Analysis Of Oedipus Rex And The Allegory Of The Cave

In Oedipus the King by Sophocles, Oedipus is ignorant to many things, for example, what his and his parents’ identities were and, therefore, he acts without full knowledge. His ignorance makes him act irrationally and without regard to his behavior. As the plot moves along, he becomes aware of those unknown details from before and meets his downfall. Likewise, Plato’s Allegory of the Cave also shows that ignorance can lead to blindness and ultimately to disaster. The main characters have grown up in a cave of darkness as prisoners and have only seen the shadows of the real world. One of the prisoners is released and gets to see the world for the first time. He does not understand the outside world because he had been in dark for so long and tries to tell the others about the outside world in the cave and they try to kill him. In Oedipus the King and Allegory of the Cave, the idea that ignorance leads to blindness from the truth is clear. When that truth is revealed, the character(s) who come to realization are struck by unfortunate consequences.

In his essay, “Introduction to Oedipus the King”, Bernard Knox supports free will by stating that Oedipus’ downfall was not caused by fate. According to Knox there is not a doubt that, “Oedipus is the free agent who, by his own self-willed action, discovers that his own predicted destiny has already been fulfilled” (86). He clearly states that Oedipus is responsible for his free actions during the play. He insists that Oedipus’s made the decisions to discover the truth about himself.

In Sophocles’ Oedipus the King and Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, the main characters begin in a state of darkness, either literally or figuratively, but throughout the texts, both are able to see the light eventually and grasp higher knowledge. One difference between the two texts is that the main character in The Allegory of the Cave is physically restrained from enlightenment. Meanwhile in Oedipus the King, Oedipus is restrained by his rash, arrogant, and illogical actions. The contrast in the situation between the two develops the idea that when someone acts solely on intuition, such as Oedipus, he will be blinded by ignorance. This surfaces in Oedipus the King when Oedipus spurns religious traditions, logical reasoning, and insightful advice; which then culminates in his downfall.

In Sophocles' play, Oedipus, the King, there are various instances where Oedipus tries to escape his destiny—enlightenment—only to discover the truth that he cannot. Similarly, in Plato's "Allegory of the Cave" the prisoner travails to understand and adjust to his newly visited environment. In both works, the men first had to realize their ignorance before they could begin to acquire knowledge and true understanding of the complexities of the human condition. Specifically, in Oedipus, the King, it was Oedipus' illusion of himself as a man unequaled in leadership whereas in "Allegory of the Cave" it was the prisoner's initial refutations of enlightenment being shown him until he realizes its intellectual, spiritual, and social significance.

The British classical scholar and lecturer in ancient Greek and Greek history A. W Gomme said, “the gods know the future, but they do not order it”. Gomme is implying that the gods are able to know what will happen, but they cannot enforce it. Oedipus Rex is a play that is filled with a lot of controversy and an origin for many arguments. One of which being if Oedipus’ fate is one of free will or determinism. In “On Misunderstanding the Oedipus Rex” author E.R Dodds refutes the over powering belief that Oedipus Rex is a play that follows a path of determinism. E.R. Dodds does not believe Oedipus’ fate was controlled; therefore, in his text he supports his strong belief that Oedipus is in charge of his own fate.

“Oedipus Rex” was a Greek Tragedy written by Sophocles in the fifth century BC. It was the first of a trilogy of plays surrounding the life of Oedipus. Sophocles wrote over 120 plays approximately 100 years before Aristotle even defined a tragedy and the tragic hero. Aristotle’s definition of a tragedy is “… an imitation of an action of high importance, complete and of some amplitude; in language enhanced by distinct and varying beauties; acted not narrated; by means of pity and fear effecting its purgation of these emotions” (Kennedy and Gioa 2010). According to Aristotle there were six elements to a tragedy: the plot, the character, the

Discuss whether or not a hero who is tragic by trait and definition can exist within the structure of the monomyth.

