Oedipus Diction

Oedipus the King, written by Sophocles around 430 BC, is one of, if not the most, important and influential tragedy ever written. It became the base for most of the tragedies written since. In spite of the fact that some of the story line may seem a little out of place now, parallels can be very easily drawn with the present time. Even though it was written over 2000 years ago, Oedipus the King is still fitting and applicable in today's society.

Throughout the tragedy by Sophocles, the king Oedipus relies on his personal glory to attain long lasting fame and balks when confronted with anything that might shatter this perception that he is the best. While both characters have done marvelous deeds in the past, their inherent arrogance, which is part of the tragic flaw of each of the characters,

Sophocles gives the readers many different views of the play Oedipus the King in which we can take and analysis accordingly to things we are most interested in. Throughout the play Oedipus personally changes. He starts off as a being a smart leader, calm, and determined, but at the end of the play it reveals how he is angry, irrational and is blind to certain aspects, which becomes his downfall.

Oedipus the King is perhaps one of the most famous and influential of Sophocles' plays. It is a tragic play which focuses on the discovery by Oedipus that he has killed his father and married his mother. On the surface of this drama there is, without a doubt, a tone of disillusionment.

When he talks you can feel a sense of trust as Michael Pennington presents Oedipus as such a loud fluent speaker, but the use of Sophocles puns add a tone of dramatic irony to the play for instance his last line ‘I see it all’ just before he plunges his own eyes out..

Both playwrights rely on these literary devices in order to inspire suspense and tension in their audience. In the example of Oedipus, as with most ancient Greek plays, Sophocles’ audience would likely have heard of the plot previously through myths. The exact phrasing of language, however, hints at the details of the play in the future. For example, Teiresias says to Oedipus that “you have your eyes but see not where you are in sin” (482-483). This is a contrast between Teiresias (who is physically blind) and Oedipus (who is physically seeing yet is blinded by ignorance) that is also used to imply Oedipus’ fate later in the plot.

There are many ways to interpret both of these versions of this speech, both written and spoken. There are parts in the audio version of the speech that his words were slurred, and hard to understand, it didn’t seem as though he was using very many rhetorical language, no emotion flowed through me as I listened to it, the only thing I felt was disgust. He didn’t sound prepared for it at all, and pardon me for saying this, but he honestly sounded drunk. I read the script and it was very well written, there were plenty of rhetorical language, triggering ethos, logos and pathos. He used them in many different parts of his written speech, each very well portrayed in their own way.

Sophocles used Oedipus’ pride to characterize Oedipus as a tragic man. It showed that he was destined to make himself miserable because of the hubris he was born with. He also uses it to show that there is fate, but we are a part of it and it is only what might happen based on the person we are. Oedipus came about his tragic discovery not because of an evil act or an evil trait but because of the person he was. When the oracles stated that Oedipus would kill his father and marry his mother, he stated what could happen. Oedipus’ fate might have been avoided if Oedipus was not the type of person he was.

Sophocles highlights Oedipus’ tragic flaw through the chorus and characters, and uses dramatic irony to show that the truth can hide in plain sight. Throughout Oedipus Rex, Sophocles uses characters to present the truth to the audience to emphasize Oedipus’ hamartia, his blindness towards the truth. Not only do characters like Tiresias and the messenger build up conflict within the tragedy, but they also introduce the idea of how obvious the truth is and how ignorant Oedipus actually is. This is

Ethan Nesel Period 5/AP Literature 11/6/17 Sophocles’ play depicts protagonist Oedipus’ as an apparatus most useful in causing the suffering of others. Oedipus is a child left for dead who inevitably ends up killing himself for fulfilling the murderous prophecy he was left on a mountain to die for in the first place. The irony is a constant throughout Sophocles work, and by the end of the story almost everyone Oedipus had a relationship with has either killed themselves, or is suffering from a loss in their life caused by Oedipus. Oedipus is the archetypal tragic hero who is prideful and careless, but the instant he gets too comfortable he loses everything which leads to the suffering of those around him.

Oedipus Rex is a story that can be interpreted on many different levels of thinking. The ancient tale has existed for centuries and has been subjected to countless forms of analysis. What is it that makes Oedipus the King such a fascinating story? Is it the suspense of a developing mystery that captivates the audience? Or perhaps the wonderful feeling the readers get after vicariously experiencing the horror Oedipus feels? And if not that, could it be that the reader is intrigued at Sophocles' description of one man's disbelief in the gods? Whichever way one looks at it, Oedipus Tyrannus was, and remains, one of the "most highly admired plays of all time" (Wood, et al, 163).

Countless works the classical era include dramatic deaths, sorrow, and a transformation of the main character from a state of ignorance to knowledge. “Oedipus the King”, masterfully composed by Sophocles, involves the aforementioned aspects and many more as the title character goes through triumph and downfall. King Oedipus’ downfall occurs because he cannot see the deception produced by those close to him and he blindly puts all of his faith in them, exhibiting great ignorance. The people he loves very dearly use his blind faith in them to manipulate him. Through Oedipus the King, Sophocles develops the notion that one can lose and stave off the truth when consumed by love and ignorance.

The famed tragedian Sophocles is known for his unique ideas and intellect. Sophocles carefully utilizes of all of his intelligence and creative ability in order to make use of illuminating moments throughout the play which allow his audience to draw conclusions about free will, fate, knowledge, and power throughout perhaps his most iconic play, Oedipus Rex. the main character Oedipus experiences an illuminating moment when he gouges his eyes out at the discovery of the truth about his actions. This illumination is expressed in order to express Sophocles’ idea that fate overpowers free will.

Sophocles’ plays are among some of the best-written performances of the 5th century, and they have evolved into several modern theatrical productions and movies. Although not written as part of a trilogy, Sophocles’ three interconnected plays focus on the same dysfunctional family: Antigone, Oedipus Rex (Oedipus the King) and Oedipus at Colonus. His second play Oedipus the King continues to awe the audiences today as much as it entertained Sophocles’ audience. There existed then and now a fascination with this defected group of individuals that others still seek to transform and capture with their spins and surprises; nevertheless, the innermost secrets of desire and power and terror remain constant no matter the version.

Sophocles’ plays are among some of the best-written performances of the 5th century, and they have evolved into several modern theatrical productions and movies. Although not written as part of a trilogy, Sophocles’ three interconnected plays focus on the same dysfunctional family: Antigone, Oedipus Rex (Oedipus the King) and Oedipus at Colonus. His second play Oedipus the King continues to awe the audiences today as much as it entertained Sophocles’ audience. There existed then and now a fascination with this defected group of individuals that others still seek to transform and capture with their spins and surprises; nevertheless, the innermost secrets of desire and power and terror remain constant no matter the version.