Oedipus Essays and Term Papers
Last update: July 31, 2014-
Elements of Oedipus the King's Inner Character
Elements of Oedipus the King’s Inner Character “Oedipus the Rex,” or Oedipus the King, is renowned by some to be the “par of excellence” for Greek tragedy (Brunner, 1). The second produced of the three Theban plays by Sophocles, “Oedipus Rex” shows a variety of character qualities of the king that may not have been shown without the extreme circumstances he was subjected to. What elements of his character are revealed through the course of
Rating:Essay Length: 3,073 Words / 13 PagesSubmitted: March 20, 2010 -
Spider and the Oedipus Complex
In David Cronenberg's 2002 film Spider, the character Spider suffers from an Oedipus complex that is manifested so deeply in his psyche that it becomes a part of his whole being. As a child, Spider is sickened when his parents show affection towards one another because he also desires his mother sexually. According to Sigmund Freud's Oedipus complex, it is common for male children to feel this way towards their mothers, but when the male
Rating:Essay Length: 587 Words / 3 PagesSubmitted: March 22, 2010 -
Oedipus Rex
Oedipus Rex a Greek tragedy written by Sophocles is considered by Aristotle, one of the most important and influential philosophers of all time, the model of Greek tragedy and Oedipus as the model of a tragic hero. Oedipus character in this Greek tragedy perfectly fits Aristotle’s description of real tragic hero. Oedipus was not entirely a flawed or evil person, but he is a person who also has good character. Oedipus good characteristics were most
Rating:Essay Length: 676 Words / 3 PagesSubmitted: March 24, 2010 -
Oedipus Rex - a Tragic Figure
Oedipus Rex: A tragic figure The events in Oedipus the King, written by Sophocles, show a relationship of man's free will existing within the fate, which the Greeks believed, guided the universe. Man was free to choose and was ultimately held responsible for his own actions. Both the concepts of fate and free will played a major part in Oedipus' destruction. Although he was a victim of fate, he was not controlled by it. Oedipus
Rating:Essay Length: 961 Words / 4 PagesSubmitted: March 27, 2010 -
Oedipus Seeks Knowledge, but only up to a Point
Oedipus seeks knowledge, but only up to a point Sophocles' classical Greek tragedy Oedipus the King is one of the centrepieces of Western literature. It also has a broader place in modern Western culture, courtesy of Dr Freud and his Oedipus complex, in which the process of growing up male is bound up with competition for the mother and the symbolic overthrow and supplanting, or ''killing'', of the father. The play can be read as
Rating:Essay Length: 810 Words / 4 PagesSubmitted: March 31, 2010 -
Oedipus Rex
Irony is an element of literature very well known in Greek epics. In Oedipus the King irony is well demonstrated in a series of events. Verbal, situational and dramatic irony are used in this play. The play itself is a classic dramatic irony at its finest and fullest, and inside it the different parts are full of irony, too. The play is about a prophecy in which Oedipus’ fate is to kill his father
Rating:Essay Length: 908 Words / 4 PagesSubmitted: April 1, 2010 -
Oedipus the King
Sophocles "Oedipus the King" is a tragic play which discusses the tragic discovery of Oedipus that he has killed his father and married his mother. The story of Oedipus was well known to the athenian’s. Oedipus is the embodiement of the perfect Athenian. He is self-confident, intelligent, and strong willed. Ironically these are the very traits which bring about his tragic discovery. Oedipus gained the rule of Thebes by answering the riddle of Sphinx. Sophocles
Rating:Essay Length: 4,610 Words / 19 PagesSubmitted: April 5, 2010 -
Cliff Notes - Oedipus Trilogy
BARRON'S BOOK NOTES SOPHOCLES' OEDIPUS TRILOGY The Athens that Sophocles knew in the fifth century B.C. was a curious place. By modern standards it was a small and uncomfortable city. There was no running water, no central heating, and no adequate transportation. The average Athenian was poorly paid, uneducated, and probably would rather watch athletic contests than go to the theater. Yet, amazingly, fifth-century Athens became a fountainhead of Western civilization in the study of
