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Plot summary for the Greek tragedy of all time oedipus the king
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In the play Oedipus the King, the character that interested me the most is Oedipus. He was one of the main characters of the play Oedipus the King. I found him interested how when he found out the truth he punish himself instead of to keep hurting people. In the beginning of the play Oedipus was confident of what he was doing. He was the one that saved Thebes from being cursed by the Sphinx and he became the king right away for that reason. He would say his name as a healing charm. He was proud of being called Oedipus. At the end of the tragedy his name was no longer a healing charm, but it was a curse.
The moment Oedipus finds out the truth his pride of joy of the things he was doing in life went downhill. He felt like he was worthless he
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I feel like she had a big role in Oedipus life. The story about her made the play interesting and more drama to it. In this case if Jocasta made sins, who is she to judge Oedipus for doing what she did. The examples is usually given by the mother. I will imagine a mother guilt to find out that her husband is her own son. I’m sure Oedipus and Jocasta didn’t feel the same affection towards each other after finding out the truth. Many things might have gone through her head that nothing would have happened if she never had left him abandoned instead he should have lived with her the whole time. Throughout the whole time it seemed like Jocasta never loved her son because she abandoned him. If she had a choice of killing her son she would have done that. Jocasta was Oedipus mother and his wife. She was the biggest victim of Oedipus. When she found out about the truth before Oedipus did begs him to stop the questioning. She wants to make peace with Oedipus and Creon’s. At the end she tried to comfort Oedipus and tried to urge him to reject Tiresias’s prophecies as being false. Jocasta later feels the need to …show more content…
She feels guilt as well that if she hadn’t abandoned her own son nothing like that would had happened all along. Jocasta was as well committing a sin to abandoning her own son. She never expected that she was going to fall in love with her own son and have family with her son. Oedipus would have not tear her eyes out if the truth had never came out. Oedipus seemed to feel more guilt in what he did than Jocasta. Oedipus still lived even though he is blind and he would never be able to see, but he will always hear what people have to tell him. Jocasta took away her life and will never have to hear the blames other people have against her. I believe somethings are better unsaid to not hurt people. Jocasta feels the guilt that she wished she can fixed things, but Oedipus had already killed her first husband to be able to get with her. In other words, everything seemed to destroy the whole family. The main cause of everything was Jocasta for abandoning her own son. I can imagine how the siblings of Oedipus might of felt that Oedipus is their father but as well their
The authority which Oedipus and Jocasta defy is the same. Both the king and his mother defy the authority of the gods by trying to evade their edict. The edict states that a son would be born to Jocasta who would marry his mother and kill his father, as Oedipus says, “How mating with my mother I must spawn a progeny...having been my father's murderer.” (OEDIPUS, Oedipus, 44). When Jocasta hears of this, she attempts to kill the baby Oedipus, thus trying to escape the prophesy. Similarly, when Oedipus, as an unmarried adult, hears that he would kill his father, he runs away from his home town, Corinth, never to return. Oedipus and Jocasta both defy the gods' authority, which in this case comes in the form of running away from a menacing prophesy. In the end, however, Jocasta dies and Oedipus is overthrown and ruined.
Oedipus is described as one of the greatest characters of all time in Oedipus Rex. "Here I am myself—you all know me, the world knows my fame: I am Oedipus." (Prologue) He solves the riddle of the Sphinx and has been very good to the people. So when this plague strikes that is killing the citizens of Thebes, they once again turn to the great Oedipus.
Thesis: The completion and substance of Oedipus Rex allows Oedipus to live grief-stricken throughout his successful search for justice.
In Sophocles’ Oedipus the King, the reader finds Oedipus as an overzealous king, but one that cares deeply for the people who are under his rule. After solving the mystery of the Sphinx and under the belief that he has escaped the prophecy of killing his father and marrying his mother, Oedipus’ self-confidence goes into over drive. His compassion, for the pain and suffering his people are under, causes him to pronounce a curse on the murderer of Laius. Unknown to the king, he is condemning himself for the crime he committed years ago.
