Elvis Presley and King Oedipus

1288 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Influence of parents on a childs behavior

King Oedipus was born and then abandoned by his biological parents, he was raised by foster parents, who treated him as their own son. His extreme obsession about wanting to know about himself is what brought his downfall because as he tried to escape his fate about the prophecy, the more the prophecy was fulfilled and things got worse for him. The story of Oedipus shows us clearly that we cannot run away from destiny since if the gods know about our future, there is absolutely nothing that can be done to reverse what the gods have foretold for us.

Elvis on the other hand was born into a poor family. His father was a tobacco picker, who was once imprisoned for cashing a fake check. His mother made sure that he was well exposed to gospel music and religion. He performed the ballad “Old Shep” in which he won the singing contest when he was only 10 years old, and on his 11th birthday, they bought him a guitar as his present. With the guitar, he was able to play two songs as a gift to his mother. With his hard work, he was able to come up with “Love Me Tender”, which was his first movie and from there, his fame begun (Clayton 23). Elvis rose from nothing, from a poor family to being a successful star and the king of rock and roll, which lead to his downfall.

Looking at the differences between these two people, the first outstanding difference between them is the kind of family that they were born into. Oedipus was born to very rich parents while on the contrary Elvis Presley was born to poor parents.

“Oedipus was the son of Laius and Jocasta king and queen of Thebes” (Sophocles n.p.). He was born to a royal family. The king and queen bore him after staying for a long time without children until they had to consult the gods abou...

... middle of paper ...

...f his deeds and he had to live in exile together with his daughters. This was a fulfillment of the prophecy predicted by the gods about how his life was going to end.

Works Cited

Clayton, Marie. Elvis Presley Unseen Archives. UK: Parragon, 2005. Print.

Clayton, Marie. Images of Elvis. UK: Parragon, 2007. Print.

"Elvis Presley." Biography of Elvis Presley - Life of Elvis Aaron Presley - Elvis Biography. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 May 2011.

"Musical Hero." Elvis Presley Biography - American Singer and Actor. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 May 2011.

"Myth Man's Homework Help Center Oedipus The King." King Oedipus Homework Page. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 May 2011.

"Oedipus the King by Sophocles." Oedipus the King Summary. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 May 2011.

Sophocles. Oedipus The King. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Classical tragedy, Greek and Roman - Google Books. Web. 15 May 2011.

Show More
Related

  • How Did Presley Influence The World

    678 Words  | 2 Pages

    The history of the twentieth century would not be complete without mentioning the impeccable influence of one of the best and biggest singers of all time. But before he started making his indelible mark in the sands of time, he started out from very humble beginnings, under the care of his loving, working class parents. Elvis Aaron Presley was born January 8, 1935, in Tupelo, Mississippi to Gladys and Vernon Presley. Although, Presley was supposed to be a twin, his supposed twin brother, Jesse Garon, sometimes spelled Jessie was stillborn. Elvis Aaron Presley was an incredible American Singer, Musician and Actor with inspirational quotes such as this “Fingerprints are like values; you leave them all over everything you do.”

    Read More

  • Elvis Presley and African American Music

    1668 Words  | 4 Pages

    Although Elvis was raised in the south, where there was a large amount of racial discrimination, his environment did not negatively impact him. In fact, he was rather positively inspired by African American music, but Elvis’s family was not the best influence on him.

    Read More

  • Elvis Presley

    1205 Words  | 3 Pages

    While Elvis is toted as being the King of Rock-n-Roll, he was insanely self-conscious growing up. He was a young kid with acne who was torn between wanting to fit in and wanting to draw attention to himself, "He was an outsider who stressed his apartness by refusing to conform" (Mason 24). He would wear "flashy clothes to compensate for his deep dissatisfaction with his looks" (Mason 24). As Elvis's fame grew he became a prolific figure in American culture; women everywhere wanted to be with him and men everywhere wanted to be him, however his initial self-esteem issues never seemed to fade. "Despite the way he acted on stage, he had a lot of insecurities bottled up inside him-insecurities that no amount of wealth and fame could ever erase" (Logan and Sloan 144). He needed to be noticed and needed to feel loved; therefore fame and fortune became his drug. Sadly, he became addicted to more than fame. Elvis began using drugs frequently to cope with the pressures of fame, "Sometimes stoned on pills, he stood on the coffee table and preached lengthy, hilarious sermons to the guys-who were not encouraged to laugh […] Everyone found Elvis's behavior bizarre. His visions and preachings were no doubt enhanced by the uppers and downers he was taking" (Mason 120).

