Oedipus The King, Death Of A Salesman, And The Glass Menagerie

In the story of Oedipus the king at the beginning Jocasta does not have any idea of what her husband it is to her. Later on she finds out that her husband it is her own son whom she throw away because when he is born a bad prophecy is giving to him. She tries to stop him when she realize it and she starts begging him, she tries to stop him. As an example, she says to him, “listen to me, I beg you: do not do this thing!”(Sophocles 1088) Also she says “you are fatally wrong! May you never learn who you are!” (Sophocles 1088), that gives us a clue, at that point she knows Oedipus is her own son and that the prophecy has already begin to happen in his life. The journalist Anders

In addition, during this period female babies were much more likely to be abandoned at birth. Contrary to this, Oedipus was abandoned as an infant by Jocasta. In addition to the love that Oedipus has for the women in his life, in a monumental scene at the end of the play Oedipus cries out to his daughters and blindly embraces them. In this scene, Oedipus helplessly wails about the hardships that his daughters will soon face without once mentioning the fate of his two sons. Moreover, during this time men were known for having extramarital affairs by fulfilling their sexual desires while women were expected to remain faithful. In the play, there are no mentions of another lover of Oedipus. Additionally, it was not normal for men to socialize with their wives. Despite this being the norm, Oedipus finds comfort in talking to Jocasta. Oedipus confides in Jocasta, showing vulnerability towards a woman. Pietro Pucci states in his book Oedipus and the Fabrication of the Father, “Oedipus tells Jocasta how he was shaken by the rumor that he was illegitimate and how he secretly ran to Delphi to seek Apollo’s reassurance that he was the legitimate child of his parents, Polybus and Merope” (16). Scenes from the play reaffirm that Oedipus is humbled by the presence of Jocasta. Oedipus state, “I’ll tell you everything I fear. No one has more right than you do, to know the risks to which I’m now exposed” (Sophocles 898-890). Even after Oedipus finds Jocasta

Time and space is an intriguing concept. Arthur Miller's (1949) Death of a Salesman and

In order to gain a proper perspective on the concept of what a tragic hero is, we must synthesize information from the following play’s, “The Death Of A Salesman”, and “Oedipus The King”. Both plays takes the stance on the idea that validates the ultimate notion,  “tragic hero. From Willy’s hubris personality to his questionable and mysterious death, to Oedipus dynamic and complex choices and kingly personality that determines his fate. A tragic hero is a literary character who makes a judgement that leads to his/her downfall. In other words, even though both characters made incredible contributions and left a very noble legacy, their choices and decisions determined their ultimate fate. In today’s world tragic heroes are commonly present,

Often the past will present answers to questions about the future as well as questions of the now, and in Oedipus Rex, Oedipus’ past plays an integral role in his pursuit of righting the wrongs that are affecting him in the present. In the play, Oedipus must identify who has killed Laius in order to exile them to solve the qualms of his people, and in a dialogue with Jocasta, who happens to be his wife as well as his mother, she reveals to him details of the death of Laius that seem far too familiar for his comfort (Sophocles 27). This revelation of information acts as a catalyst that forces Oedipus to make the connection between his past and what Jocasta is telling him. This realization that he may have been responsible for Laius’ death exposes him to the weight of the pursuit of justice sometimes hold for humans. Through this dialogue, Oedipus comes to fear that he is the culprit of the scandal that is plaguing the situation, thus putting him in the position of a criminal who will face the due punishment for the crime. This internal conflict that Oedipus experiences creates and

Oedipus did not know that his mother was going to be his wife. He was told from when he was only the prince of Corinth that he will end up sleeping with his mother. During the investigation of King Laius, the blind prophet is providing a detailed crime scene and interviewing the only eyewitness to his murder. In curiosity, Oedipus asks about who his biological parents are so he can finally know the truth and settle the rumors. The Theban Shepherd confirms that his parents are in fact Laius and Jocasta. Oedipus and Jocasta have not seen each other since the day he was born. Many years ago, she gave her three-day-old infant to her servant to be killed because she knew about the prophecy. Behind her back, the servant gives Oedipus to a childless royal couple living their separate lives without knowing each other. Jocasta tried to change their destiny, but their fate was already chosen for them. Regardless of Oedipus knowing that his wife was his mother, he still committed incest. “But now all god-deserted, born in sins, in incest joined with her who gave

Death of a Salesman a modern drama that we have read in our class as one of the 3 peace's of literature our professor deems to be important to read. The main characters having a similar theme that they are put into situations out of there control. For the most part they want to be doing the right thing. Weather it's Oedipus form his famous play hunting down the truth even though he knows that if what he is first told is right that he has fulfilled the curse placed on him and must be exiled, or its Hamlet trying to trick everyone he knows into thinking that he is mad to avenge his father. Even willy he tries to lie to his wife to make her feel better about their bleak life. Due to the large gaps in the time periods of when these works of literature have been written there is an evolution. Oedipus Rex and Hamlet are considered tragedy of their time but Death of a sales man is the only one that can't be labeled as a tragedy.

