Theme Of Lamentation In Oedipus The King

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Ancient literatures are known for having intriguing poetry, drama and also comedy that are still remembered and studied nowadays. The Most recurring themes in the works of ancient literature are lamentation, hubris and predestination.
The first recurring or common theme in ancient literature is lamentation. Lamentation can be found in some of these early literatures. What is lamentation? According to the dictionary, lamentation is the act of lamenting or expressing grief (Dictionary.com). In the ancient Literature Oedipus the king, lamentation was present a few times in this interesting story. Oedipus the king is written by Sophocles. Sophocles is an ancient Greek tragedian. This story is an example of a tragic hero. The Beginning of this …show more content…

What is Hubris? Hubris is the excessive pride or self-confidence; arrogance (Dictionary.com). Hubris is a significant theme because it is a weakness and downfall of some of the ancient heroes, warriors and kings. The gods punish and put to shame these heroes and kings known for being arrogant. Also, hubris tends to occur when a person has power or money or have something that others do not have. In the ancient literature Oedipus the King written by Sophocles, king Oedipus was known for being arrogant or having egotistical. He was also known as a hero for saving Thebes by giving the correct answer to the riddle of the Sphinx. In the story, Oedipus showed hubris to an old blind prophet called Teiresias. Even though Oedipus showed hubris and insulted the prophet, Teiresias still warned Oedipus that his pride would be his downfall, and his children and he would be of the same rank. Yet, Oedipus didn’t believe the prophet and kicked him out of his house. One illustration of hubris in Oedipus the King was when the strophe said “If a man walks with haughtiness of hand or word and gives no heed to justice and the shrines of Gods despises may an evil doom smite him for hiss ill-starred pride of heart” (Oedipus the king, part 1, lines 1010- 101) This quote means that if a man is showing too much hubris without any care for justice and shrines of gods, he should be punished severely because his pride. Oedipus was …show more content…

What is predestination? According to the google, Predestination is the divine foreordaining of all that will happen, especially with regard to the salvation of some and not other (google.com). Predestination is illustrated in Oedipus the King written by Sophocles. According to the story, Jocasta said “There was an oracle once that came to Laius,… it was from his servants-- and it told him that it was fate that he should die a victim at the hands of his own son, a son to be born of Laius and me.”(Oedipus the King, part 1, line 813-822). This quote represented a tangible occurrence of predestination. The quote showed that Jocasta told Oedipus about the oracle that came to Laius before he died. The oracle said that Laius will be killed by his own son Oedipus. Oedipus knew that he was going to kill his father and he tried everything he could to prove the oracle wrong. Unfurtunately for Oedipus, he already killed his biological father along time ago without knowing. This showed that the oracle was right. Oedipus, unknowingly killed his real father, became king and married his real mother. Whatever is meant to happen will come to

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