    Read More

  • Elvis Presley

    1187 Words  | 3 Pages

    Born January 8, 1935 in East Tupelo, Mississippi, Presley was the son of Gladys and Vernon Presley, a sewing-machine operator and a truck driver (Jann S.). Elvis was actually born right after his twin Jessie Garon. Jessie was born a still born making Elvis the only healthy child to Vernon and Gladys Presley. Vernon and Gladys did not have much money but they did everything they could to provide for their son Elvis. Elvis grew up around his family for a lot of his life including his grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins which all lived in Tupelo as well. Presley’s career started all the way back when he was 10 years old where he took 5th place in a competition. Elvis won 5 dollars in fair ride tickets for singing “Old Sheep” (Elvis.com). Now when Elvis was young he was like most other kids and wanted a bike. Elvis parents could not afford to buy him a bike so Gladys talked Elvis into buying his first guitar instead of the bike. Elvis first guitar was $12.95 at the Tupelo Hardware store. In 1948, Elvis played “Leaf on a Tree” to his Milam Junior High class in Tupelo as a farewell because he was moving to Memphis, Tennessee.

    Read More

  • Elvis Presley

    1099 Words  | 3 Pages

    Elvis Presley is seen as being the king of Rock-N-Roll. At the time Elvis did not realize how this would entirely effect the country. A month after the decision of the Supreme Court case, Brown v. Board, Elvis would be signed to a producer and would being so much change though his music, dancing, and clothing. New treads would be formed and teenagers would begin to pick up those treads. Different appearances on talk shows and in concerts could be seen in the streets and in school on young teenagers. Teenagers from ten to eighteen would drool over Presley which caused a large controversy. Elvis’s lyrics to his songs were not anything bad but just something that would make listeners dance and have fun. His music was the first thing that got American’s attention. B.B. King once said that Elvis was “a white guy but sounding black.” This was true. Elvis’s music was a mix of African-American blues, Christian gospel, and Southern country. Elvis, ...

    Read More

  • Elvis Presley Was The King Of Rock

    1145 Words  | 3 Pages

    Elvis Presley is known as the King of rock. He was a very big rock star from the start of the 1950’s. Elvis Presley was born in January 8th of 1935 in East Tupelo Mississippi. Elvis Presley parents were named Gladys and Vernon; mom was a sewing machine operator and his dad was a truck driver. Elvis Presley was the only child. His parents were going to have twins but sadly they were both stillborn. During Elvis childhood his father was arrested for writing bad checks; he was sentenced to three years of prison but luckily he only served a year in prison. “Presley grew up as a member of the Assembly of God, a denomination that emphasized personal religious experiences. Music and singing were essential means of creating ecstatic moments of transcendence:

    Read More

  • Oedipus the King: Not Guilty of Any Crime

    517 Words  | 2 Pages

    Prior to the birth of Oedipus, a prophecy was spoken over Laius and his wife Jocasta. They were told that their son would one day be his father’s killer and would then marry his mother. In fear, King Laius and Queen Jocasta sent the baby Oedipus off with a slave to be killed. He was never killed, but rather was given to a childless king and queen which lovingly raised him. Oedipus was never factually told about his lineage. Later in his life, Oedipus was confronted by several unknown men while traveling. Upon confrontation, Oedipus killed all but one of the men in self defense. Unknowingly, Oedipus had begun to fulfill the prophecy for one of the men had been his birth father, Laius.

    Read More

  • Polybus And Merope In Oedipus's Journey

    165 Words  | 1 Pages

    As the play progresses, Oedipus begins to slowly piece together the details of his birth rite. He informs Jocasta of his past and relays that he was once a prince in his hometown of Corinth. The king and queen of Corinth and Oedipus’ adoptive parents are Polybus and Merope. Oedipus tells how he heard of this adoption from the town drunk and curiously went to an oracle to confirm this. Yet, the oracle informs him other things. The prophecy is revealed to Oedipus and he tells that in an attempt to prevent this from happening he, “fled an exile. As I journeyed on I found myself upon the same spot, where you say, the king perished.” This quote originates from a part of the play that gives sufficient detail about this king’s life before Thebes.

    Read More

  • Oedipus, The King Summary

    545 Words  | 2 Pages

    Because the story was one familiar to most of its viewers in its time, there are certain things that they are expected to already know. Among them is the background to the legend. Most generally it was that it was prophesied that Laios and Jocasta, king and queen of Thebes, would give birth to a child who would grow up to murder his father and marry his mother. And, fearing the dreadful prophecy, that the parents nailed their first son's feet together (thus the name Oedipus, which means “swollen-foot”) and left him to die on a lonely moun-tainside outside the city. Moreover, that he was found by a wandering shepherd who took him to the nearby city of Corinth where he was adopted by the childless King Polybos and Queen Merope who raised him as a son and prince in the royal household. Then, when he was a young adult and first heard the prophecy, that he assumed that it applied to Polybos and Merope, the only parents he had ever known, and had fled Corinth and wandered around Greece where he met a group of travelers and killed an old man who, unknown to him, was his real father, King Laios. Then, when he arrived at Thebes, he met the Sphinx, a monster who guarded the gates of the city and correctly answered its riddle and was rewarded with the title of king of Thebes and was given the hand of the re-cently widowed queen, Jocasta. The true horror in his life begins here because he has four children with her, An-tigone, Ismene, Eteocles, and Polyneices and fulfills the prophecy.

