Jocasta

Oedipus Rex, written by Sophocles, translated by Robert Fagles, was a play set in Thebes, ancient Greece, all in all a tragedy. A murder of a king had happened long ago at a crossroad, and a plague had been casted on the people of Thebes. Apollo informed Creon that if the murderer is either killed, or sent into exile, that the curse will be lifted. It turns out to be his own son that had a terrible fate, Oedipus. Along with the misfortune of killing his father, he also wedded his mother and gave…

At first Oedipus is seen as a man of mighty feats; however, in the end, the remembrance of his great acts are overcome by the infamy of how he killed his father and married his mother. At the beginning of Socrates’ play, the priest cries out on the subject of the mighty acts the king, Oedipus’ has done; surely the man who was powerful enough to destroy the dreaded sphinx could also save them from the plague ravaging their town. Ironically the riddle that the sphinx gave to Oedipus could point to…

such, he fits all of the seven requirements for this literary character. To start off, the first attribute of a tragic hero is to be born noble, of which Oedipus obviously fulfills. He is (albeit unbeknownst to himself) the “offspring of Laius” and Jocasta, the rulers of Thebes. In addition to his nobility, he possesses a flawed personality trait that leads to his descent, in this case mainly being his arrogance. This pride leads him to believe that he can avoid his fate “to make [his] mother…

hear, they try to use this knowledge to change their fate. However, this knowledge only changes how they get there. Oedipus could have killed Laius in a battle or maybe even a complete accident if he had not decided to move to change his fate. Jocasta reminds Oedipus that “Not a man on earth can see a day ahead… Better to live at random, best we can” (1071-1072). We should not waste time trying to figure out what our future is; rather, we should live our lives pursuing what we believe to be…

Antigone was my favorite reading from this class so far. It relates to the overall theme of the class because the characters own ideas drive them insane causing them to become mad. One can infer that Creon is considered to be mad because he is very irrational, did not take anyone else’s feelings into account when he drove three people to ultimately their graves. Many considered Antigone to be mad because she is does not conform to social expectations for women (or men). She is deviant because…

destiny. The truth of his destiny was confirmed when Oedipus met the herdsman. The herdsman in the story is the one who found him on the mountainside. He, unfortunately, tells him the bad news that he was the abandoned child, a child of Laius and Jocasta. This news damaged Oedipus that his destiny that was told by Tiresias was real. He was the murderer of Laius and the son that marries his own mother.…

leads Oedipus down the trail to his fate. As the story goes on, Oedipus begins to act more and more impulsively. Even when others try to convince him to act rationally, Oedipus won’t take a step back and try to think through what he’s doing. When Jocasta enters and tries to convince Oedipus that Creon shouldn’t be punished, Oedipus remains convinced of his guilt. Even though he agrees not to kill or banish Creon, Oedipus holds strong in his conviction that he will be the one punished…

Bernard Knox proposes that Sophocles’ Oedipus the King is “the dramatic masterpiece of the Greek theatre” (231). The play embodies two key elements required for a masterpiece – plot and active engagement. The plot of Oedipus the King primarily focuses on Oedipus’ journey to discover the murderers of the former King of Thebes, King Laius, in order to save the citizens of Thebes from a plague. The performance of Oedipus Rex engages the audience, allowing them to follow along with the sequence of…

An epidemic which was devastating spreads throughout the city of Thebes, during that time Oedipus Rex is the King. Oedipus wants to know how to end the suffering of his people; therefore, he seeks the help of Teiresias, a blind prophet for answers. Teiresias tells Oedipus that the plague will end after revealing murderer of the earlier King, King Laius. Oedipus wants to be the hero, curses the killer of Laius. Teiresias predicts Oedipus as the killer of Laius. Oedipus mocks Tiresias's…

Oedipus: The Tragic Hero “A man doesn’t become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall.” – Aristotle. In Oedipus the King, Oedipus attempted to escape the prophecy that was given in Corinth, but in reality, he ended up running towards his true doom that lay within Thebes. He can be considered a tragic hero, according to Aristotle’s definition, because he acknowledged his mistakes, made himself suffer more than he deserved, and thought about his children in a serious situation.…