Sacrifice In Oedipus The King

460 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: Character analysis oedipus the king

Having favor from the gods plays an important role in the lives of the heroes. In Oedipus the King, King Phoebus, also known as the God Apollo, has cursed Cadmus for killing his snake. The prophecy cast upon Cadmus’ descendants state that “The descendants of Cadmus lived under a curse prophesied to each generation… If Laius, the king of Thebes, had a son by Jocasta, his queen, that son would kill his father and marry his mother” (“Background: Oedipus the King” 430). The background itself foreshadows a tragic ending for Oedipus. King Laius and Queen Jocasta are horrified and try to alter their fate by ridding their cursed son. Unbeknownst to them, this sets the prophecy in motion. Oedipus’ generational curse plays a major role in his downfall because he is detested by Apollo.
King Phoebus in plain words commanded us to drive out a pollution from our land, pollution grown ingrained within the land; drive it out, said the God, not cherish it, till it’s past cure” (Sophocles 435). Creon returns with Apollo’s oracle and reveals to King Oedipus on what will eliminate the blight that has fallen upon Thebes. This is a case of dramatic irony because Apollo is speaking of Oedipus on as he gives the prophecy; Oedipus is the pollution that has plagued the city and he needs to be eliminated. This highly contrasts Odysseus’ relationships with the gods as he is constantly favored by the Goddess Athena throughout the epic. Athena helps Odysseus test the loyalty of his wife, son, servants and the suitors. She also gives counsel to Odysseus as he has a moment of fear “Your touching faith! Another man would trust some villainous mortal, with no brains--and what am I? Your goddess-guardian to the end of your trials…” (Homer

Show More
Related

  • Misconception in Oedipus the King

    755 Words  | 2 Pages

    take the boy out and kill him when he was still a child.  The kind old shepard

    Read More

  • The Punishment of Oedipus the King (Oedipus Rex)

    1180 Words  | 3 Pages

    in my mind, is not valid simply because of what it might do to the

    Read More

  • The Selfishness of Oedipus in Oedipus the King

    967 Words  | 2 Pages

    "Selfishness is the greatest curse of the human race,” as quoted by William E. Gladstone, supports my thought that selfishness is what causes most of our problems in the modern world. Currently, we are living in an era that is filled with much gluttony and selfishness. However, selfishness is a trait that all of us possess, but the amount of selfishness that we have can determine the type of person we are. For instance, parents should always put their children’s needs before their own. Selfish parents would rather buy materialistic items for themselves than anything useful for their children. In Sophocles’s “Oedipus Rex,” the protagonist is literally blinded by his own arrogance. This attitude begins before he even travels to Thebes, and that is apparent due to the circumstances of his father’s death. Oedipus seals his own fate with his egotistical attitude and he cannot change his destiny after everything is set into motion. During his journey on the road to enlightenment, Oedipus’s selfishness causes him to transcend from being completely ignorant of his fate to holding on to the last shreds of denial to having an overwhelming sense of realization.

    Read More

  • Role Of Sacrifice In Ancient Greece

    859 Words  | 2 Pages

    Ancient Greek Sacrifice In the Ancient Greek world, religion was personal, direct, and present in all areas of life. With formal rituals of animal sacrifices and libations, myths to explain the origins of man and to give the gods a face, temples which dominated the landscape, city festivals and national sporting and arts tournaments, religion was never far from the minds of the Ancient Greeks. Whilst every individual had their own mindset on their personal religious beliefs, there were three factors that were fundamental in Greek religion: 1) the gods existed, 2) the could influence human affairs, and 3) the welcomed and responded greatly to acts of piety and worship. The Ancient Greek ritual of animal sacrifice gives a clear view into the everyday lives of Ancient Greeks and reveals both their social and cultural identity.