    Read More

  • Elvis Presley

    545 Words  | 2 Pages

    On January 8, 1935, in Tupelo Mississippi, Elvis Aaron Presley was born to a lovely couple by the name of Vernon and Gladys Presley. He brought so much joy into the family. By the age of 18, Elvis and his parents moved to Memphis, Tennessee in 1948, and he graduated from Humes High School there in 1953. The pop and country music of the time, the gospel music he heard in church and at the all-night gospel sings he frequently attended, and the black R&B he absorbed on historic Beale Street as a Memphis teenager were Elvis’ musical influences. He began a singing career in 1954 with the legendary Sun Records label in Memphis Tennessee. He had a sound and style that uniquely combined his varied musical influences and distorted and challenged the social/racial barriers of the time, Elvis ushered in a whole new era of American music and popular culture. Elvis fell in love and married Marie Presley and together had Lisa Marie Presley.

    Read More

  • Elvis Presley Biography

    871 Words  | 2 Pages

    Elvis Presley and his parents were people of little money. They worked in many odd jobs to get by, but work hard to give the best to their only child ,that is the center of their lives.Elvis attends assembly of god with his family.Elvis grew up with gospel music of the pentecostal church.That was when music entered his life.

    Read More

  • Free Essays - The Themes of Oedipus the King (Rex)

    719 Words  | 2 Pages

    From the very beginning, Oedipus was destined to fulfill Apollo's prophecy of killing his father. Even though King Lauis tries to kill Oedipus to stop the fulfillment of this shameful prophecy, fate drives the Corinthian messenger to save Oedipus. What the gods fortell will come true and no human can stop it from happening, not even the kings. Oedipus is once again controlled by this power when he leaves the place of his child hood after he hears that he is to kill his father and marry his mother. "I shall shrink from nothing...to find the the murderer of Laius...You are the murderer..." Oedipus tried to stop the prophecy from coming true by leaving Corinth and only fate can make Oedipus turn to the road where he kills his true father. Leaving Corinth makes Oedipus lose his childhood by making him worry of such issues young people should not have to worry about and becoming a king of a strange land. Last of all, Oedipus carries the last part of the prophecy out, marrying his mother. " I would... never have been known as my mother's husband. Oedipus has no control over the outcome of his life. Fate causes Oedipus to have known the answer to the Sphinx's riddle and win his marriage to his mother, Jocasta. Had fate not intervened, the chances of marrying Jocasta would have been small since there is an enourmous number of people and places to go. Oedipus loses his sense of dignity after he discovers he is not only a murderer, but also that he had committed incest.

    Read More

  • Jocasta as the Victim of Oedipus the King

    1028 Words  | 3 Pages

    Oedipus’ mother and wife, Jocasta, went through her share of trials. When she was wife to Oedipus’ father, King Laius, Jocasta conceived a baby boy whom she was forced to give up to death. After receiving a prophecy that his son would kill him and take his throne, King Laius convinces Jocasta that their son is a great threat. He then orders that the baby boy be...

    Read More

  • Oedipus: A Victim of Fate

    710 Words  | 2 Pages

    When Oedipus was born he was taken to an Oracle, this was custom for the rich. The Oracle was to tell his fate. The Oracle said that when Oedipus grows up he will marry his mother and he would also kill his father, "... Why, Loxias declared that I should one day marry my own mother, And with my own hands shed my father's bool. Wherefore Corinth I have kept away far, for long years; and prosperd; none the less it is most sweet to see one's parents' face..."(p36 ln1-6). When his parents herd this they gave Oedipus to a man and he was to get rid of the baby by leaving it in the forest, but an servant of Polybus, the king of Corinth, finds the baby and brings him to the king. The king falls in love with the baby and takes him in as one of his own.

    Read More

  • The Role of Fate in Oedipus Rex

    809 Words  | 2 Pages

    But now, the king was killed by a foreign highway robber at the place where three roads meet-so goes the story” (1.1.791-796). The man he killed on that street was actually his dad. What Oedipus did not know, was that the people he thought his parents and ran away from, were just his adoptive parents. So if he had not been so set on changing his fate, then that awful fate the oracle predicted, might not have come true as he imagined.... ...

    Read More

More about Elvis Presley and King Oedipus

Open Document