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Describe the character of oedipus rex
Elements of the Aristotelian Tragedy
Character analysis of oedipus from oedipus rex
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The famous Greek philosopher Aristotle outlined the requirements for a good tragedy, and he based his ideals on the classic Greek play Oedipus Rex, written by Sophocles. As Aristotle stated, the perfect tragedy must be an imitation of one’s life, realistic and narrow in its aspects. Such is the case with the play Oedipus Rex, a Greek play revolving around the tragedies of the life of King Oedipus. Oedipus Rex, the protagonist of the first of the three Oedipus plays, has a life of luxury and promise. However, because of the life fate has dictated him and the obstacles he has faced, Oedipus has been proven to have three hamartias, or tragic flaws. His attributes of determination, impatience/disrespect, and hubris greatly contribute to his downfall. …show more content…
Despite the importance of fate in Greek characters, Oedipus is often portrayed as stubbornly endeavoring to pursue his own goals. When news spreads that the King Laios had died to murder and that the only way to resolve this plague is to find his murderer, King Oedipus officially appoints himself as the chief investigator. He gives the people of Thebes the impression of being ready to help, and furthermore promises to assist in any way he can. Oedipus, as the King of Thebes, sees his responsibility and demands anyone who knows about the murder to come forth. Oedipus then says, "My spirit grieves for the city, for myself and all of you" (Sophocles 87). By uttering those words, Oedipus has fatefully condemned himself to suffering in the future. However, Oedipus fully confirms his flaw of determination by looking at all tasks as a riddle-solver. As a man who has solved the riddle of the Sphinx, he held himself at high intelligence and relied on his own powers to find the truth. However, much to the audience’s amusement, the oracle’s predictions and Oedipus’ investigative method lead to the same outcome. As Jocasta said, “If you could just have left well enough alone, you would never have discovered the horrible workings of fate” (Sophocles
The tragedy of Sophocles’ Oedipus the King is not only that of a man exposing the horrific truth behind his past. The greatest tragedy is the ever-changing perception of Oedipus, by both the citizens of Thebes, and the play’s audience. Oedipus exudes a gross amount of self-confidence and ego, leading to narrow vision with no room for the perspectives of Tiresias, Jocasta or Creon, thus insuring his own demise. By the end of the play, the audience, along with the other characters, can track the personality flaws that led Oedipus to his personal, living hell. But the context of the play’s and Oedipus’ history, along with his unfortunate traits, actually highlights another aspect of his character.
The name “Oedipus” means “swollen feet” in Latinized Greek. His parents, Laius and Jocasta, gave him this name while piercing a metal rod through the ankles of his feet, in order to prevent the fulfilment of the oracle’s prophecy. Despite this heinous act, their efforts were in vain as Oedipus’ free will conquered the theme of fate. In the play Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, the tragic hero, Oedipus, demonstrates hamartia, a fatal error in judgement, which brings about his own downfall. It was Oedipus’ hubris that was responsible for the tragic ending of this play. Evidence of this statement occurs when Oedipus’ determination towards solving the mystery behind Laius’ death ironically lead to the truth behind the oracle’s prophecies. Additionally, Oedipus’ overweening pride and ego resulted in the murder of Laius, which was a major stepping-stone in the prophecy. He illustrates his error in judgment through his pride, blindness, and foolishness and therefore is at fault.
In Oedipus the King, by Sophocles, a plague has spread throughout the city of Thebes causing widespread death. Oedipus, the king, sends Creon to the prophet at Delphi to find an answer to the plague and save the people. In order to stop the plague, the prophet says that Oedipus must determine the killer of Laius, the previous king, and banish him from the land. Oedipus is determined to discover the truth, and his path towards the truth results in him questioning several individuals. His determination to solve the plague leads to his eventual discovery of the truth and his downfall. As the mystery surrounding begins to unravel, Oedipus begins to learn about the truth surrounding his birth before discovering the killer of Laius. Throughout the play, Oedipus’s personality propels him toward solving the mystery and discovering the truth. His path towards the truth suggests the dominance of fate in controlling the outcome of his life.
According to the Aristotelian characteristics of good tragedy, the tragic character should not fall due to either excessive virtue or excessive wickedness, but due to what Aristotle called hamartia. Hamartia may be interpreted as either a flaw in character or an error in judgement. Oedipus, the tragic character in Sophocles’ Oedipus the King, certainly makes several such mistakes; however, the pervasive pattern of his judgemental errors seems to indicate a basic character flaw that precipitates them.
