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Oedipus The King

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Tragic plays back in Ancient Greece were very popular. Aristotle argued that tragedy cleansed the heart through pity and terror, purging individuals of their petty concerns and worries by making them aware that there can be nobility in suffering. He called this experience 'catharsis'. Oedipus Rex has so much irony, ignorance and fate plays a big role; combine all those elements and one has a recipe for a tragedy. The play, Oedipus the King, was an importance to the society of ancient Greece beyond just being entertainment for the people who saw it because Oedipus was indeed a tragic hero. Aristotle has cited that the Oedipus trilogy is a great example of Greek tragedy, noting the tragic scenes, choral odes, and simple poetry. Aristotle has …show more content…

Psychologically, the audience feels purged, as if they had gone through these events themselves and learned the edification from firsthand experience. This is supposed to cleanse their souls. One can learn so much from others mistakes, for in which case it is understandable why tragedies were very popular back in Ancient Greece. Tragedies are a form of art that questions the role of a man in this universe. At the beginning of this play, Oedipus was very sure of who he was but at the end he has no idea and is blinded by his own ignorance of his past. According to Yue-hua, “the myth of Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex is revolved on the three interactive perspectives of fate, truth and self-will, making the play a most remarkable one in the fifth century Greece when all the plays focused on the manifestation of Gods’ will under which man’s behavior was undoubtedly directed. What gives the play its tragic intensity is not the horror it arouses of patricide or incest but the meaning of fate that God bestows to Oedipus in his endeavor of truth seeking. What is most important, it is the sentimental self-will of Oedipus that makes the play distinguished from other plays during the age of Sophocles’ and makes him an outstanding figure in the fifth century Greek” …show more content…

Oedipus was oblivious when he killed his father and married his own mother, so there is no demonstration of Oedipal Complex in this play. He never meant to eliminate his father and possess his mother; matter of fact, he attempted to escape his destiny, thinking that Polybus and Merope were his biological parents. According to Jeffrey B. Rubin, “I do not doubt that there are some children who wish to be more closely aligned with their opposite sex parent and feel antagonistic toward the one who is viewed as a threat— or mistuned—to them. But Freud misread Oedipus Rex—which does not illustrate the Oedipus complex— and distorted its meaning to suit his theoretical preconceptions.” (Rubin). Of course, Freud’s Oedipal Complex psychoanalytic theory was born from the play Oedipus the King, but the theory does not play a role in the play itself. Had that been the case, Oedipus would have stayed with Polybus and Merope because he thought they were his biological parents. If Freud’s Oedipal Complex were to have played a role in this play, Oedipus would have eliminated Polybus and married Merope. Fate is

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