So, such extensive emphasis on horror in Oedipus plays is not at all determined by the desire to thrill and entertain the audience, as it is the case in modern culture. Speaking about the plot, it was familiar to all spectators, because it was interpreted not once by different authors. He means that the fate can be unbearable but people have no choice. Related essays, oedipus the king analysis essay. Until he leaves, the plague will not go away. Need a custom Essay sample written from scratch by professional specifically for you?
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Speaking about Ancient Greek society, it is worth saying that religion and mythology paid an extremely important role in those days, which of course could not help affecting literature and philosophy. When telling the tragic story of Oedipus, the author exposes an idea that he was just a toy in the hands of deities, so his free will was confined to little scope, which his life was prescribed by gods. Oedipus the King was written by Sophocles as a play, which had to be and was actually staged for a large audience. As a play, it was naturally subject to certain rules, according to which the traditional Greek theatre worked. Speaking about the plot, it was familiar to all spectators, because it was interpreted not once by different authors.
Besides, it is based on a piece of mythology, which was known to every person in Ancient Greek. So, while analyzing the play, it is worth understanding that an original plot was not something which might surprise the intended audience. And of course, the staging and performance, which would evoke deep emotions and lead to catharsis. The tools, which Sophocles uses to expose this message, are worth special attention. He deliberately exaggerates the horrible events, which are seemingly based on coincidence. However, because these events are so fatal, it is impossible for the audience to treat them as pure coincidence.
Thus, the unbelievable prophecy about killing his father and marrying his mother, which comes true, emphasizes how powerful fate can be. But a daimon could just as often devastate an individual or an entire family, oedipus the king analysis essay. Sophocles The plot is based on a popular myth, reveals the place of a human in a universal picture of the world. The newly born Oedipus was destined to die because his father found out a horrible prophecy from the Oracle, which told that he would be killed by his own son who oedipus the king analysis essay later marry his own mother. However, Oedipus was destined to die by a man, not by gods, whose plans were completely different.
It is remarkable, oedipus the king analysis essay, that Laius was not hesitant about letting his son die not because of his evil nature but because of his utter belief that the prophecy is real. However, Oedipus is saved and raised by other people, and besides he is eager to see his real father when he is adult. So, on his way home he kills Laius accidentally, and then marries Jocasta, his biological mother. The final of the play is tragic because of the revelation of the truth, which was hard to bear, oedipus the king analysis essay. The concept of prophecy contains a number of them throughout the plot unfolding. Virtually all characters address oracles, and all oracles foresee the terrifying future, but the people do not believe them at first.
This detail is important because the terrible outcome of the play is in a way revenge of gods to people who think of them as omnipotent and believe that they can rule their own lives. However, this pride is condemned by gods, and causes punishment. The author reminds the audience about the fact that they should not be too self-confident about their life plans, as it is not they who write them. He receives a message as a prophecy that gods has cursed the town because of the murderer who is present there. Until he leaves, oedipus the king analysis essay, the plague will not go away. This message suggests two important aspects that are related to the theme of the book.
Firstly, it implies that complete knowledge about a certain situation is not possible unless people choose to have relations with gods and worship them. Secondly, it is implied that even if gods provide some information to people through prophecies, most of relevant circumstances are never disclosed by them, oedipus the king analysis essay, and it is not worth hoping for that. There is bitter irony about the fact that no one in the whole kingdom has a slight idea that the curse caused by Oedipus, who is a murderer of his father. Moreover, Oedipus is honest and ardent in searching the truth because he cares about his people, oedipus the king analysis essay.
So, oedipus the king analysis essay author emphasizes that people are blind in fact and they have so little influence upon their lives. Even though they might think that they have oedipus the king analysis essay freedom of choice, this is nothing more than an illusion. To speak more of prophecies, it us remarkable that both Oedipus and Jocasta have certain information about their future future. However, they refuse to trust it and believe that they can avoid the fatum, oedipus the king analysis essay. Laius is informed by Apollo oracle that his son is going to kill him, so he orders to throw him off the cliff. So, when hearing the news, Oedipus starts to think that he might be the one who murdered Laius.