The greek playwright, Sophocles, was born around 496 B.C., and died in 406 B.C. During his life, he wrote many plays, one of which was Oedipus Rex. Sophocles was the first dramatist to add the third actor to the play. Actors were able to perfrom many different parts, but the play was limited to only three actors and the chorus. (Literature, page 1065)
On the last occasion when I had the misfortune of analyzing E. R. Dodds “On Misunderstanding the Oedipus Rex”, I came to the conclusion that Dodds had a lot of free time. But his question of “does the Oedipus Rex attempt to justify the ways of God to man” does indeed drive readers to question the famous piece of literature. Yet the theses he came to do not strike me as conclusive. In fact, I disagree with most of his statements. I thoroughly believe that what he labeled as “misunderstandings” are not misunderstandings at all, au contraire, they present the proper technique of how the book should be read. Dodds’ first opinion is that Oedipus doesn’t deserve the punishment of the gods; Dodds concludes that Sophocles has intended for readers
Confronting the Mysteries of Oedipus The King Solving mysteries leads to new information and answers to questions; however, in literature, solving an investigation can delve further than just the upfront facts found in an investigation. In Oedipus The King, Oedipus searches for the alleged robbers who killed Laius, the previous King of Thebes. Ironically, Oedipus searches for himself. The investigation portrays copious characteristics of Oedipus, an ignorant man.
Oedipus Rex, a Greek tragedy written by Sophocles, focuses on the rise and fall of Oedipus along with the intricate intersection of fate and destiny. Throughout the play, the audience follows Oedipus on his journey as a prideful, yet figuratively blind king to a man stricken by tragedy and self-mutilating himself to become literally blind, as he is not worthy of his sight, and deserves to live in darkness. Many seek the truth, much like him, but once the revelation comes to light, the final scene of the play shows the devastating cost of learning the truth, thus presenting the evolution of the fallen King Oedipus.
In the play Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, Oedipus is depicted as a morally ambiguous character; neither purely evil or purely good. Oedipus runs from his fate initially to prevent himself from pursuing what he believed was his fate; however, he is lead straight towards his real fate. He kills his biological father as he is headed to Thebes, where he takes the throne. Once he has taken the throne, he begins to try and save his city from the plague by looking for the murder of king Laius. However, what he does not know is that the prophet has told him who has slew the king; therefore, he presents his ignorance as a leader. Not only does his ignorance create the flawed character inside himself, but it also causes him to run from his fate. The significance of Oedipus being a morally ambiguous character is that he cannot run from his fate
Aristotle is the most influential philosopher in the history of Western thought. A Greek drama by Sophocles, Oedipus Rex, was praised in the Poetics of Aristotle as the model for classical tragedy and is still considered a principal example of the genre. In this essay I will analyze Oedipus Rex using Aristotle's concepts praxis, poiesis, theoria.
Oedipus Rex (the King), written by Sophocles, is the tragic play depicting the disastrous existence to which Oedipus, an Athenian, is 'fated' to endure. With a little help from the gods and the 'fated' actions and decisions of Oedipus, an almost unthinkable misfortune unfolds. Athenian perfection can consist of intelligence, self-confidence, and a strong will. Oedipus, the embodiment of such perfection, and his tragedy are common place to Athenians. Ironically, the very same exact characteristics that bring about the ominous discovery of Oedipus' fate: to kill his father and marry his mother. Oedipus' 'fated' decisions entangle everyone whom is of any significance to him within a quagmire of spiraling tragedy. Sophocles uses the riddle of the Sphinx as a metaphor for the three phases of Oedipus' entangled life, the three phases of human life, and to describe how every life-changing action or decision can influence other lives.
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 drama, Oedipus Rex, presents to the reader a full range of conflicts and their resolution after a climax.
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.
Oedipus the King by Sophocles has the ingredients necessary for a good Aristotelian tragedy. The play has the essential parts that form the plot, consisting of the peripeteia, anagnorisis and a catastrophe; which are all necessary for a good tragedy according to the Aristotelian notion. Oedipus is the perfect tragic protagonist, for his happiness changes to misery due to hamartia (an error). Oedipus also evokes both pity and fear in its audience, causing the audience to experience catharsis or a purging of emotion, which is the true test for any tragedy according to Aristotle.