Oedipus Rex Topic: Is it always good to know the truth? Have you ever heard the saying ‘’ the truth will set you free‚ but first it will make you miserable.’’ Well behind that there is another question‚ Is it always good to know the truth? Some say the truth will either break or make a person. Would you rather live your life in a bundle of lies and pretend to be happy? Or would you rather spend your life in shame and suffering because of the truth? It would be a guarantee the guilty feeling will
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characters or to the audience. The tragedy ’Oedipus Rex’ is filled with dramatic suspense which is largely due to the effective use of dramatic irony by Sophocles. Except for Teiresias‚ all the characters in the play such as Oedipus‚ Iokastȇ‚ Creon‚ the messenger and the chorus know nothing about the proceedings of the story‚ so their speeches contain dramatic irony. Most dramatic ironies are found in the speeches of Oedipus. Almost every word uttered by Oedipus from the exposition of the play to the
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to portray. Even though the presentation clarified most of my questions‚ I was still left pondering certain aspects of Oedipus Rex. In the book‚ the main question for me was if Oedipus really had control of his life or what he being controlled by the gods and fate. When Oedipus heard the prophecy for the first time‚ he tried to run away from it. That gives me inkling on Oedipus that tells me he believes in the prophecy and it will come to pass. When he really does kill his father without knowing
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Journal Project for Oedipus Rex 1. What is the effect of Oedipus’ insistence and promises regarding the hunting down and punishing of the murderer of Laius? What does this suggest concerning his character as well as the meaning of Sophocles’ play? Sophocles a Greek poet and a writer was famous for his tragedies. All of his plays and tragedies consisted of a very distinctive style called dramatic irony - a situation of drama which is understood by the audience but not grasped by the characters
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In Oedipus Rex‚ it appears that Oedipus’ tragic downfall was the result of misfortune – his actions of killing his father and marrying his mother were done without knowledge or intent‚ and thus his punishment of scorn and banishment seems excessive for the crime. However‚ though Oedipus was struck by the gods with unfortunate circumstances‚ it was through his own free will that the oracles were permitted to come true. The weaknesses in Oedipus’ personality and his lapses in judgment caused him to
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The Robert Fagles translation of the last part of Oedipus Rex is the best translation compared to the others. The meaning of this excerpt is very rich and ties up the entire story. It also includes the main theme‚ which is one that still applies today. This translation is the best because it has some elements of poetry that makes it stand out from the others. In this section‚ the chorus is talking about the life of Oedipus. They are explaining of how he was the greatest of men‚ and how he solved
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Prof McGee November 23‚ 2013 Proper Punishment and Justice in Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex Within Sophocles’ play‚ Oedipus Rex‚ Oedipus’ destiny was to marry his biological mother and murder his biological father. Oedipus pointlessly tries to change his fate‚ but was powerless in changing anything. With no control over his destined fate‚ unaware of his family history‚ and unconscious of who his birth parents were‚ Oedipus is guiltless in killing his father and marrying his very own mother. Justice
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and heartbreak‚ both two very tragic things that could happen in your life‚ but what makes these things tragic? According to Aristotle there are many elements to a tragic tale. Oedipus Rex lives up to all of them. The reader knows how serious Oedipus’s actions are‚ how complete they are‚ and how high his fall is. A tragedy by definition is a drama which imitates an important and casually related series of events in the life of a significant person‚ such events ending in an unhappy catastrophe
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Professor James Place October 15‚ 2012 Pham 1 In the play Oedipus Rex by Sophocles (rpt. in James P. Place‚ Literature: A reader for Freshman Composition II‚ 1st ed. [Boston: Pearson‚ 2011] 122-168)‚ the oracles had prophesied that Oedipus would kill his father and beget children by his mother. Oedipus does not want to do the things that Apollo predicted; he is no puppet‚ but indeed the controller of his own fate. Oedipus was unwilling to have his fate come true; he was frightened that he
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Man controls his fate by the choices that he makes. In being able to chose what his own actions are‚ fate is a result of his decisions. In Oedipus the King‚ the Greek writer‚ Sophocles‚ uses characterization and dramatic irony to project a theme throughout the play providing the idea that man is responsible for his own fate. Sophocles lived 90 years‚ revealing a plethora of amazing‚ prize-winning tragic Greek plays. Sophocles was born near Athens in 496 BC‚ in the town of Colonus. He received
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