Many could argue that Jocasta is responsible for the downfall that Oedipus encounters due to an unsuccessful attempt to have Oedipus murdered as an infant. It could be said that she therefore deserves our criticism for her actions in the play although we cannot over look the choices the Oedipus makes himself. Oedipus chose to leave Corinth when told the news of the terrible prophecy that had been foretold about him. It was this choice that led Oedipus to kill what he thought to be a wanderer on a foreign road. In leaving Corinth he fulfilled the prophecy to kill his father. It was Oedipus' choice that accounts him responsible for the criticism he eventually endures, not Jocasta.
Jocasta’s blindness to the truth ruins her relationship with Oedipus unlike Gertrude’s blindness which merely taints her relationship with Hamlet. Primarily, as Oedipus comes closer to discovering the truth, Jocasta begs him to stop searching. She pleads with him yelling “No! In God’s name – if you want to live, this/ must not go on. Have I not suffered enough?/... I know I am right. I’m warning you for your own good.” (Sophocles 55). It is clear that Jocasta knows the truth and all along yet she refuses to tell Oedipus .She tries very hard to ignore the fact that Oedipus is her son because she knows once he discovers the truth, he will not even be able to look her in the eyes. It terrifies Jocasta to know that once Oedipus realizes that she is aware of the truth all along he will loathe her. Nothing hurts her more than knowing that the one she loves despises her. Jocasta can evade these unfortunate events if she did not ignore the obvious truth before her. Moreover, Jocasta desperately hopes that Oedipus dies before he u...
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
The play "Oedipus Rex" is a very full and lively one to say the least. Everything a reader could ask for is included in this play. There is excitement, suspense, happiness, sorrow, and much more. Truth is the main theme of the play. Oedipus cannot accept the truth as it comes to him or even where it comes from. He is blinded in his own life, trying to ignore the truth of his life. Oedipus will find out that truth is rock solid. The story is mainly about a young man named Oedipus who is trying to find out more knowledge than he can handle. The story starts off by telling us that Oedipus has seen his moira, his fate, and finds out that in the future he will end up killing his father and marrying his mother. Thinking that his mother and father were Polybos and Merope, the only parents he knew, he ran away from home and went far away so he could change his fate and not end up harming his family. Oedipus will later find out that he cannot change fate because he has no control over it, only the God's can control what happens. Oedipus is a very healthy person with a strong willed mind who will never give up until he gets what he wants. Unfortunately, in this story these will not be good trait to have.
But his wife Jocasta urges him not to go on further in fear that he will not be able to handle the truth. The chorus echoes his thoughts about his demand in finding out who he truly is. When Oedipus finds out the truth that he killed his father and married his mother everything goes downhill. The prophecy that he tried so hard to resist ended up coming true. Of course the concession is right there with him when he finds out this truth. They sing about disbelief and sadness over this tragedy that came upon their beloved king. To them their Oedipus is a perfect example of a bless-less man that will live in misery for the rest of his life (Sophocles 496). This shows the sorrow and anguish that the citizens have for the king upon knowing of this unfortunate
The aim of tragedy is to evoke fear and pity, according to Aristotle, who cited the Oedipus Tyrannus as the definitive tragic play. Thus pity must be produced from the play at some point. However, this does not necessarily mean that Oedipus must be pitied. We feel great sympathy ('pathos') for Jocasta's suicide and the fate of Oedipus' daughters. Oedipus could evoke fear in us, not pity. He is a King of an accursed city willing to use desperate methods, even torture to extract truth from the Shepherd. His scorning of Jocasta just before her death creates little pity for him, as does his rebuke of the old, blind Tiresias. But with this considered, we must not forget the suffering he endures during his search for knowledge and the ignorant self-destruction he goes under.