Rating:Essay Length: 10,725 Words / 43 PagesSubmitted: April 6, 2010 -
Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex
Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex The primary characteristic of Sophocles' Oedipus Rex is that it is an ironic play. The play’s irony grasps the audience in a profound way because of the awareness that occurs regarding everything that is going on. Even though we, as observers, are sickened at the tragic life of Oedipus and the other characters, we are still able to appreciate the ironical characteristics of the play itself. The irony primarily exists in
Rating:Essay Length: 553 Words / 3 PagesSubmitted: April 6, 2010 -
Oedipus
Plato says knowledge of truth is dependent on the perception of reality; Sophocles shows this through a king’s discovery of his painful reality. Through Oedipus the King, Sophocles shows Plato’s theme of discovery by Oedipus’ realization of the truth. When the truth is discovered one still views the illusions best, and then the truth begins to become clear, thirdly the truth is seen as it is, and finally it is seen and understood. When one
Rating:Essay Length: 456 Words / 2 PagesSubmitted: April 7, 2010 -
Oedipus at Colonus
Sophocles was a Greek playwright who lived during the 5th century b.c. The Oedipus Cycle is one of his most famous works; the trilogy of plays traces the ill-fated life of a noble blooded man and his descendants. Oedipus at Colonus is the second play of the set. Oedipus at Colonus is set many years after Oedipus the Rex, and Oedipus has changed his perspective on his exile from Thebes. He has decided that he
Rating:Essay Length: 660 Words / 3 PagesSubmitted: April 8, 2010 -
Oedipus Rex Vs Hamlet
Compare and contrast Oedipus and Hamlet. Is Oedipus more a man of action? Or is he more a man driven by whim and sudden, rash decisions? Which character is more selfless? Does Hamlet show any signs of selfish motives in his actions or inactions? Which protagonist seems more learned? wiser? more religious? more loving? more incestuous? Which seems to be a better murder investigator? Does Oedipus have any of Claudius' motives when he kills the
Rating:Essay Length: 1,310 Words / 6 PagesSubmitted: April 11, 2010 -
Oedipus the King Wiki Pedia
Much of the myth of Oedipus takes place before the opening scene of the play. The main character of the tragedy is Oedipus, son of King Laius of Thebes and Queen Jocasta. After Laius learned from an oracle that "he was doomed/To perish by the hand of his own son," Jocasta ordered a messenger to injure his foot with a pin and leave the baby (Oedipus) for dead "In Cithaeron's wooded glens"; Instead, the baby
Rating:Essay Length: 316 Words / 2 PagesSubmitted: April 14, 2010 -
Oedipus Rex
Just as in real life, you get to know the characters in a piece of literature by their words, their actions, and of course, by the words of others. This method of acquainting the reader with a character is called characterization. Direct characterization portrays a character through his or her own words, whereas indirect characterization illustrates a character through the author's or other characters' words. Direct and indirect characterization allow us to see not
Rating:Essay Length: 817 Words / 4 PagesSubmitted: April 15, 2010 -
Oedipus: A Tragic Hero
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
Rating:Essay Length: 699 Words / 3 PagesSubmitted: April 19, 2010 -
Oedipus Rex
Oedipus Rex In reality, I think when anything bad happens to a good person it is considered to be a tragedy. Sophocles was a Greek playwright who wrote the play, Oedipus the King. In reading this story I found Oedipus Rex to be a true tragic hero. He is a good man, strong, smart, and compassionate. He is a king well liked by his people. Oedipus’s down fall is the result of him finding the
Rating:Essay Length: 1,296 Words / 6 PagesSubmitted: April 20, 2010 -
Sophocles' Oedipus the King
Throughout Sophocles’ Oedipus The King, the protagonist is at the mercy of the gods, for his fate is completely predetermined despite his efforts to dodge the disastrous prophecy. This leads many to question who is ultimately responsible for Oedipus’ downfall, was it him on his own freewill or in-fact his inability to escape the gods’ plan for him? Although Oedipus did curse himself, and enforced physical pain upon himself, how can one fault a righteous
