Oedipus The King Research Paper

In the early beginning before King Oedipus’s reign of Thebes lived Cadmus. Cadmus was the first Greek hero to be advised and mentored by the oracle at Delphi and was assigned to build a city called Thebes. Cadmus constructed the city of Thebes and was the first King to reign over the city. However, Cadmus encountered a dragon who guarded the well outside of the cities walls and killed it, little did he know, the dragon happened to be Apollo's favorite dragon. For his unfortunate actions, Apollo cursed Cadmus and his family for many generations to come, in which, the queen and king of Thebes would bear a child who would kill his father and marry his mother. A few generations later King Laius and Queen Jocasta of Thebes bore a baby. King

A chorus is a common element to Greek tragedy’s and in ancient theatre consisted of a group of people who provide a number of different contributions to a play, providing a historical perspective, acting as counsellors and advisors to the plays characters and at times representing various groups such as villagers or a jury. Within this essay, I will consider the main contributions of the chorus within “The Burial at Thebes”

Do you think our fate is predetermined or do we have some control over it? Many people now think that we have some control in our destiny, depending on the actions and steps that we take during our life time. On the other hand some people think that you have no control over your fate, and have to follow the destiny of your family members. In Oedipus the King, Sophocles seems to argue that man has no real control over his or her destiny. Throughout the whole story he shows us how people try to run away from their fate and no matter how hard they try to change the outcome, they can’t.

In Sophocles play, Odeipus The King, there are many types of universal themes to humans in society. The main character, Oedipus reveals traits that humans have. No one wishes to kill their father or marry their mother. However metaphorically speaking, we can relate to his emotions and behavior. His actions and how he reacts to certain situations, defines him as a worthy person.

“Oedipus Rex” was a Greek Tragedy written by Sophocles in the fifth century BC. It was the first of a trilogy of plays surrounding the life of Oedipus. Sophocles wrote over 120 plays approximately 100 years before Aristotle even defined a tragedy and the tragic hero. Aristotle’s definition of a tragedy is “… an imitation of an action of high importance, complete and of some amplitude; in language enhanced by distinct and varying beauties; acted not narrated; by means of pity and fear effecting its purgation of these emotions” (Kennedy and Gioa 2010). According to Aristotle there were six elements to a tragedy: the plot, the character, the

People’s actions, feelings and behaviour towards others have a large effect on their fate. Some citizens in society have flaws that cause them to make bad decision in their lives and cause trouble for themselves, even if it may happen unknowingly. Acting without thinking of repercussions and behaving in difficult ways are all examples of how people can self-inflict their fate. One man that demonstrates these issues and causes major problems for himself is Oedipus from the story King Oedipus. Oedipus’ pride, impetuous behaviour and lack of insight ultimately determine his inevitable fate.

Throughout the play the use of dramatic irony is used to a wide extent, adding to this is the use of realism, focusing on the words. We are introduced the chorus in the first Parodos, they all look fairly identical dressed in black and white symbolising knowledge and wisdom. Don Taylor has used the chorus very well in this version of Oedipus; they always seemed to be making distinctive sharp shapes and movements in order. The chorus are directly speaking to the Gods, visually portraying this by focusing on the heavens above when they spoke. Don Taylor modernises them to seem like jury, at the end of each episode reflecting upon the events happening. Their language and the way they are presented are fast pasted and have a very flowing rhythm.

Like all classical Greek tragedies, Sophocles’s Oedipus the King features a chorus that sings several odes over the course of the play. In Sophocles’s play, the chorus is composed of old Theban men and represents the population of Thebes as a whole. The chorus recites a parodos, four stasima, and a brief exodus. Through the choral odes, Sophocles reflects on the events and motifs of the play, including piety and faith in the Gods, the inevitability and the uncertainty of fate, and the dichotomy of right and wrong.

Oedipus lived a life full of lies and misfortune. It was fate that Oedipus killed his father and married his mother. Oedipus was told he was going to kill his father and marry his mother. The actions of others guided his life to where it ended up. As much as he tried to get rid of the fate he had since he was born, there was nothing anybody could do.

A tragic hero is a great or virtuous character in a dramatic tragedy who is destined for downfall, suffering, or defeat. A tragedy is a serious drama featuring a main character often of noble birth, who strives to achieve something. The elements of a tragedy are hamartia, peripeteia, anagnorisis, hubris, catharsis, and nemesis. In Oedipus Rex written by Sophocles, Oedipus arrives at Thebes and solves the Sphinx's riddle, allowing him to enter Thebes. He is then made the king of Thebes because all of the townspeople view him as very wise since Oedipus was the only one to solve the riddle.

Of course the setting takes a major role in the play. It takes place in ancient Greece, naturally, where tragedies and stories of misfortune are known to happen. And as such there are many symbols used throughout the trilogy. The chorus is one of the main symbols continually used in the story, singing their strophies and antistrophies. Their importance is to show what the people of the time would feel about what was happening. They are sort of a mild version of critics in the story. Tiresias, the seer, is another great symbol in the story. Though he is blind, he is proved in the story to have seen things more clearly than the stubborn Oedipus would have. The irony of it is that Oedipus himself later became that seer in the story of Colonus, with Antigone as his own hand-girl. The plays of Oedipus also use a great range of picturesque speech to make a point. We see it in the very first lines of Oedipus the king when Oedipus asks his beloved people, “what is the meaning of this thronging round my feet- this holding out of olive branches wreathed in woe?” (Roche 23).

The chorus is an essential feature of Greek classical drama. Instances of various types of dance, singing, and speech are some elements of a Greek chorus. “Composed of similarly costumed men, they performed on the orchestra located beneath the stage. The chorus stayed in the orchestra for the duration of the performance from which vantage point they observed and commented on the action of the characters.” Oedipus is a play written by Sophocles, a respected playwright, and it is “generally assumed that the main function of the Sophoclean chorus is a philosophical one; that it serves above all as the spokesman for a certain view of life.” The chorus can be dramatic in the following ways: “through the personality of the group forming the chorus and the appropriateness of their relationship to the action and the characters, through the iambic lines spoken by the coryphaeus, through physical participation in the action and through the choral songs.” The chorus is an important component of the Greek Tragedy Oedipus. Aside from its responsibility to effectively represent the people of Thebes, the chorus in Oedipus has a powerful influence over audience perceptions and emotions.

In ancient Greek plays, the role of the chorus was to sing lyrical passages. The lyrical passages were set up

A final cultural difference is the importance of the chorus and its use in the plays Agamemnon, Oedipus, and Medea. The chorus was not highly involved in the action of the plays. In general, the chorus’ main functions were to create a psychological and emotional background to the action through its odes. It introduces and questions new characters, as well as point out the importance of events as they occurred, to establish facts and avow the outlook of society. Finally, the chorus covers the passage of time, between events, and separates episodes (Calder 21). Within the play Agamemnon, by Aeschylus, the chorus represents the voice of wisdom of the city as well as its limitations (Novelguide). The chorus’ limitations are clear when they fail to

The first of the important minor characters we meet is the Chorus, who appear early in the play. Out of the three characters focused on in this essay, the Chorus is of the least importance to the story due to the fact that the Chorus mainly exists as a moral compass and source of information for the audience of the play. Regardless of their main purpose, the Chorus does advise Oedipus multiple times in the play, warning him of dangers to come. When confronting Creon, Oedipus accuses Creon of betraying him with no basis for accusations. In response, the leader of the Chorus says “Those who jump to conclusions may go wrong” (692). The Chorus has a clear understanding of the situation and works as a mediator that combats Oedipus’ arrogance. The mild role of importance the Chorus serves