Everything Happens for a Reason
Everything Happens For a Reason
Both The Odyssey by Homer and Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, were based in the context of ancient Greek culture but each was written during different time periods. The Gods played an enormously influential role in the lives of the Ancient Greeks. The Odyssey was written during the Greek Heroic Age (1500-1100 B.C.E.) and Oedipus Rex was estimated to be written around the 430s B.C.E. during the Age of Pericles when Athens was at its height of political and cultural power. The Odyssey and Oedipus Rex share the common idea of a fixed and pre-determined fate. The difference is that in The Odyssey, the Gods have a more flexible control over the humans, than in Oedipus Rex where humans have a set life planned out for them to follow. In The Odyssey, the Gods and mortals have a more direct relationship that involves communication between the two, whereas in Oedipus Rex, the Gods do not communicate with mortals and therefore they are not ultimately sure of their divine existence. It is important to understand each author 's perception of the Gods because it reflects the same Greek culture and religion at two different time periods in history.
Oedipus Rex was written during a period in Greek history where Sophists were trying to introduce new ideas to the Greek culture. The play is a rhetorical debate in which the author is trying to reinforce the traditional religious beliefs in the Gods. The belief that the Gods were real and had a large impact on the outcome of your daily life was slowly slipping as outside influences made their way into the Greek culture. Sophocles was trying to remind his audience of the power and importance of the Greek gods. In Oedipus Rex, the entire story is based around a prophecy. The mortals in this story have no control over their fate and are powerless against the will of the Gods. The prophecy that Oedipus will kill his father and marry his mother is given before Oedipus was born and plays out exactly as
Both The Odyssey by Homer and Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, were based in the context of ancient Greek culture but each was written during different time periods. The Gods played an enormously influential role in the lives of the Ancient Greeks. The Odyssey was written during the Greek Heroic Age (1500-1100 B.C.E.) and Oedipus Rex was estimated to be written around the 430s B.C.E. during the Age of Pericles when Athens was at its height of political and cultural power. The Odyssey and Oedipus Rex share the common idea of a fixed and pre-determined fate. The difference is that in The Odyssey, the Gods have a more flexible control over the humans, than in Oedipus Rex where humans have a set life planned out for them to follow. In The Odyssey, the Gods and mortals have a more direct relationship that involves communication between the two, whereas in Oedipus Rex, the Gods do not communicate with mortals and therefore they are not ultimately sure of their divine existence. It is important to understand each author 's perception of the Gods because it reflects the same Greek culture and religion at two different time periods in history.
Oedipus Rex was written during a period in Greek history where Sophists were trying to introduce new ideas to the Greek culture. The play is a rhetorical debate in which the author is trying to reinforce the traditional religious beliefs in the Gods. The belief that the Gods were real and had a large impact on the outcome of your daily life was slowly slipping as outside influences made their way into the Greek culture. Sophocles was trying to remind his audience of the power and importance of the Greek gods. In Oedipus Rex, the entire story is based around a prophecy. The mortals in this story have no control over their fate and are powerless against the will of the Gods. The prophecy that Oedipus will kill his father and marry his mother is given before Oedipus was born and plays out exactly as
Cited: Dodds, E.R., "On Misunderstanding the ‘Oedipus Rex '".Greece and Rome. 2nd Ser., Vol. 13, No. 1. (Apr., 1966), pp. 37-49. The Bedford Anthology of World Literature: The Ancient World, Beginnings-100 C.E.. Boston: Bedford/ St. Martin 's, 2004.