One City; Two Corrupt Leaders In the plays Oedipus Rex and Antigone by Sophocles‚ Oedipus and Creon exert similar characteristics as leaders that ultimately result in their characterization as tragic heroes. They take a similar course throughout their stories‚ which leads to a similar fate‚ resulting in tragedy. Both characters tried to revive a city in need‚ but in the process‚ the hubris they possessed got in the way. Both men had the chance to see that their actions would lead to a tragic ending
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In Oedipus the King‚ Oedipus is the new king of Thebes after the former king‚ Laius‚ was killed. Thebes has been cursed‚ and a prophet of the god Apollo tells Oedipus that Laius’ killer must be banished from Thebes. Oedipus begins on a disastrous quest to find the assassin‚ and finds that he is the one he seeks. He pierces his eyes and tries to kill himself‚ and is banished from Thebes at the end of the play. Oedipus realizes his foolishness at the end of the play‚ comparing his lack of wisdom to
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Aristotle’s Tragic Hero: Oedipus Rex The Athenian tragedy Oedipus Rex‚ by Sophocles‚ yields a rare quality of emotional and character depth that is unparalleled and has withstood the arduous test of time. Much of the stimulation derived from Oedipus Rex is in the unraveling of the protagonist’s fate. By the hands of the gods‚ almighty King Oedipus is prophesized to take his own father’s life and marry his mother. Never has a man stood so tall and fallen so hard. In Poetics‚ Aristotle describes
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September 24‚ 2012 King Oedipus- Essay "What walks on four legs at dawn‚ two legs at noon‚ and three legs at nightfall." This was the riddle posed by the Sphinx who at the time was destroying the city of Thebes. The riddle was solved by none other than Oedipus who was made king for ridding the city of the Sphinx. Ironically though‚ Oedipus in his life comes to embody the riddle of the Sphinx and its soulution. Firstly‚ the Sphinx is percieved as a curse on Thebes and Oedipus also becomes a curse by
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Since the inception of Sophocles’ Antigone‚ there has been an argument regarding the true tragic hero of the play. It is a commonly held certainty that Antigone must be the tragic character merely because she and the drama share the same name. This is‚ of course‚ a very reasonable supposition. Surely Sophocles must have intended her to be viewed as the protagonist; otherwise‚ he would not have given her the name as the play’s title. However‚ analytically speaking‚ Creon seems to fit the category
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must be smiling at Oedipus Blindness In the play written by Sophocles “Oedipus the King‚” is depicted as one who is blind to his own ego‚ pride stubbornness‚ anger and lack of knowledge. First written in Greek mythology this play is about a King of Thebes whose ego overshadowed his ability to focus on his the necessary things to stabilize his kingdom; his anger and pride eventually led to his down fall. Having solved the riddle of the Sphinx‚ (an evil creature) King Oedipus was able to succeed
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Analysis of Antigone A Greek tragedy is very unique it’s structure‚ composition‚ and language. The tragedy usually begins with a prologue in which one or more characters introduce the drama and explain the background. It involves a Chorus of some sorts‚ which says or explains the situation that is developing on the scene‚ and also includes a tragic hero who comes from noble bloodline and has a tragic flaw that ultimately causes his downfall. The hero’s downfall is caused often times‚ by fate
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Maya Haywood Ms. Dawn B. Caplinger English 1301.01 6 October 2011 Antigone: A Tragic Hero What characteristics generate a tragic hero? Must a tragic hero possess superhuman abilities? Should he be immense in size and strength such as Hercules? According to the Greek philosopher‚ Aristotle‚ a tragic hero is a good‚ moral‚ upstanding person that does not fit into society’s mold‚ invokes catharsis to the audience‚ and exhibits flaws that leads to their tragic downfall. These are the traits
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lives. This idea is reflected in Sophocles’’ Oedipus the King because Oedipus seeks the truth and suffers greatly when it is found. Plato’s four stages of awareness are necessary for the final form of the good‚ which is the truth‚ to be found. In both the Allegory of the Cave and Oedipus the King‚ these four stages of awareness; Imagination‚ Belief‚ Reason‚ and Understanding‚ take a vital role in explaining Oedipus’ suffering. To begin with‚ Plato would argue that Oedipus’ imagination shadows him from
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for standing for what they believe
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