Oedipus‚ the play‚ is a story about the King of Thebes who journeys from thinking he knows who he is‚ to finding out who he truly is. It is about knowing oneself. In the Greek civilization‚ "people came to know themselves…through experience"‚ (The Ancient World‚ 3). In this paper it will explain how Oedipus thought of himself‚ when his hubris was really showing through and then when Oedipus finds out who he really is. As stated before‚ Oedipus was the King of Thebes‚ and to a certain degree‚ he
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11/9/12 Oedipus the King Essay Sight and Blindness has many different meanings throughout the world. The concept of blindness can be seen as the literal inability to look at the world and it is also perceived as being blind to a situation or event that is obvious. The Sophocles Tragedy‚ Oedipus the King‚ portrays both of the viewpoints of sight and blindness. The characters in Sophocles’ work live a hectic‚ ever-changing‚ life with twists of fate. Oedipus first shows the indirect
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ending of Sophocles’ Oedipus the King. How could one not blame them‚ for they placed a prophecy on the king‚ his wife and their son‚ sending them to their dreadful doom. Perhaps there is more to be seen in this famous Greek tragedy. Perhaps the blame does not belong completely to the gods‚ but to the victims of the prophecy. Sophocles exemplifies this throughout the play using methods of symbolism‚ actions and words. From the get go of the prophecy‚ things weren’t well. Once king Laius and his wife
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It leaves one with a feeling of loneliness‚ which can either be mental or physical. As a result‚ characters in this instance become alienated from the world they live in. Three examples of characters who suffer from alienation are Oedipus from the play Oedipus the King‚ “the monster” from the novel Frankenstein‚ and Hamlet in the play Hamlet. These three characters go through the several stages of alienation to relieve themselves from the feeling of loneliness. The stages of alienation include initiation
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Unlike the king that dies with his image and greatness‚ a self sacrificing individual dies with the start of their legacy. In the play Oedipus‚ the protagonist’s free will generates the downfall in the play which becomes clear that fate takes over his life. Oedipus‚ the protagonist‚ is still able to make his own decisions; however‚ he was mainly mortified based on his lack of judgment and his bad decisions throughout the play. Aristotle‚ the Greek philosopher considers this play to be a huge example
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Though Oedipus’ decisions are often driven by self-interest‚ he ultimately is devoted to the people of Thebes and values their well being more than his own. His commitment to his citizens can be seen in various instances. The first is during a series of unfortunate events that torments the city‚ the root of it being a plague. Seeking help from their king‚ the Thebans turn to Oedipus for help. In hopes of eliminating the plague‚ he attempts to fulfill Apollo’s commands for the murderer of Laios to
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Sophocles‚ Oedipus has volunteered to find out who killed the previous king‚ King Laius. If he succeeds in finding the “stranger” who committed the crime Oedipus will be able to lift the curse of the plague off the people of ancient Thebes. However‚ in a turn of events Oedipus not only finds out he is the “stranger” who murdered King Laius but also the tragedy surrounding his birth. This discovery leads to an ethical dilemma of “Is the truth always worth finding?”. Since in the beginning Oedipus has cursed
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Greek tragedy Oedipus the King by Sophocles is a play about a Greek emperor who was brought to ruin and had no one to blame other then his character. This Greek emperor embodied all traits’ a ruler in his position would be blessed to have. Oedipus was a compassionate honest man who cared for the people he lead. Even as wonderful of a leader as he was‚ Oedipus was brought to his ruin because of his anger‚ impatience and blindness of fate. In the first part of Oedipus the King‚ Oedipus sent his brother-in-law
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Through analysis on the play Oedipus Rex by Sophocles‚ I found that my understanding was deepened by my knowledge of major themes shown through Sophocles’ use of symbolism‚ paradox‚ and setting. This led to a deeper understanding regarding existentialism and man’s pursuit for knowledge itself. During a discussion on symbolism‚ Oedipus’ fate was linked to a quote by Randy Pausch: “We cannot change the cards we are dealt‚ only how we play the hand.” One of the themes Sophocles makes prevalent throughout
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"The blind man sees and the seeing man is blind." To what extent is this true in Oedipus the King? "To be wise is to suffer." Throughout this play we see that after Oedipus suffers and loses his eyesight it is only then he is able to seek the truth. When we are first introduced to Oedipus‚ he is a strong leader who is thoroughly respected by the people of Thebes. "O greatest of men." Oedipus was the saviour of Thebes 15 years before he solved the riddle of the Sphinx which freed the city
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