, he gets into a tumultuous fight with a passerby on the road to Thebes. Enraged, he kills the man and his servants; this turned out to be a big mistake. After saving the city of Thebes from the Sphinx, he marries and then passionately sleeps with the queen. Towards the end of the play, he realizes that he has indeed killed his father and married his mother, thus echoing the lack of humility that first drove him away from his adopted parents.
Kennedy, X. J., & Gioia, D. (2010). Literature an introduction to fiction, poetry, drama and
The concept of tragic hero is very important in the construction of tragedy. It is the main cause of pity and fear. The tragic hero is a character between the two extremes; he is neither virtuous nor evil. At the same time, this character is better than the ordinary men or audience, he has some good qualities. Moreover, as a tragic hero, he is moving from happiness to misery by his downfall at the end. In fact, this downfall is caused by an error or a flaw in his character not by a vice or depravity. Another feature in the tragic hero is that he has good reputation and he is a man of prosperity. It can be said that Oedipus is a tragic hero because he has all the previous mentioned characteristics and the whole play is a classical application of this concept.
Sophocles demonstrates in the play Oedipus the King that a human being, not a God, ultimately determines destiny. That is, people get what they deserve. In this play, one poorly-made judgment results in tragic and inescapable density. Oedipus fights and kills Laius without knowing Laius is his father. Then, Oedipus's pitiless murdering causes several subsequent tragedies such as the incestuous marriage of Oedipus gets into the flight with Laius. However, Oedipus's characteristics after Laius's death imply that Oedipus could avoid the fight as well as the murder of his father, but did not. Ultimately, Oedipus gets what he deserves due to his own characteristics that lead him to murder Laius: impatience, delusion, and arrogance.
The concept of fate has existed since the time of the ancient Greeks. The Greeks believed very strongly in fate, which can be defined as either a power beyond human control that determines events, or the outcome or end. In "Oedipus Rex," King Oedipus lives and dies by fate. Fate influences the entire plot, thereby allowing for some interesting developments that may be unpredictable to the audience.