Later, when Oedipus tells his life to Jocasta, the link between all events and people gets clear. People can observe these events but they cannot actually affect them. The gradual truth revelation looks like punishment to them from gods who disapprove their vanity. In order to run away from his destiny, he leaves Corinth but it appears that his efforts are in vain. The tragic irony is visible again, marking an uncertain position of humans in the world, even though they can be kings and queens of their kingdoms, but they cannot rule their own destiny.
So, Sophocles is clearly fatalist in his philosophy, and this is the message that he reveals to his audience. He means that the fate can be unbearable but people have no choice. When people run from the destiny, they attract it even more, and this is what happens to Oedipus after his attempt to escape. Oedipus the king analysis essay remarkable theme to discuss is a class between freedom and destiny, as far as the character of Oedipus is concerned. Oedipus realizes that oedipus the king analysis essay world is ruled by fate:. It is true that he looks as a positive hero who wants to make his people happy and to be a wise ruler. First he murders his father, than becomes a lover to oedipus the king analysis essay own mother, and in the end Jocasta commits suicide when the truth is revealed.
Throughout the play, Oedipus tries hard to demonstrate his own right for free will. He feels relief when Polybus is dead because he sees that the prophecy oedipus the king analysis essay not confirmed. So, gods punish him for being rebellious in the way that he believes in his own power to rule his life. The story ends in a symbolic way, though it has a tragic tone. Oedipus makes himself blind, he is unable to see the truth and the sorrow that he brought to many people. He is driven away from town in order to stop plague, oedipus the king analysis essay. His blindness is a symbol of his desire to take his fate. When a person is blind, he accepts whatever comes and does not want to see the future.
So, being blind means looking inside and changing priorities. This means refusal from his ambitions and devoting himself to close relationship with gods. Does he not show that impetuous, arrogant bravery which may seem the cause of his downfall? Yes, and many times. Adamczewski However, this is an interpretation of contemporary world, oedipus the king analysis essay, while ancient Greeks were more in line with Sophocles. When analyzing the play, it is worth paying attention to symbolism, which is abundant in it. First of all, it is worth mentioning vision and blindness as the core symbols, which determine the meaning of the play. Physically, Oedipus is able to see throughout the play, but in fact he is symbolically blind. All characters seem to have a blindfold on their eyes, while having oracles to lead the way, oedipus the king analysis essay.
However, even oracles are not able to help, because people cannot understand the prophecies, which is another sign of blindness. Thus, Oedipus is not aware of his origin, he does not suspect that he has killed his father and is married to his mother. Even when fate gives hint, he remains blind to what is going on. It takes tragedy to happen for Oedipus to be able to see, and seeing is unbearable in this situation. So, the author questions the necessity to see oedipus the king analysis essay the fruit of knowledge is bitter.
Moreover, it is made clear that being blind means seeing less of the world but seeing more of divine reality. This statement is confirmed through the character of Teiresias, an oracle who can see what has happened before and what is going to happen in future. It is remarkable that the man is blind, and this is a sacrifice that he gives to gods to have supernatural abilities, oedipus the king analysis essay. So, this character is oedipus the king analysis essay to reveal an ironic contrast between him and Oedipus, who is physically fine but is unable to see the truth. Moreover, oedipus the king analysis essay, it is made clear that even the wisest and smartest people are blind about their own lives, although they might have knowledge of the whole universe.
Thus, Oedipus is glorified for solving the riddle of Sphynx but is absolutely helpless about his own life. When he blinds himself physically, this is just a reflection of his inner blindness that he has had for all his life. So, in this sense, Oedipus is a demonstration of the philosophical concept about human overall blindness to the world. He is desperate when discovering the truth but he blames no one but himself:. Another interesting theme, which has been partially covered above, is that of freedom and fate. Based on the plot, a conclusion can be made that humans should not expect justice on behalf of fate. Sometimes gods punish people, when they are angry about their self-confidence, so they want to demonstrate their superiority.
