In the story of Oedipus Rex‚ Laius and Jocaste are king and queen of Thebes‚ and the parents of Oedipus. Laius was warned by an oracle that he would be killed by his own son. Determined to prevent his fate‚ Laius pierced and bound together the feet of his newborn child and left him to die on a lonely mountain. The infant was rescued by a shepherd and given to Polybus‚ king of Corinth‚ who named the child Oedipus and raised him as his own son. Oedipus did not know that he was adopted‚ and when an
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choruses in other plays. Specifically in the Bacchae‚ a play by Euripides and in Oedipus the King by Sophocles‚ the Chorus were an important part of the play and had different functions. In the Bacchae‚ the Chorus’ was more reserved an not so involved but their main goal was to show how to respect and give honor to the divine. In Oedipus the King‚ the chorus was more involved in the actual action by trying to help Oedipus in his decisions and help him chose the right choice. In the Bacchae‚ the Chorus
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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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King Oedipus Journal Notes a) Oedipus (characteristics / character study) King Oedipus is likewise a saviour. He does not die; he suffers‚ however on behalf of the people‚ a terrible and symbolic agony. He is impetuous and short-tempered. Intelligent‚ as shown in his following statement‚ “I‚ ignorant Oedipus‚ came-/ And stopped the riddler’s mouth” (37) Oedipus says. King Oedipus is a tragic hero. He has a Christ like character. King Oedipus is blinded by his pride and ignorance
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In Oedipus Rex the character of Creon serves as a foil to Oedipus. An individual who is the foil of another provides contrast. Creon is portrayed as a rational‚ ethical‚ and dutiful leader who represents the need for a stable society. All the while Oedipus is portrayed as a rash‚ unreasonable‚ and overly confident king‚ who is constantly trying to keep up with his unavoidable fate. Creon says that he doesn’t want to rule alone as sovereign of Thebes. He prefers the power sharing arrangement that
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Austin Do AP English 5 9/21/2013 Oedipus and David Denby In David Denby’s great books he speaks about one of his classes on Oedipus. David Denby writes of his own life experiences and how it connected to him. He talks about this women named Rebecca who had a strong feeling about Sophocles and the tragedy that happened to Oedipus which I have similar thoughts on. Rebecca is an intense reader and can’t wrap her head around things when it comes to confusing situations. David Denby makes a
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Tragedy in Oedipus Rex The Greek drama Oedipus Rex is clearly a tragedy. It definitely meets the five main criteria for a tragedy: a tragic hero of noble birth‚ a tragic flaw‚ a fall from grace‚ a moment of remorse‚ and catharsis. Oedipus Rex clearly meets the first of these five criteria. Oedipus is the son of Laius‚ who was king of Thebes. Even at the beginning of the story‚ when we are told that Oedipus is the son of Polybus‚ he is still of noble birth; Polybus is king of Corinth. The
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Oedipus in Modern Times The dramatic story of Oedipus is one that was acted for years before Sophocles even wrote The Tree Theban Plays‚ and play of fate and pride still endures today. Critics and historians attribute Oedipus the King’s long life to its timeless examination of fatal human flaws as well as to its poignant portrayal of the human condition. Even though our society is drastically different from that of classical Greece‚ Oedipus’s tale of woe is still taught and performed in modern
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Thompson English II – 6 17 April 2014 Compare and Contrast Creon and Oedipus In the plays Oedipus the King and Antigone Creon and Oedipus both are similar‚ but are different in many ways too. They both share in common their overbearing determination‚ but different in their care for the people of Thebes. Initially‚ both Oedipus and Creon exert an overbearing determination that can be the tragic flaw that destroys their lives. Oedipus was determined to find the killer of King Laius saying‚ “As for
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Sophocles‚ Oedipus the King The following analysis will examine Oedipus the King‚ by Sophocles. The following questions will be addressed: What is the historical context of this period? What are the storylines‚ as revealed in the document? What does the document reveal about the Greek notion of fate and free-will? Who was the author and does he reveal a bias? What was the author’s intent in writing this and whom did he see as his audience? And lastly‚ what stands out as particularly meaningful
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