    Read More

  • How Does The Direct Characterization Of Othello

    1390 Words  | 3 Pages

    The tragedy of Othello is a somber, regretful story of passion, deceit, and racism. Othello, often called the Moor of Venice, is the dark-skinned protagonist, and though he is of a high ranking, he is still a victim of racism and animalization. Iago, though his trusted advisor, secretly hates Othello, disparagingly references his race, and machinates a complex web of misunderstandings to drive him to madness. Othello takes place during the Ottoman-Venetian War (1570- 1573), a conflict in which Venice fought the Ottoman Empire for control of Cyprus. The play’s portrayal is by no means historically accurate, but the event is documented. Not only does Shakespeare juxtapose Othello with the predominantly white city of Venice, but he also gives

    Read More

  • Sacrifice In Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet

    921 Words  | 2 Pages

    What would you sacrifice to get what you want? Romeo and Juliet are star-crossed lovers who experience a tragedy at the end of the book. The Capulets and Montagues have been in a feud for several years. It has kept Romeo and Juliet separated. Also, Lord Capulet arranged for Juliet to get married. He rushed the marriage as well. But in the end, the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet's death appears. Throughout the book, Lord Capulet is the one to blame for Romeo and Juliet's death.

    Read More

  • Sacrifices In Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet

    530 Words  | 2 Pages

    “A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life”. In the prologue Shakespeare gave us a hint that the two lovers will take their life to death because of the misadventures in their relationship and life. Because of the feud between their families, they faced all the responsibilities and problems but still at the end they both died. But Romeo did all the sacrifices just to make their love successful. 4

    Read More

  • Sacrifice In Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet

    378 Words  | 1 Pages

    William Shakespeare’s, Romeo, and Juliet is telling a story about two young adults who fall in love with each other who is each other rivals because of a family feud from decades ago in a matter of a couple of hours. Romeo and Juliet decided that they want to get married the next day that they met they believe that they are their true love. Romeo and Juliet are truly in love because of self-sacrifice and their passion about their love. Romeo is outside of Juliet's window and they are telling each other how much they love each other. Juliet wants to show Romeo how much she loves him and is willing to sacrifice her name to be with him. Juliet wants to be with Romeo she is willing to, “Deny Thy father and refuse Thy name or if thou wilt not,

    Read More

  • Sacrifice In William Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet

    650 Words  | 2 Pages

    In 1597, at the renowned “Theater” Shakespeare delivered one of his finest tragedies and ultimately changed the culture of writing itself. This tale articulated so beautifully depicts the tragedy that is Romeo and Juliet. Set on the streets of Verona, the novel begins , when Romeo a young man starved of love meets a beautiful girl named Juliet. However, they come from rivaling families which challenges their wishes of getting married. As they set out to accomplish the impossible, their friends, companions, and family members get caught up in the crossfire. As Romeo and Juliet take their own lives in an attempt to be together in death, their families resolve their feud and make amends with each other. But was the “true love” of Romeo and Juliet truly worth it? Family members and friends both, desperate to help Romeo and Juliet, but end up making the ultimate sacrifice. Who did this end up benefiting in the end anyway? Romeo and Juliet both die, so was

    Read More

  • Sacrifice In Othello

    1891 Words  | 4 Pages

    Sacrifice is a reoccurring idea over the four texts studied this year. Sacrifice is giving up something you value and this is shown through the compare and contrast of these four texts. All texts chosen show similar but different forms of sacrifice. A Walk to Remember written by Nicholas Sparks demonstrates the idea of sacrificing your reputation, where Landon sacrifices his popularity to pursue love with Jamie who doesn't share the same reputation. This compares with Othello written by William Shakespeare as Othello sacrifices his own life to preserve his reputation. Billy Elliot directed by Stephen Daldry, shows sacrifice for others. Jacky, Billy’s dad’s sacrifices his entire upbringing and beliefs in order for Billy to achieve his dream