However, in most cases human fate is not determined by any sense. Oedipus has a horrible fate not because he deserves it but just because gods decide so. This impossibility to oedipus the king analysis essay guarantee good life is distressing for a modern reader who has Christian culture background. With Christianity, it is much oedipus the king analysis essay to understand why it is necessary to lead a virtuous life. Besides, there is a chance for a person to contribute to having a better fate at least in afterlife. This is not the case with ancient Greek beliefs, where fate is considered to be absolutely irrational.
It is outside morals and cannot be explained, so a person just needed to accept it humbly. To a large extent, this explains the concept of Greek theatre, with its love for tragedies. Its aim was to lead the audience through the deepest experience of tragedy and end up with catharsis, which helped to release the emotions and let them go. So, such extensive emphasis on horror in Oedipus plays is not at all determined by the desire to thrill and entertain the audience, as it is the case in modern culture. On the contrary, it is aimed at revelation of inner horrors and clearing from them, which was a kind of group therapy. His feet were pinned, in order to prevent him from crawling, so this is a symbolic physical mark of suffering, which predicts that the whole life will be related to it.
In the same way, blindness can be alternatively interpreted as a symbol of suffering too, especially taking into account that Oedipus physically blinds himself on his own.
their eyes were watching god essay
As a play, it was naturally subject to certain rules, according to which the traditional Greek theatre worked. Speaking about the plot, it was familiar to all spectators, because it was interpreted not once by different authors. Besides, it is based on a piece of mythology, which was known to every person in Ancient Greek. So, while analyzing the play, it is worth understanding that an original plot was not something which might surprise the intended audience. And of course, the staging and performance, which would evoke deep emotions and lead to catharsis. The tools, which Sophocles uses to expose this message, are worth special attention. He deliberately exaggerates the horrible events, which are seemingly based on coincidence. However, because these events are so fatal, it is impossible for the audience to treat them as pure coincidence.
Thus, the unbelievable prophecy about killing his father and marrying his mother, which comes true, emphasizes how powerful fate can be. But a daimon could just as often devastate an individual or an entire family. Sophocles The plot is based on a popular myth, reveals the place of a human in a universal picture of the world. The newly born Oedipus was destined to die because his father found out a horrible prophecy from the Oracle, which told that he would be killed by his own son who would later marry his own mother. However, Oedipus was destined to die by a man, not by gods, whose plans were completely different. It is remarkable, that Laius was not hesitant about letting his son die not because of his evil nature but because of his utter belief that the prophecy is real.
However, Oedipus is saved and raised by other people, and besides he is eager to see his real father when he is adult. So, on his way home he kills Laius accidentally, and then marries Jocasta, his biological mother. The final of the play is tragic because of the revelation of the truth, which was hard to bear. The concept of prophecy contains a number of them throughout the plot unfolding. Virtually all characters address oracles, and all oracles foresee the terrifying future, but the people do not believe them at first. This detail is important because the terrible outcome of the play is in a way revenge of gods to people who think of them as omnipotent and believe that they can rule their own lives.
However, this pride is condemned by gods, and causes punishment. The author reminds the audience about the fact that they should not be too self-confident about their life plans, as it is not they who write them. He receives a message as a prophecy that gods has cursed the town because of the murderer who is present there. Until he leaves, the plague will not go away. This message suggests two important aspects that are related to the theme of the book. Firstly, it implies that complete knowledge about a certain situation is not possible unless people choose to have relations with gods and worship them. Secondly, it is implied that even if gods provide some information to people through prophecies, most of relevant circumstances are never disclosed by them, and it is not worth hoping for that.
There is bitter irony about the fact that no one in the whole kingdom has a slight idea that the curse caused by Oedipus, who is a murderer of his father. Moreover, Oedipus is honest and ardent in searching the truth because he cares about his people. So, the author emphasizes that people are blind in fact and they have so little influence upon their lives. Even though they might think that they have some freedom of choice, this is nothing more than an illusion. To speak more of prophecies, it us remarkable that both Oedipus and Jocasta have certain information about their future future. However, they refuse to trust it and believe that they can avoid the fatum. Laius is informed by Apollo oracle that his son is going to kill him, so he orders to throw him off the cliff. So, when hearing the news, Oedipus starts to think that he might be the one who murdered Laius.