Because he had deciphered the Sphinx’s riddle, the intelligent Oedipus was classified as “the best at guessing riddles,” yet he could not see the truth that was staring him in the face (Sophocles 30). He had killed the previous king. Although Tiresias had told him plainly that he was the murderer, Oedipus did not believe him and went even further to blame Creon for the murder. How could he have been so blind? When the king began to finally realize his misconception, he exclaimed, “Oh God! I think I have just called down on myself a dreadful curse-not knowing what I did” (Sophocles 53). The ruler of Thebes enjoyed an abundance of knowledge; however he experienced a severe deficit in his ability to understand the reality right in front of

This paper discussed The Allegory of The Cave in Plato's Republic, and tries to unfold the messages Plato wishes to convey with regard to his conception of reality, knowledge and education.

Plato has been documented as one of history’s great thinkers, he was a student of Socrates learned how to think of the greater aspects in life and asking questions about life. He created a school for others to learn, to question the truth and broaden their horizons. In Plato’s The Allegory of the Cave, he concentrated on human perception and willingness to advance knowledge by looking beyond surroundings and seeking the truth.

Ignorance can blind an individual from the truth. Plays were of great importance in early Greek culture. Plays were the main source of entertainment, and one of the most exceptional examples is Oedipus the King written by Sophocles. The drama is tremendously uplifted by the character development and the excellent structure Sophocles has put forward. Interactions between characters and each character’s motivations generate brilliant themes throughout the play. Sophocles uses a technique called recognition, which illustrates a character’s turn from ignorance to the truth. The play is about the city of Thebes which is racked by a plague and a crisis that is quickly wiping humans from the earth. The great king of Thebes is Oedipus who must dispose of the problem very quickly. He welcomes information from the god Apollo, who says Oedipus must punish the killer of the former king, Laius. In one of the instances where Oedipus tries to find the killer, he encounters Tiresias, who is a physically blind man but can see everything because he is a prophet of Apollo. Tiresias possesses the information but declines to cooperate with Oedipus. After a series of verbal insults, the audience is left in awe when Tiresias puts the blame on Oedipus. Similarly to Oedipus the King, dialogue “Allegory of the Cave” written by Plato also in the early Greek times, shows that ignorance can lead an individual to be blind from the truth. Sophocles magnificently develops a question of “Who sees and who is blind”. Also in Oedipus the King, Sophocles exhibits how selflessness and ignorance can blind a person from the truth, but eventually has to go through recognition which can cause great agony.

In the play Oedipus Rex, Oedipus unknowingly murders his father and marries his mother. When Oedipus discovers this he is disgusted with himself and decides to go into exile. The Misanthrope is a play about the self-exile of the main character Alceste. Challenged in court, he refuses to take back the criticism of a sonnet written by a powerful nobleman. Alceste and Oedipus are both convicted by their knowledge of the truth. Although, the United States grants asylum to more refuges than any other country, there is one man who has decided to self-exile.

"Oedipus the King" is a tragic play showing a shift from the belief of fate to freedom of choice. Therefore, Oedipus the king is a great example of those who run from fate ends up fulfilling their fate

Oedipus did not have a fair start in life. His father, Laius, heard prophecy that Oedipus would one day kill his father and sleep with his mother. In order to prevent this, Laius gave Oedipus to a shepherd to be killed. Fortunately, through a string of events, Oedipus's life was saved, and he even went on to become the honored king of Thebes. Despite this feat, Oedipus still managed to make several decisions that ultimately fulfilled the original prophecy told to Laius, and inevitably sealed Oedipus?s fate.

The Greeks were known for their literature, such as The Odyssey and Homer’s Iliad. However, one of the most recognizable plays would most likely be Oedipus Rex, by Sophocles. In this play, Sophocles uses light, dark, sight, and blindness as symbolism throughout the play. However, these symbols are used to convey major themes and dramatic irony as well. In Oedipus Rex, the themes of light and dark as well as sight and blindness are used to convey major themes and dramatic irony by implicitly showing the reader that tragic events are taking course, Oedipus’s struggle between knowledge and ignorance, or his reluctance to see what is around him.