Starting with Sophocles primary play, “Oedipus Rex,” the relationship between Oedipus and his parents support the works theme of fate and pride. Through antecedent action told throughout “Oedipus Rex,” Oedipus received a prophecy that he would kill his father and sleep with his mother. Jocasta, his biological mother additionally received a prophecy long before Oedipus pronouncing her child to kill her husband. Both, Jocasta and Oedipus recall that they can outsmart the prophecies by avoiding the fate in which they write. With extreme pride that they carry out avoidance plans that contribute to the plot and irony of Sophocles work. Jocasta sentenced her son to death to avoid her prophecy. Oedipus ran from his perceived “real parents,” from Corinth to Thebes to avoid his fate, killing a stranger on the way to the new kingdom. Eventually, Oedipus and Jocasta get married and conceive children together providing accuracy to their fate later when all mysterious are discovered. Their relationships shows that the Gods are beyond their control, even though with their hubris that noted they could get out of it. The family relationship aspect of “Oedipus Rex,” situation adds more dramatized plot to Sophocles work. Faith in the trilogies is a concept in all of Sophocles three plays that can unarguably be avoided, Oedipus and Jocasta having the same thought process and traits shows a son and mother relationships. Jocasta and Oedipus marrying one another is Sophocles way of creating the irony for viewers of the play.

But unlike Oedipus, Jocasta handles her situation through hypocrisy and denial. As the play progresses, it becomes obvious that Jocasta is terrified of the idea that her life is influenced by the gods. Instead, she forces herself to believe that “life is governed by the operations of chance. Nothing can be clearly foreseen. The best way to live is by hit or miss, as best you can” (53). Jocasta’s life best resembles a balance, with the evidence to support the prophecies on one side and how much she can ignore on the other. She convinces herself that prophetic power does not exist, yet attempted to avoid the prophecy of Laius’ death by sending their child into the mountains. When Laius died, Jocasta reasoned that it was due to chance, thus proving the prophecy wrong. But the moment the Corinthian messenger revealed where he found Oedipus as a baby, Jocasta’s balance tipped. Not even Jocasta, who could ignore Oedipus’ injuries to his ankle and the meaning of his name, could overlook the proof. In her desperation to retain control of her life, Jocasta begs Oedipus to not interrogate the shepherd, and when he refuses, she takes her own life. Ultimately, Jocasta is revealed as a character who would do anything to avoid the truth. When the prophecies came to fruition, Jocasta realizes that she never had any control over her life. Unlike Oedipus, Jocasta refuses to accept her fate, and in her final act of defiance, an act she deems as her own, she commits

Due to Oedipus’s actions comes the grave consequence of Jocasta’s death. One of Aristotle's five key components of tragedy is shown when Oedipus causes Jocasta’s death. Oedipus’s serious act was marrying his mother. The consequences that Oedipus suffers because he married Jocasta is she committed suicide. Jocasta rushes out of the palace and Oedipus and the messenger are “afraid that from this silence something monstrous may come bursting forth” (Fagles.1181-2.223).

It is human nature to expect a lot from the people around us. Expectations are all achievable with effort, but what if those expectations prevented the chance to make our lives extraordinary? Carpe diem, seize the day, it is this principle that makes life worth pursuing, others expectations should not interfere in the making of a pleasant life. In the play, Death of a Salesman, “Oedipus the King”, and the novel Handmaid’s Tale, Willy Loman, Oedipus, and Offred all strive to meet these expectations set by others. In attempts to do so, the main characters decide to prevent their own satisfactory lives for the betterment of the people around them and neglect the potential consequences of

An overwhelming desire for personal contentment and unprecedented reputation can often result in a sickly twisted distortion of reality. In Sophocles' Oedipus the King, a man well-known for his intellect and wisdom finds himself blind to the truth of h

Throughout the stories of Oedipus the King, Antigone, and Minority Report, there is a common theme of greatness beyond the scope of the individual story. Oedipus was the dedicated king of Thebes, whose predestined fate detailed failed attempts to outrun his destiny. His sacrifices were for the good of his city. Creon and Antigone battle throughout their story, yet ultimately showed that death and sorrow are fates that are bigger than the both of them. Finally, John Anderton fought to prove his own innocence, and uncovered variables that resulted in the termination of the Precrime system, and prevented the possible conviction of thousands of innocent people. Ultimately, these three stories tell the detailed and complex lives of their

Jocasta: Plays the part of wife, lover and mother to the same person, Oedipus. She appears to be the voice of reason during the beginning of the conflict between Oedipus and Creon. The Chorus Leader in line 765 is greatly relieved to see Jocasta approach and is hopeful that her skills will calm the quale that has arisen. Jocasta proceeds, in line 770, to rebuke the men for their foolish behavior and personal quarrel instead of attending to more important matters of state. This reveals that as the queen, she has more concern and compassion for the people’s welfare then the bickering of two old men. Jocasta’s authority and ability to direct comes out when she directs both her brother and husband to go home. Additionally, she further uses her authority as a wife in an attempt to take control of the situation with Oedipus. But she is unable to persuade Oedipus that the fates are not in control, as described (line 850). She has an incredible amount of hope and faith in humanities ability to control their own destiny, as she relates the story of her infant son being killed by Laius as truth and thereby nullifying the prophecy. Furthermore, Jocasta shows loyalty to her husband as she attempts to remove his worry and discontent over the prophecy, in line 1160, by continuing to declare that the fates have no power, over man’s free will. Oddly, no one throughout the play seems to catch onto is her deception. In line 1284, she is overwhelmed and upset that Oedipus refuses to

Oedipus Rex was Sophocles' attempt to show the Greeks that they could not avoid the dealings of the gods, or they may be forced to conspire against the very people they should love most. Jocasta was, in this way, a victim. Though it was by her own doing that this penalty was cast upon her, it was not something she was happy to do, which becomes apparent when she realizes the truth in her earlier prophecy. It is at this moment that she becomes aware of her punishment, and in desperation kills herself. Oedipus Rex is a true tragedy in the sense that fate and