Oedious as a Statement of Hope in Oedipus at Colonus
<b>Outline</b>
<br>I. Oedipus ' decency
<br> i. To daughters
<br> ii. To sons
<br>II. Appearance
<br> i. Characteristics
<br> ii. Clothing
<br> iii. Blinded
<br> iv. Confident
<br>III. Sufferings
<br> i. Murder of father/wed mother
<br> ii. Betrayed by sons
<br> iii. Exiled
<br> iv. Blinded/beggar
<br>IV. Divinity
<br> i. Prays to gods who are to punish him
<br> ii. Chooses place of death
<br>V. Effect
<br> i. On Theseus
<br> ii. On man
<br>
<br><b>Essay</b>
<br>The Greek tragedy Oedipus at Colonus was written by the great and renowned Greek playwright Sophocles at around 404 B.C. or so. In the play, considered to be one of the best Greek dramas ever written, Sophocles uses the now broken down and old Oedipus as a statement of hope for man. As Oedipus was royalty and honor before his exile from his kingdom of Thebes he is brought down to a poor, blind old man who wonders, "Who will receive the wandering Oedipus today?" (Sophocles 283) most of the time of his life that is now as low as a peasant 's. Although former ruler of Thebes has been blinded and desecrated to the point where he is a beggar, he will not give up on his life and on the life of his two daughters Antigone and Ismene, and his two sons Eteocles and Polynieces who were supposed to help their sorrowful father like true sons and true men but instead they "tend the hearth like girls."(304). Yet Oedipus still gives praise to those who have helped him, his daughters Antigone and Ismene, although he has no sight, is poor, and his life is of no meaning to him, he recognizes honor and loyalty when he sees it:
<br>
<br>"Antigone from the time she left her childhood behind and came
<br>into full strength, has volunteered for grief, wandering with me,
<br>leading the old misery, hungry Hard labor, but you endured it all,
<br>never a second though for home, a decent life, so long as your father
<br>had some care and comfort. And you, child, in the early days, all
<br>unknown to Thebes
<br>I. Oedipus ' decency
<br> i. To daughters
<br> ii. To sons
<br>II. Appearance
<br> i. Characteristics
<br> ii. Clothing
<br> iii. Blinded
<br> iv. Confident
<br>III. Sufferings
<br> i. Murder of father/wed mother
<br> ii. Betrayed by sons
<br> iii. Exiled
<br> iv. Blinded/beggar
<br>IV. Divinity
<br> i. Prays to gods who are to punish him
<br> ii. Chooses place of death
<br>V. Effect
<br> i. On Theseus
<br> ii. On man
<br>
<br><b>Essay</b>
<br>The Greek tragedy Oedipus at Colonus was written by the great and renowned Greek playwright Sophocles at around 404 B.C. or so. In the play, considered to be one of the best Greek dramas ever written, Sophocles uses the now broken down and old Oedipus as a statement of hope for man. As Oedipus was royalty and honor before his exile from his kingdom of Thebes he is brought down to a poor, blind old man who wonders, "Who will receive the wandering Oedipus today?" (Sophocles 283) most of the time of his life that is now as low as a peasant 's. Although former ruler of Thebes has been blinded and desecrated to the point where he is a beggar, he will not give up on his life and on the life of his two daughters Antigone and Ismene, and his two sons Eteocles and Polynieces who were supposed to help their sorrowful father like true sons and true men but instead they "tend the hearth like girls."(304). Yet Oedipus still gives praise to those who have helped him, his daughters Antigone and Ismene, although he has no sight, is poor, and his life is of no meaning to him, he recognizes honor and loyalty when he sees it:
<br>
<br>"Antigone from the time she left her childhood behind and came
<br>into full strength, has volunteered for grief, wandering with me,
<br>leading the old misery, hungry Hard labor, but you endured it all,
<br>never a second though for home, a decent life, so long as your father
<br>had some care and comfort. And you, child, in the early days, all
<br>unknown to Thebes
Cited: /b> <br><li>Baade, Eric C. Seneca 's Tragedies: Oedipus, Troades, Agamemnon. Collier-Macmillan Limited, London. 1969. <br><li>Readings on Sophocles: Oedipus at Colonus. Fitzgerald, Robert. Green Haven Press, San Diego, California. 1997. <br><li>Melchinger, Siegfried. Sophocles. Frederick Ungar Publishing Co., New York, New York. 1974. <br><li>O 'Brien, Michael J. Twentieth Century Interpretations of Oedipus Rex. Prentice-Hall, Inc. Englewood cliffs, New Jersey. 1968. <br><li>Roche, Paul. The Oedipus Plays of Sophocles. The New English Library Limited, London. New York and Scarborough, Ontario. 1958. <br><li>Sophocles. The Three Theban Plays: Antigone, Oedipus The King, Oedipus At Colonus. Penguin Books. New York, New York. 1982, 1984. <br><li>Sophocles: A collection of critical essays edited by Thomas Woodward: Oedipus at Colonus. Whitman, Cedric H. Prentice-Hall, Inc. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. 1966.