Later, when Oedipus tells his life to Jocasta, the link between all events and people gets clear. People can observe these events but they cannot actually affect them. The gradual truth revelation looks like punishment to them from gods who disapprove their vanity. In order to run away from his destiny, he leaves Corinth but it appears that his efforts are in vain. The tragic irony is visible again, marking an uncertain position of humans in the world, even though they can be kings and queens of their kingdoms, but they cannot rule their own destiny.
So, Sophocles is clearly fatalist in his philosophy, and this is the message that he reveals to his audience. He means that the fate can be unbearable but people have no choice. When people run from the destiny, they attract it even more, and this is what happens to Oedipus after his attempt to escape. A remarkable theme to discuss is a class between freedom and destiny, as far as the character of Oedipus is concerned. Oedipus realizes that the world is ruled by fate:. It is true that he looks as a positive hero who wants to make his people happy and to be a wise ruler.
First he murders his father, than becomes a lover to his own mother, and in the end Jocasta commits suicide when the truth is revealed. Throughout the play, Oedipus tries hard to demonstrate his own right for free will. He feels relief when Polybus is dead because he sees that the prophecy is not confirmed. So, gods punish him for being rebellious in the way that he believes in his own power to rule his life. The story ends in a symbolic way, though it has a tragic tone. Oedipus makes himself blind, he is unable to see the truth and the sorrow that he brought to many people. He is driven away from town in order to stop plague. His blindness is a symbol of his desire to take his fate. When a person is blind, he accepts whatever comes and does not want to see the future. So, being blind means looking inside and changing priorities.
This means refusal from his ambitions and devoting himself to close relationship with gods. Does he not show that impetuous, arrogant bravery which may seem the cause of his downfall? Yes, and many times. It leads him to his tragic end. Oedipus is not morally at fault. In fact, he attempts to find out who killed Polybus, as he sees it as injustice. The closer he gets to the truth, the bitter the reality of his dreadful fate unveils. The junction where Laius was murdered is the same spot where Oedipus had killed somebody on the same day. Oedipus is not morally at fault because he flees from Corinth as he does not want the prophecy to be fulfilled. In other words, he cannot bear the thought of killing his own father, or marrying his mother.
It is therefore very difficult to say that Oedipus was at fault or that he was foolish because he appears to have no alternative, but to fulfill the prophecy. His judgment is not flawed because all he wanted was justice. It was a harsh judgment though. He did not know that his judgment will be his downfall. He asks people of Thebes to give him any valuable information regarding the death of the king. Whoever he is, a lone man unknown in his crime or one among many, let that man drag out his life in agony, step by painful step-I curse myself as well…if by any chance He proves to be an intimate of our house, Here at my heart, with my full knowledge, May the curse I just called down on him strike me!
Oedipus is not at fault. He does not willingly kill his father or marry his own mother. He persistently searches for the truth in the attempt of altering his fate. This is the mistake he made as this search made his life full of agony. This search also exposed those he loved to astonishing fates. Oedipus lived his life with no hope for the future. He had no joy. After finding out about all his unfortunate fate, there was nothing more but to await his death. The results of the sorrowful events that took place in the life of Oedipus caused him a lot of pain, hatred, and regret.
These events are too overwhelming for the queen that she commits suicide in the end. This made him unable to see his children. His weakness contributed to his exile. He is weak to the extent that instead of trying to solve his problems and living with them, he opts to destroy his life and those of his daughters as they cannot get married. This is where his weakness is traced. When Oedipus was born, his mother decided on his fatal destiny. At this point, it can be seen that his life was taken out of his control right after he was born. He is not lucky as his mother gives him out to an empire nearby, where he is raised as one of their own. On fear of this prophesies coming to pass, he runs to Corinth.
Together they had children. Not knowing he had killed his father, Laius, and married his wife being his mother. It is evident in the play that man has no power over his fate. Oedipus tries to run away from his fate, but it still gets hold of him. The play simply implies that tragedies and errors can befall anybody, and that man has no power before the gods. Laius tries all he can to prevent the prophecy he was told; that he would be killed by his son. When his wife Jocasta bore him a son, Laius and his wife gave him up to a servant and told the servant to take the child to Mt.
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