Category: Oedipus

Oedipus Tyrannus should be regarded as an ideal form of Greek drama as it contains the two most important components to be considered a quality Greek tragedy as well as Oedipus has the characteristics of an ideal tragic hero.

The two most important principles of a well-written Greek tragedy are an eloquent plot and sound character traits. According to Aristotle, the plot is the “soul of a tragedy” and is by far the most important feature (Poetics VI, page 8). Aristotle defines plot as “the arrangement of the incidents”, describing not the story itself but the way the incidents are presented to the audience, and the structure of the play (Poetics VII, page ?). He describes the whole of a tragedy as having a “beginning, a middle, and an end,” focusing on how the outcome of a tragedy depending on a cause-and-effect chain of actions, is far superior to those that rely solely on the character and personality of the hero (Poetics VII, page 10). Fitting the requirements of Aristotle, Oedipus Tyrannus has a complex plot with a beginning, middle, and end. The beginning, where a “deadly pestilence” hit his country and Oedipus promised to find a solution, started the cause-and-effect chain, bringing some form of conflict, where the hero took action to “save [his] city” (lines 32, 85). The middle of the tragedy portrayed Oedipus persisting inquiries about his birth parents, soon finding out who his real parents were. These events were led by cause and effect and led to the downfall of Oedipus, an important trait of Greek tragedies. END OF PLAY EVIDENCE HERE. **should I discuss Aristotle’s belief that plots should be complex, having both “reversal of intention” and “recognition” of catastrophes??**

Oedipus Tyrannus also follows character concepts, the second most important feature of tragedy. According to Aristotle, “Character is that which reveals moral purpose, showing what kind of things a man chooses or avoids” (Poetics VI, page 9). To Aristotle, actions speak louder than words, therefore, he believes a character should be “good” regarding his moral purpose (Poetics XV, page 17). Oedipus, a man of action, was determined to help the people of his country, with no regard for how difficult the task may be (line 83). Furthermore, Aristotle believed characters in a Greek tragedy should “aim at propriety,” meaning staying true and appropriate to their gender (Poetics XV, page 17). In Oedipus Tyrannus, Oedipus is cast as a warrior in order to save the city. With Oedipus seen as a “man of experience” and the “most powerful in all men’s eyes,” he is expected to fight for the kingdom, just as any man should (lines 46-47, 51). Furthermore, Aristotle states good characterization should also include being “true to life,” meaning realistic (Poetics XV, page 17). For example, Oedipus is realistic once he realizes he is the reason a plague is spreading throughout his country. To save the people, Oedipus tells Creon to “cast me out as quickly as you can, away from Thebes,” as that is the only realistic way to get rid of the disease (lines 1697-1698). Moreover, a character should have “consistency,” meaning staying true to themselves (Poetics XV, page 17). Once his motivations were established, Oedipus was consistent in the search for the truth for his parents, regardless of what stood in his way. By portraying all of these character traits in one way or another, it proves Oedipus Tyrannus follows the basic requirements of a well-thought-out Greek tragedy.

In Poetics, Aristotle outlined the characteristics of an ideal tragic hero. The “object of imitation” must be “better than in real life” in tragedies, a man who is superior to the average man in some way (Poetics II, page 4). In the case of Oedipus, he is not only superior in his social standing but he. OEDIPUS’S EVIDENCE GOES HERE. Furthermore, Aristotle states that tragic heroes must incite fear and pity (Poetics XIV, page 15). More specifically, if a “tragic incident occurs between those who are near or dear to one another,” the scene will successfully incite pity from the audience (Poetics XIV, page 15). In Oedipus Tyrannus, Oedipus incites pity when he finds his beloved wife, Jocasta, to have hung herself. As he takes her body, he gives a “dreadful groan” and tears stream down his face (line 1509). This scene evokes feelings of pity and sympathy, only an ideal tragic hero could create. The “ignorant” actions of Oedipus left Jocasta to do an “irreparable deed,” for which he blamed himself (Poetics XIV, page 16). Moreover, Oedipus is an ideal tragic hero as he is imperfect. According to Aristotle, a character should have “some great error or frailty” in order to have a “change of fortune….from good to bad” (Poetics XIII, page 14). As with every tragic hero, Oedipus suffers from hamartia, a great mistake that causes a downfall. Throughout the tragedy, he is blind to the truth and stubbornly refuses to believe the warnings of Teiresias. With all of these qualities, Oedipus portrays the characteristics of an ideal tragic hero outlined by Aristotle.

While some may say Aristotle’s Poetics is judgmental and strongly opinionated, Aristotle made rather fair points in other ways. Regardless, with Aristotle being one of the highest-regarded philosophers known to man, his words should be held at a higher level than others.