First off, Teiresias is hinting at the fact that Oedipus’ relationship with Jocasta is a “sinful union” (Sophocles 36). Oedipus is unable to make the connection between what Teiresias is saying and his own prophecy. Oedipus does not want to acknowledge the fact that he has committed a sin and he avoids learning the truth by remaining ignorant of his true parentage. On top of this, when Teiresias outright tells Oedipus that “the killer [he is] seeking is [himself]” (Sophocles 36). Oedipus refuses to believe this and instead accuses Teiresias of lying and plotting against him. Oedipus, as a known intelligent character, should have listened to Teiresias, who is known for being a wise man; instead, Oedipus puts the blame on Teiresias. Teiresias then goes on to foreshadow that the “taunts” (Sophocles 36) Oedipus is throwing at him will “someday [be] cast at [him]” (Sophocles 36). Oedipus does not take the warning of Teiresias seriously instead he continues to insult Teiresias. Oedipus’ inability to face the truth will result in him being banned and blinding himself for his ignorance. Similarly, Jocasta attempts to prevent Oedipus from gaining knowledge by explaining that “[i]t makes no difference now” (Sophocles 55) and to “[f]orget” (Sophocles 55) what has been told to him. Jocasta not only tries to stop Oedipus from learning the truth, she also tries to stop herself from verifying the truth, this later results in her unfortunate suicide. Also, Jocasta’s ignorance and inability to discover Oedipus’ true past causes her to commit incest, a major sin. Jocasta and Oedipus committing this sin then result in the God’s punishing Thebes. Showing that, ignorance leads to
In attempting to leave Corinth and prevent the prophecy to the best of his abilities Oedipus alleviates some of the guilt that he could carry. Oedipus’s true defense is his ignorance in not knowing that “Polybus was no kin. . .in blood” (1016), believing that he was doing the right thing to prevent the prophecy and leave Corinth, he hurt himself and unfortunately put into motion the elements needed for the prophecy to come true. One may also be tempted to blame Jocasta for her role in the prophecy coming true, however that is also unfair. Firstly it is important to remember that women had little to no power in ancient Greece, even if they were queens. It is a fair assumption to make that Jocasta had no choice in the matter of marrying Oedipus when he came to Thebes, he was the new king so she would marry him to maintain her power. In considering Jocasta’s innocence it is also important to remember that she did try to kill Oedipus as a baby, which, while morally is a grey zone, shows that she should not be held solely responsible for the prophecy coming true. Jocasta’s innocence could be
Jocasta’s compliance to the demands of the men around her is revealed through her constant role as a nurturing mother, one who provides emotional connections, but cannot make decisions. This role spans throughout the entire prophecy, throughout her entire life, and throughout her roles as Oedipus’ mother and then his wife. With the arrival of the prophecy that her and Laios’ son is destined to kill his own father and marry his own mother, Jocasta had to leave her child to essentially die in order to evade the prophecy. A mother’s first instinct is typically to protect her child at all costs; however, Jocasta goes against this by actually putting her child in danger in order to protect her husband. This instance proves that the husband seems to be the main focus. Every action seems to be to p...
For Oedipus, prophecy is not the main source of his fall towards society; rather, his hubris blinds himself from recognizing his personal sin in the world, thus leading to his demise. Sophocles even skillfully uses a metaphor through the words “ as led by a guide” to further explain the “supernatural being” that ultimately decides the tragic fate of the family of Oedipus. In addition, through the death of Jocasta, the reader is immediately attuned of Oedipus’ raging moment of violence and will be petrified by the overwhelming power of the gods, thus realizing the importance of being cautious before making a final choice. Indeed, after an individual settles on a decision, the gods take control of the person’s fate, hurling numerous consequences to him if he makes the wrong decision. Moreover, as Oedipus suddenly becomes the unintended victim of the gods through his sinful decision to execute Laius, he is forced to relinquish his predominate impetus for pridefulness in exchange for a heart of deep realization and forgiveness. At the end of the play, Oedipus sacrifices everything in order to remove his guilt through the consequences of his atrocious actions witnessed by the gods. After Oedipus realizes the astringent fate he was destined to encounter through his sinful murder of Laius, he immediately attempts to take responsibility for his
It seems that Jocasta suffers many tragedies, possibly more than Oedipus himself. Using our definition of a tragic hero, Jocasta’s fearful deed is that of giving up her son to death. That turns out to be her downfall and destroys her. However, she does not fit the criteria as a tragic hero. Jocasta did not do a good deed turning her into a hero. She goes through many tragedies, but this only categorizes her as a victim of tragedy. While Oedipus is still the “tragic hero,” he is no longer the main victim in the play.