The Value Of Values In Oedipus The King

As is true with characters of many other works of literature, the protagonist of Oedipus the King, must contend with the horrible reality of his past. This protagonist, Oedipus, killed his father and married his mother, and what is worse, is that he is not aware of this. Throughout the entire play, his relationship with his past is one of ignorance. His ignorance of past events is what causes the play to unfold as it does. Unaware of his own reality, Oedipus leads himself to his own demise by becoming overly confident and prideful, and by distancing himself from his supporters. Through the main character’s relationship with the past, Sophocles develops his central themes of fate, sight, and pride.

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.

The Greek play, Oedipus the King, shows how easy it is for a man to fall apart, while trying to make things right. Sophocles’ tragedy tells the story of Oedipus, a regular man turned king of Thebes. Throughout the tragedy, Oedipus searches for the cause of the chaos and havoc encompassing his land; however, he discovers that he is the one responsible for the hardships plaguing Thebes. As the tragedy continues, Sophocles’ exposes a dark side to power, fame, and ambition. Further, Sophocles’ exposes the fear that many have of the truth, and exposes the grave danger in hiding from it.

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.

Sophocles' play Oedipus the King has endured for over two thousand years. The play's lasting appeal may be attributed to the fact it encompasses all the classical elements of tragedy as put forth by Aristotle in Poetics nearly a century before it was written. According to Aristotle, tragedy needs to be an imitation of life according to the law of probability or necessity. Tragedy is serious, complete, and has magnitude. It must have a beginning, middle, and end and be spoken in language that is fit for noble characters. Furthermore it must be acted, as opposed to epic poetry, which is narrated. Tragedy shows rather than tells. Finally it must result in the purging of pity and fear, or a catharsis. Tragedy is based in the fundamental order of the universe, it creates a cause-and-effect chain that clearly reveals what may happen at any time or place because that is the way the world operates. Tragedy arouses not only pity but also fear, because the audience can envision themselves within this cause-and-effect chain. Tragedy as a whole is composed of six elements: plot, character, language, thought, spectacle and melody. Melody and language are the media by which the effect of imitation of action is carried out, spectacle is the manner or way the tragedy is carried out, and plot, character and thought are the means that initiate the action. Oedipus the King possesses all of these elements.

In addition, the story of Oedipus Rex is another outstanding tragic literature. However, compared to Tim O’Brien’s writing style, Sophocles’ work inspires the emotions of pity and fear, and not depression. Normally a person with status, the tragic hero can be placed with sins of the gods or be a victim of given situations. Their fate often establishes an advanced social rank, often based upon exile. Tragedy illustrates the manner in which pride can overturn even the strongest characters, as it makes the readers aware of human suffering.

Ancient Greece is a very unique and foreign place to us today but surprisingly the ancient Greeks liked theatrics as much as we do now. This love for the stage led to many great plays being written one of which was “Oedipus the King”. “Oedipus the King” written by Sophocles in 430 BC is a Greek tragedy that shows the tragic downfall of Oedipus the king of Thebes. In this play Oedipus finds out that the prophecy that he had fled from so long ago had come true as he married his mother and murdered his father. “Oedipus the King” is a brilliant allegory for man's unwinnable struggle against fate and the puzzling actions of the indifferent gods.

Thesis Statement and Outline Thesis Statement: Sophocles, in his work Oedipus Rex, presents a plot attached to the structure of the Greek tragedy where fate, misfortune and death play a very important role. I. Fate and Misfortune A. The predestination of destiny and the madness of human beings for transgressing the divine laws: “The oracle, without answering the question about his parentage, prophesied that Oedipus would kill his father and beget children by his mother. Horrified, resolved to avert this fate, Oedipus determined never to return to Corinth”. (Greg Johnson, Thomas R. Arp, 2018, para. 2) II.

Enduring Influence of Oedipus Rex Ancient Greece is widely recognized for its exceptional achievements in literature and dramatism. Arguably, the civilization’s most enduring contribution to modern society is its theatrical evaluation of human nature. Sophocles, considered one of the three great playwrights of the golden age, is noted for his powerful tragedy Oedipus the King which analyzes the conflict of fate and freewill. Even centuries after its initial composition, Oedipus the King continues to influence today’s culture in many ways by aiding in a more comprehensive understanding of ancient Greek lifestyles and values.

Remorse, the feeling of deep guilt and regret for the commitment of a crime or atrocity, is a major element in classical Greek tragedies. The resulting anguish that the character feels enhances the magnitude of the catastrophe, as the atrocity is transformed into a powerful emotion bringing it to a relatable level. In Sophocles’s Oedipus Rex, retold by John Bennett and Moira Kerr, and Antigone translated by E.F. Watling, the reader witnesses how different aspects of each play contribute towards the final tragic ending. While both Creon and Oedipus exhibit feelings of remorse, Oedipus displays a higher degree of contrition as a result of his hamartia, his thanatos and the impact that family and secondary characters have towards his anagnorisis.

The play King Oidipous by Sophocles is essentially timeless, bearing repeated readings over thousands of years. Throughout those years, many discussions about the flaws of humanity and the nature of fate have centered around the tragedy. When discussing the role of fate in a person’s life and the role of a person’s choices in fate, King Oidipous must be split into two separate parts, the past and the present, the cause and the effect. The work essentially has two plots. The first takes place in the past, in which Oidipous kills his father and marries his mother without knowing who they really are, also saving the city of Thebes and becoming king. The second helps Oidipous realize the veracity of these events and focuses

Tragedy has been apart of human history since the dawning of civilization. Man has been plunged into terrible tragedies for ages. But not until the Greeks and prominent playwrights such as Sophocles did tragedy take on into its own on the stage. Out of this rebirth of tragedy came what has been considered, even by Aristotle himself, the greatest tragedy ever written, Oedipus the King. He delves into the human psyche: bringing forth the notion of predestination, a supposition desperately believed in by humans, betraying the fatal flaws of his hero and manifesting the suffering brought upon the hero by his tragic downfall. Though it was written more than a millennium ago, its basis and structure for tragedy has

Sophocles’ Oedipus is a dramatic play that deals with tragedy and comedy. Tragedy can awaken humans to the place of grasping hope and growth; Aristotle’s and Sophocles’ display an all-inclusive story of the tragedy of fate. Sophocles’ tragedy is an emotional story of a ruler who kills his father and unwarily takes his mother as his significant other. A tragic hero characterizes one who makes unwise decisions that prompts catastrophe overcome. Due to the prophecy that their new son would kill his father, Laius and, Jocasta, King and Queen of Thebes, gave their infant to a shepherd with orders that he be left on a mountainside to die. The shepherd, however,

Sophocles ' play “Oedipus Tyrannus” is an enigma. His play includes incest, murder and self-enlightenment all leading into the main theme of fate. Athenians believed that fate is not left up to man, but that is provided solely on the whims of the gods. Because of his dramatic approach to his plays Sophocles was considered one of the most brilliant and creative writers of his time.

Thesis: In Sophocles’ “Oedipus”, Oedipus is exemplified as a tragic hero according to Aristotle’s definition because his story appeals to the reader’s humanity in the way he maintains his strengths after inadvertently causing his own downfall.