Stories and the way those stories are told often provide a glimpse into the circumstances that surround the storyteller and the events and ideas that said storyteller wants to bring to our attention.
Sophocles draws to our attention without direct reference the values and belief systems that underpinned Ancient Greek and especially Athenian culture and therefore its legacy in a period where its wars with Sparta caused great turmoil.
We begin with Oedipus who is elected king on the basis of his intellectual might, having conquered the riddle of the sphinx which all others in Athens failed, arguably this reflects a respect for rationality and the promotion of human ability as the values held dearly in society.
So reckless in his pursuit of absolute knowledge and of bringing order within himself he brings about his own demise, the knowledge of his actions brings upon him a contradiction of everything he stands for as an individual as well of the people’s expectations of what a king should be, it is too much to handle it is as if the god Apollo has cast a beam of purging light into his eyes, causing him to gouge them out. Ironic then that he calls upon the gods for alliance in the quest to find the killer (which is himself) “With the god's good help Success is sure; 'tis ruin if we fail.”
If what we encounter in the play is any indicator of the overall values of the people I see a dissonance in what is represented we have on the one hand knowledge and reason shown as the ideals of the Greek people however the pursuit of the absolute truth is seemingly punished.
My question is why is it punished and why does he deserve to be punished despite seemingly doing nothing wrong but stumble into a trap set by the Gods, perhaps it is his quali...
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...ever why all this emphasis? If the Greeks believed strongly in the idea of absolute fate and of the God’s divine will why the idea is so greatly stressed is perhaps a reflection of the religious nature of the Greek people their belief in absolute faith is reinforced in their fervent belief in omnipotent gods.
Fortunately Sophocles leaves this open to interpretation providing the perfect situation whereby we can conclude that the situation can neither be completely classified as free will or fate respectively.
Despite finding himself in an impossible situation he keeps his promise to his people by exiling himself, only after gouging his eyes out thus completing the prophecy told to him by Teirisias and underscoring the importance of family in Greek culture on this he remarks “For why must I see, I for whom no sight is sweet” for the same reason Jocasta kills herself.
By studying a variety of events and people involved in the Peloponnesian War and the Theban play Antigone, it becomes noticeable that many of these events and people can be explained through Platonic terms. Throughout the Republic, Plato conveys his philosophical thoughts about democracy, justice, and education in a society through his main character Socrates. As Socrates encounters many enlightened people of his time, he questions them on rhetorical issues dealing with society and human nature. As these issues begin to unfold, events and people in the past seem to illustrate many of the main concepts in the Republic. After looking at Socrates' discussions throughout books I, IV, VI, and VII we will notice that they relate to many events that happened prior to the writing of the Republic such as the Sicilian Expedition, the debate at Sparta in 432, and Creon's implementation of justice in the Theban play Antigone by Sophacles.
to be at the hands of his lost son, which he exiled and sentenced to
By examining the clash of the two primary values found in Sophocles’ Antigone, one can infer that the citizens of ancient Greece were heavily conflicted in their views regarding the importance of loyalty to the state. Some felt that the loyalty to the state trumps all other values, while others maintained that this is not necessarily the case for every situation. Sophocles clearly supported the latter idea and chose to use the value of loyalty to one’s family in order to illustrate an example. At the same time, he used the conflict of these two values to demonstrate the challenges faced by individuals in positions of power. The story depicted by Sophocles provides insight into a point of contention within the society of ancient Greece and displays the potential damage that results from irrational leadership.
Throughout Oedipus the King, by Sophocles, there are many references to sight, blindness, and seeing the truth. Characters, such as Tiresias, are able to accurately predict what Oedipus’ fate will be through their power to see the truth in a situation. Oedipus maintains a pompous and arrogant personality throughout the play as he tries to keep control of the city of Thebes and prove the speculations about his fate as falsities. Ironically, although Tiresias is physically blind, he is able to correctly predict how Oedipus’ backstory will unfold, while other characters, such as Jocasta and Oedipus are oblivious to the truth even though they can physically see. Thus, we can conclude that the power of “seeing the truth” deviates greatly from the power of sight in reality and can lead to an expedited fate or a detrimental occurrence.
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.
... by calling in other soothsayers who do not wish to speak as to what they know regarding the murder of their king. He continues to push and then does not believe the information that he is given because he believes everyone is out to get this kingdom that he so easy won. All of these choices are predetermined.
Sophocles tried to illustrate that great men should love life, art, and philosophy of Greece. Many citizens thought that philosophers and playwrights were intelligent men that demonstrated the true nature of Greek society. Ancient Greeks looked for guidance by asking and searching for a prophet or oracle that would tell them of their fate or future treasures and failures. Civilizations in ancient Greece believed that if they worshiped or praised the great gods that lived on Mount Olympus they would prosper and live happily in their society and life. Ancient civilizations believed that the gods created their destiny based on the way they treated them. Greeks believed that their traditions and values were superior to all other religions and civilizations.
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
Oedipus at Colonus In the short story Oedipus at Colonus by Sophocles, we see our once valiant and heroic antagonist Oedipus reverse his entire character. At the end of Oedipus the King and the beginning of this story, we learn that Oedipus has been reduced to a lowly, blind peasant who has been exiled from Thebes and lives his life wandering the grounds of Greece. As he came to the city of Colonus, he ended his journey and realized he was meant to find his death there. Accompanied by his daughters, Antigone and Ismene, he reaches out to Theseus (King of Colonus) for assistance regarding his inevitable fate.
Sincerely caring for his people, he desires to make Thebes lives better by revealing the death of Laius, meaning if he solves the problem, he will become a hero. He asks for the help of his brother in law – Creon, and he brings Tiresias, the blind prophet who can see from Apollo’s eyes, to answer Oedipus’ concern. Unfortunately, Oedipus has several weaknesses that lead to the outcomes. He fears of rebellion, subverts the laws when frightened, and refuses to listen to others when he is mad. He accuses Creon as a betrayer when Tiresias indicates that he is the killer and even wants Creon to die. He
Oedipus is a man of great wit and cleverness. He has solved the riddle of the Sphinx and even Teresias says: "It’s in riddle answering you are strongest" (29). But Sophocles understands that it is better to be wise than to be clever, and that the one does ...
In Greek tragedy the natural forces are destructive. These forces might be nature, gods or fate. Man is helpless in facing these powers.
Ehrenberg, Victor. "Fate and Sophoclean Rulers." In Twentieth Century Interpretations of Oedipus Rex, edited by Michael J. O'Brien. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1968.
Here is a story where Oedipus the King, who has accomplished great things in his life, discovers that the gods were only playing with him. He has everything a man of that time could want; he is king of Thebes, he has a wonderful wife and children, and great fame through out the lands. He has lived a good life, but in the end everything is taken from him.
Sophocles’ tragic play, “Oedipus the King”, or “Oedipus Rex” as it’s known by its Latin name, is the Athenian drama that revolves around the events which lead to the demise of Oedipus Rex. The King Oedipus is forced down a preordained path that throws his entire world into a spiral of tragic providence, in this trilogy of a Theban play. Sophocles assigns the tragic hero to a downfall with the impossibility of changing the written fate; perhaps the views of today’s society would feel sympathy for the predicament that Oedipus is forced into, however, the publics of ancient Greece would accept that the path laid before them was a creation of the Gods. “Oedipus the King” reflects the ancient Greek credence in the belief that a person can do nothing to avoid their destiny, an idea that contrasts with what society believes today.