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Divided In Sophocles Oedipus The King

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A person’s outlook on a subject depends merely on the perspective of which they are viewing that subject from. One has the capability of changing their opinion by simply converting to various views on the matter. This can be seen in Sophocles’ Oedipus trilogy. The series is instigated by the actions of Oedipus himself, a king forsaken by the gods before his conception. Abandoned at birth by his parents, the oblivious boy grows up to kill his biological father, and marry his mother as a gift for rescuing Thebes from the Sphinx. The events that develop in the plays can be analyzed from differing viewpoints. One might say that Oedipus led himself to commit those blasphemous actions, while another is convinced that it was his destiny brought upon …show more content…

Abel imposes the idea that in Oedipus the King, Oedipus’ personality and course in life was dictated by his father’s intoxication during conception, rather than destiny. The author explains that the play was performed in Ancient Greece as a religious practice devoted to Dionysus, the god of fertility, wine, and drama. He made the connection between the indirect worship of wine, to Oedipus, which Abel claims to have suffered from fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). Sophocles incorporated wine in this sense, to symbolize the importance of Dionysus at the time. Additionally, the article states that Oedipus has physical features that resemble those that a person suffering from FAS may have. Abel provides some examples of these features, and states that Oedipus’ weak ankles which in the play were caused by them being pinned at a young age, was actually a symptom of the alleged FAS that he may suffer from. The author states that Sophocles tried to portray the dangers of procreation while drunk by describing these side effects. Moreover, greater than the physical resemblance, Abel writes that Oedipus shares a great deal of mental deviations with a person who has FAS. In fact, the author blames this illness for Oedipus’ irrational actions. He states that his impulsive and aggressive nature caused by the disease, led to him killing his father. Also, Abel associates how quickly Oedipus accuses the oracle Tiresias, and his brother-in-law/ uncle of attempting to commit mutiny to something that people suffering from fetal alcohol syndrome may do. Abel’s points attempt to prove his argument that fate was not the prime catalyst for Oedipus’ actions, but may have been a result of his potential

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