Rating:Essay Length: 686 Words / 3 PagesSubmitted: April 25, 2010 -
Oedipus and Odysseus
Oedipus the King and The Odyssey share many similarities. The most important and significant similarity is that both epic poems are involved in a conflict when we first encounter the poems. In The Odyssey, we learn that the main character, Odysseus, has been held captive by the nymph Calypso for twenty years. We also learn that Odysseus had finished (and won) fighting a war against the city of Troy and has been held captive by
Rating:Essay Length: 866 Words / 4 PagesSubmitted: May 1, 2010 -
Oedipus the King a Myth
Oedipus the King A myth and The mythological critic easily evaluates the written version of Oedipus the King, finding the prevalent mythological or archetypal characteristics in the text as well as common hero characteristics in Oedipus. The myth begins with a journey as Oedipus arrives in Thebes from his home in Corinth as the son of King Plybus. The ideas of heaven and hell are visible in the text. A heavenly atmosphere is presented
Rating:Essay Length: 361 Words / 2 PagesSubmitted: May 10, 2010 -
Oedipus Rex
At one time in our lives there is a moment when we may think that of ourselves as better than someone or something. There may also be a point in our lives when making a decision may lead to an error in judgement. In the play Oedipus Rex, written by Sophocles, both of these characteristics can be seen in the main character. These characteristics are known as the tragic flaw. these flaws are like hubris
Rating:Essay Length: 288 Words / 2 PagesSubmitted: May 11, 2010 -
By His Own Hand: Oedipus and His Fate
Oedipus is the quintessential tragic hero, according to the Aristotelian definition, because his demise is entirely of his own doing. In the ongoing debate of fate versus free will, Oedipus proves that fate will only take a person so far. There is no arguing that he was dealt a dreadful hand by the Gods, but it is by his own free will that his prized life collapses. Oedipus could, and should have done nothing given
Rating:Essay Length: 1,621 Words / 7 PagesSubmitted: May 12, 2010 -
Oedipus the King
Sophocles uses a mixture of both visual and emotional imagery to create the morally questioning Greek tragedy ‘Oedipus Tyrannos’. He presents the audience with an intense drama that addresses the reality and importance of the gods that the Greeks fervently believed in. “Sophocles holds that for mortals, modesty is the safest and most decent frame of mind. His gods will not abide our question” (Sheppard, 46). The play also forces the audience to ask themselves
Rating:Essay Length: 1,714 Words / 7 PagesSubmitted: May 13, 2010 -
Oedipus the Tyrant
Oedipus the Tyrant To understand much of this play, one must understand that he is simply a folktale continued through Homers Odyssey, where Oedipus is told his dreadful prophecy that he will marry his mother and slay his father. Even the name Oedipus is a brilliantly put together pun by Sophocles, which Oida means "to know" and plays a big part in his play. When he first arrives to Thebes there is a dreadful sphinx
Rating:Essay Length: 1,641 Words / 7 PagesSubmitted: May 16, 2010 -
Oedipus King as a Hero
Oedipus is not one of those everyday heroes we see at the end of those million dollars Hollywood movies, but in fact a tragic hero who fails to achieve happiness in such a way that it brings upon fear and pity by everyone in the highest degree. In the play Oedipus by Sophocles, Oedipus' self-destruction and fall from power leaves him as the hero in the play. The very thing he fights so hard to
Rating:Essay Length: 769 Words / 4 PagesSubmitted: May 17, 2010 -
Oedipus
Sophocles was a Greek playwright who lived during the 5th century b.c. The Oedipus Cycle is one of his most famous works; the trilogy of plays traces the ill-fated life of a noble blooded man and his descendants. Oedipus at Colonus is the second play of the set. Oedipus at Colonus is set many years after Oedipus the Rex, and Oedipus has changed his perspective on his exile from Thebes. He has decided that he
Rating:Essay Length: 660 Words / 3 PagesSubmitted: May 20, 2010