Analysis of Sophocles' 'Oedipus the King'

The tragedy Oedipus Rex was about a plague plaguing Thebes and the only way to end it was to find the murder of King Liyus and to banish him. We learn later from the story that Tiresias the blind prophet proclaims that Oedipus is the murder. Oedipus doesn’t know he is the murder due to his complicated childhood of been a foster and growing up with his non- biological parents, even though he doesn’t know he was abandoned by his real parents. Due to the prophecy and fate of Oedipus, he will kill his real father and marry his mother. Oedipus later learns of this prophecy and tries to escape his fate because he loves his parents, but during a

Euripides’ Medea may be viewed as a direct contrast to Sophocles’ Oedipus the King, but they do possess a similarity. Medea and Oedipus the King both focuses on competing with a standard. In Oedipus the King, Oedipus is competing with the Gods, while Medea is competing with a more concrete standard: society. Medea constructs a storyline that some would argue challenges the role of women in society. Focusing on the theme of betrayal leading to barbarous revenge, Medea forged a plot that no woman could fathom during this time period. The protagonist, Medea, was abandoned by her husband (Jason); shunning her and their two children out of his life. Jason married Glauce (daughter of Creon; King of Corinth) to advance his station in society. This type of betrayal was not uncommon in Greek society. Men could leave their wives and kids, oftentimes without an explanation, and the woman would just have to accept it despite any sacrifices the woman may have made for the relationship. Medea used her powers to help Jason secure the Golden Fleece, murdering her brother in the process; only for this man to leave her for another woman. This scenario makes Medea’s desire for revenge understandable, but the extent she’s willing to go to achieve it displays a character full of pure ruthless aggression. Her determination to avenge for Jason’s betrayal and her humiliation leads to her deriving a plan that would ultimately kill three characters: Glauce, Creon, and her two children. Medea would

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.

Not knowing he was the murderer, Oedipus had now cursed himself. "Whoever he is, a lone man unknown in his crime or one among many, let that man drag out his life in agony, step by painful step – I curse myself as well… if by any chance he proves to be an intimate of our house, here at my hearth, with my full knowledge, may the curse I just called down on him strike me!" (606)

The theme of sight and blindness is undoubtedly important to notice while reading Oedipus the King. The number of times the words “see” or “blind” are in the play make it make it undeniably obvious that they are significant. The theme is developed throughout the dialogue, through characters such as Tiresias and Oedipus, and also directly in the irony of the play. It is important in a play about the truth because almost every character was “blind” to the truth. All of the characters, except one, can physically see, but mentally cannot see the truth.

plague of Thebes, a historical epidemic in Sophocles' Oedipus Rex." Emerging Infectious Diseases, 18(1): pp. 153-157. Web. Retrieved from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3310127/. [Accessed on 24 September 2012].

Oedipus is a man of unflagging determination and perseverance, but one who must learn through the working out of a terrible prophecy that there are forces beyond any man’s conceptualization or control. Oedipus’ actions were determined before his birth, yet Oedipus’ actions are entirely determined by the Gods who control him completely. In the beginning of this tragedy, Oedipus took many actions leading to his own downfall. He tried to escape Corinth when he learned of the prophecies that were supposed to take place in his life. Instead, he

Oedipus the King was written by Sophocles and was is titled Oedipus Rex in Latin. It is one of the most well-known Greek tragedies. As is the case with Greek tragedies—or roughly most tragedies that make their way to stage—fate plays a key role in the events in Oedipus Rex. Oedipus discovers there is a plague on his city. The only way to lift the plague is by slaying the former king’s killer. As the play’s acts unfold one discovers about the prophecy concerning Oedipus. The prophecy states that Oedipus is destined to kill his father and marry his mother. But was this just by chance or his predetermined fate.

Over two thousand years ago in 400 B.C. Sophocles, a Greek dreamer, wrote the story, “Oedipus the King”. One might think that a story that old may be boring or poorly written, but in fact it is very descriptive and entertaining. Sophocles even employs different literary devices to enhance the themes throughout the story. Some of these techniques includes: metaphor, personification, imagery, symbolism, tone, meter, setting, and diction.

Oedipus the King, is a Greek tragedy written by Sophocles, in which the main character is a brave, confident, and an excellent ruler named Oedipus. Oedipus the king of Thebes shows these qualities throughout the beginning of the play on many different occurrences. However, his personality changes in the end of the play when his life is close to coming to an end.

In Oedipus The King by Sophocles, Oedipus, the great king of Thebes, suffers a reversal of fortune when he attempts to change his fate. Oedipus is prophesied to kill his father and to marry his mother so he leaves Corinth to come to Thebes so this prophecy does not come true. As Thebes is being countered by a plague, Oedipus is trying everything he can to help the citizens. Throughout the play, Oedipus seeks knowledge about the plague later leading to his downfall. Oedipus is seen as a hero to his city due to his contributions, but he soon has a tragic ending when he seeks for knowledge.

Over the extensive history of the theatre arts, most of the many plays and productions fall into unique categories in regards to structure. The two most simplest of the structural categories are climactic and episodic. A climactic structure, or alternatively known as an intensive structure, contains a play in which all components are restricted as the main conflict in the story commences late into the play and only a little time passes until the story occurs. Everything is restricted to a few components. There are not as many characters, scenery change and very limited amounts of action. climactic structures focuses heavily on the climax in contrast to other structures. One notable example of a climactic performance is Oedipus Rex by Sophocles. The story of Oedipus is that of tragedy and despair as Oedipus and his family are unable to escape the fate that Oedipus has had since birth. The exposition and starting action (in this case, the events that led up to him to being king of Thebes) occur before the play and is only ever talked about. The play only takes place in the castle and has only four primary characters. Ultimately, Oedipus Rex only takes place within a day and primarily focuses on the realization and aftermath of the story of Oedipus and his sins, or the climax. All these components that define a climactic structure of production are found in the aforementioned play by Sophocles, strengthening what a climactic structure is and the vast potential a climactic play

The behavior you exhibit in certains scenarios and situations show what kind of person you are. In Sophocles’ drama, Oedipus the King, the main character Oedipus displays many types of behavior, but the behavior that he demonstrates during key points in the drama presents the type of person he is. He puts on display acts of stress, arrogance, and confidence. Oedipus’ behavior can be analyzed as actions every average day citizen demonstrates.

Oedipus play (c. 430 B.C.) by Sophocles pictures an Ancient Greek tragedy in which the main character usually dies and there is intervention towards the main character 's destiny; or the main character is presented as a good person in the play, but oracles caused them to do bad things. A classic Greek play such as Oedipus can be perceived not only as an art in literary work but also as an analysis of Foucault 's theory of power and power relations between the king and the seer of the kingdom.

I chose to write about the play Oedipus Tyrannous by Sophocles, I found this play to be very encapsulating to the very end. I really enjoyed the suspense, as well as the turn of direction that the play took in the end as the plot thickened. In this essay, I will describe why I personally believe that this play was not just a tragic event and the many reasons why I believe that Oedipus can be viewed as a tragic hero by his actions throughout the play. I believe that some of my strengths in this essay will show that I have written a well-developed and explanatory essay that will prove to be true of my analysis of Oedipus’s heroism in his words to support my opinions. I know that some of the verses that I quoted form the play can be interpreted differently so I would definitely like to get your take on those quotes that I cited that you feel may have a deeper meaning or interpretation altogether. I also view this as my weakness because of the way that some of the verses are worded or the choice of words used, it was hard for me to understand as it sounded a bit off. I also know that I used a few large sections of quotes which I made up for in my in my word count.