    Read More

  • Theme Of Blindness In Oedipus The King

    1200 Words  | 3 Pages

    Plagues were destroying the town, the women give birth to stillborn children, this is what sparks Oedipus to journey and find out the cause of these plagues and problems. “Oedipus: No, I’ll start again—I’ll bring it all to light myself! Apollo is right, and so are you, Creon, to turn out attention back to the murdered man. Now you have me to fight for you, you’ll see: I am the land’s avengers by all rights and Apollo’s champion too” (lines 149-155). The example shows that Oedipus desperately wants to save the town and the inhabitants of Thebes. All his work is in vain because he is blind to the fact that he is the cause of everything wrong with

    Read More

  • Oedipus The King: Role Of Gods

    1054 Words  | 3 Pages

    “Gods can be evil sometimes.” In the play “Oedipus the King”, Sophocles defamed the gods’ reputation, and lowered their status by making them look harmful and evil. It is known that all gods should be perfect and infallible, and should represent justice and equity, but with Oedipus, the gods decided to destroy him and his family for no reason. It might be hard to believe that gods can have humanistic traits, but in fact they do. The gods, especially Apollo, are considered evil by the reader because they destroyed an innocent man’s life and his family. They destroyed Oedipus by controlling his fate, granting people the power of prophecy, telling Oedipus about his fate through the oracle of Apollo, and finally afflicting the people of Thebes with a dreadful plague. Fundamentally, by utilizing fate, prophecies, the oracle of Apollo, and the plague, the gods played a significant role in the destruction of Oedipus and his family.

    Read More

  • Sacrifice In Romeo And Juliet

    846 Words  | 2 Pages

    Love requires sacrifice and dedication, but too much sacrifice will cause the relationship to crumble. Two families, the Capulets and the Montagues, have been in a bloody feud for generations. Until, upon the night of the Capulet's party, Romeo Montague meets Juliet Capulet and they fall for one another. In Verona, the city of their origin, the couple secretly meet each night and their relationship grows. Only days after their first acquaintance Romeo proposes to Juliet and the couple marry. Angered by the union Juliet’s cousin Tybalt challenges Romeo to a duel. During the duel Tybalt is struck and killed, resulting in Romeo’s banishment to Mantua. Devastated by the separation Juliet devises a plan to leave Verona and travel to Mantua to be

    Read More

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

    719 Words  | 2 Pages

    The theme that the lives of humans are controlled by the gods, in Oedipus, show that everything humans do are futile and result in no gain but only loss. This theme is mainly shown by the character Oedipus, king of Thebes. In the beginning of his life, Laius the king planned to kill his son by leaving him on Mount Cithaeron to die. "...at the moment I was your savior."

    Read More

  • What Is The Significance Of The Tragedy Of Oedipus Rex

    897 Words  | 2 Pages

    It was of the norm for one to seek out from the gods whats they had in store for them. Consulting with oracles was considered standard. However, even though it was so widely practiced, it was still very important to have deep respect and reverence for the gods which Oedipus unfortunately lacked in. Immediately when Oedipus hears about the divine god’s prediction of his fate, he tries to run away from it. As a consequence for this, the prediction does occur. Eventually, Oedipus believed that his prophecy was no longer reasonable or valid. Because of the fact that Oedipus’ first instinct was to turn his back and run away from the prophecy in an attempt to escape it, it can be deduced that Oedipus believed that the god’s prophecies could be prevented from happening; the prophecy would not really happen and that he could change them. This demonstrates Oedipus’ disrespect for the gods because it shows that he doesn’t really think that they are all-knowing. This disrespect and impulsive behavior is what led him to Thebes and this disrespect is what made him try and thwart the prophecy when the opposite effect took place. He actually fulfilled it and caused his own downfall, ironically enough. While speaking with the chorus, Oedipus even compared himself to the gods: “You pray to the gods, let me grant your prayers” (Sophocles 245). Here, disrespect of the gods is taken to the next level because Oedipus even compares himself to

    Read More

More about Sacrifice In Oedipus The King

Open Document