World Literature - Reader Response Log - Oedipus Rex Section|Line(s) |Questions|Reader’s Commentary|| Prologue|1-150|1. Describe the dramatic purpose of the Prologue.|The prologue sets the atmosphere of Oedipus Rex‚ and gets the reader interested.|| |8|2. How does Oedipus characterize himself in line 8?|He sees himself as famous to all men.|| |25-30|3. Describe the conditions in Thebes as depicted by the Priest in lines 25-30.|There is disease infecting the fruit and cattle of their land‚ and
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Oedipus’ Gratification Famous author C.S. Lewis once said: “A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and of course‚ as long as you’re looking down‚ you can’t see something that is above you.” This quote correctly authenticates Oedipus’ tragic flaw in the Greek tragedy Oedipus Rex by Sophocles. Beyond other factors‚ Oedipus’ pride through out the story blinds him from seeing many things that eventually lead us to believe his prevalent tragic flaw of all was his pride. First‚ Oedipus
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One of the main underlying themes in Oedipus Rex is blindness. Not just physical blindness‚ but intellectual blindness as well. The blindness issue is an effective contrasting method for Oedipus at different points in the play. Simply saying "blindness"‚ however‚ is a little ambiguous. It can be broken down into two components: Oedipus’s ability to "see" (ignorance or lack thereof)‚ and his
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Oedipus: A Tragic Hero Oedipus Rex‚ or Oedipus the King is Sophocles ’s first play of "The Theban Cycle." It tells the story of a king that tries to escape his fate‚ but by doing so he only brings about his downfall. Oedipus is a classic example of the Aristotelian definition of a tragic hero. Aristotle defines a tragic hero as a basically good and noble person who causes his own downfall due to a flaw in his character. Oedipus is a man of noble blood; his parents‚ who raised him as a child
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absorbed in his own hubris‚ he will lose track of values that are much more important to him‚ including his own prophesized fate. In Oedipus Rex‚ Oedipus’s “blindness” towards the decisions he made and his past added to his inevitable downfall. One of the many aspects that Oedipus failed to perceive were the clues of his own past that he refused to analyze. Oedipus learned that Lauis was traveling with four men and was killed by one‚ yet he never connected the fact that he knew he killed a man of
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Analysis “Oedipus the King”… Hunter‚ Plowman‚ and Sailor-Helmsman Throughout the play “Oedipus Rex”‚ the main character Oedipus has a number of different character traits throughout the play. His out-look on the stories situation evolves as he begins to learn the truth about who he really is. Oedipus takes on the characteristics of a hunter as well as becoming the hunted; he is a sower yet also the seed‚ and a sailor-helmsman of the city. Each of these images has their own significance. Oedipus first
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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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Oedipus Throughout the course of time‚ the definition of the word "tragedy" has changed significantly from what the word originally meant when the Greeks were writing their famous plays. The word has gone from meaning "A drama or literary work in which the main character is brought to ruin or suffers extreme sorrow‚ especially as a consequence of a tragic flaw‚ moral weakness‚ or inability to cope with unfavorable circumstances‚" to the modern meaning of the word‚ "a lamentable‚ dreadful‚ or
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Okonkwo and Oedipus are two different people from two different cultures‚ but they are both tragic heroes. In the stories‚ Okonkwo and Oedipus are very important people and rules in their society. Granted‚ Okonkwo does not rule alone and Oedipus did. Like true tragic heroes they have a fall from grace. For one of the two‚ the fall drives him to his death. Both of these men were leaders of their community. Even though Okonkwo didn’t rule by himself‚ he was still a very important man to his tribe
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Various works of literature contain characters who embody the elements of the classic Oedipus Complex‚ that of a son with an undue and unhealthy attachment to his mother. D.H Lawrence’s Sons and Lovers‚ along with other early modernist works‚ shows how a son’s bond to his mother can lead to that character’s major downfall. Even earlier than works of the late 19th Century does the Oedipus Complex appear‚ in this case‚ William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Shakespeare’s play
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