Pride a feeling that has both a good connotation and a negative connotation, it is also a feeling that we can possibly have too much of, so when do we know we have had too much of it? Reading the plays Othello by William Shakespeare and Oedipus by Sophocles we are able to see how Othello and Oedipus are alike through pride. Both characters favor in being hubris, causing these characters to make life long decision that which causes their downfall in their plays.

In the play Othello written by William Shakespeare, Othello excessive pride is what causes his downfall. His pride prevents him from seeing the truth; he believes the closet people to him would never betray him and that is where everything goes downhill for Othello. At the beginning of the play, Othello is deeply in love with Desdemona the daughter of Venetian senator Brabanzio. Othello and she get secretly married regardless of her father’s disapproval. In the beginning, you can see that Othello and Desdemona have a strong relationship. Othello is accused of using magic to make Desdemona fall in love with him but through he goes on to explain how he wooed her. Othello says “…I did consent, And often did beguile her of her tears When I did speak of some distressful stroke That my youth suffered. My story being done, she gave me for my pains a world of sighs. She swore, in faith, ‘twas strange, ‘twas passing strange, ‘twas pitiful, ‘twas wondrous pitiful… This only witchcraft I have used. Here comes the lady. Let her witness it” (Shakespeare 1.3.179-195). Othello continues to express how strong his love is with Desdemona when it comes to a celebration he says to Desdemona “Come, my dear love, the purchase made, the fruits are to ensue; that profit’s yet to come ‘tween me and you” (Shakespeare 2.3.9-12). In this passage, Othello is showing he only wishes good for his marriage and that nothing bad will happen between them because of their love. Nonetheless, their strong love starts to subside due to Othello’s pride and him trusting Iago. Iago is the standard bearer and is upset that Othello gave the lieutenant position to Cassio who is inexperienced. To get revenge Iago first starts to put ideas in Othello’s head that Desdemona is cheating on him with Cassio. He sets in motion the handkerchief plan; where Emilia takes the handkerchief and Iago places it in the hands of Cassio. He also places the ideas that Cassio has been dreaming about Desdemona in Othello’s head. With Iago plan in play, this causes Othello to instantly believe Iago rather than his wife Desdemona. Othello does not bother finding out truth showing the bond between him and Desdemona is no longer there. After feeling so much heartbreak, Othello ends up killing his wife and towards the end of the play, he eventually kills himself. Through this play, Othello’s hubris causes his greatest downfall.

In the same fashion, the play Oedipus written by Sophocles also shows Oedipus being excessively prideful. Oedipus excessive pride causes him to elude the oracle prophecies but by doing so he ends up fulling the prophecy and making himself blind. The only difference between Oedipus and Othello is that Sophocles allows Oedipus to piece together the stories. At the beginning of the play, it starts off as Oedipus telling Creon that he will find justice for King Laius, that whoever killed him should be punished and killed. Little does he know he is foreshadowing that it may be someone close to him and is connecting himself to King Laius as he speaks about finding justice. Oedipus says, “If this filth warms himself at my fire and I welcome him, I call upon myself the curse I hurl upon his head” and “But I will fight to the death for him as if he were my flesh, he were my blood” (Sophocles 10). As we go through the play Oedipus tries to figure out who the killer of King Laius is, as he listens to the various stories he remembers a situation that happened between him and a couple of people when he was leaving Corith “I was walking where three roads meet I came across a man in a chariot and his servant… I killed him stone – I killed them all” (Sophocles 37). Although he remembers this memory, he chooses to not believe that he is the one who killed King Laius yet. As the play continues there are several times where it is hinted that his story is connected to the death of Laius. Oedipus is told it was him who killed Laius by Teiresias, the stranger confesses that Oedipus is adopted and lastly the shepherd tells Oedipus how his family in Corith is truly not related to him. After finding the truth out his past and him realizing that he fulfilled the prophecy. At the end of the play, because his pride made him try to avoid the prophecy, he ends up making the decision to make himself blind instead of killing himself.

For the most part, Oedipus and Othello both favor in being hubris which caused their downfall. Towards the end of each play, both Oedipus and Othello have recognition of their tragic flaw. Right before Othello dies he says “Of one that loved not wisely, but too well” (Shakespeare 5.2.404). This pertains to Othello character, he is a man that makes absurd decisions and has a fear of making mistakes. Through this, we can see hubris because he makes the decision to believe Iago and his lies instead of finding out the truth. Oedipus has recognition when he pieces together the story from the stranger and the shepherd and realizes he unwillingly completed the prophecy, “All has now come out very clear. Light, I look on you for the last time. I am cursed to the backbone. I lay with a woman I should not – I struck down an old man I should not – all has come out clear” (Sophocles 55). Expressing his hubris of avoiding the prophecy led him to his becoming of being blind.

Given these points Othello and Oedipus tragic fates are determined through their hubris. Their excessive pride is recognized when they came to an understanding of their faults. Othello did with being too trusting of Iago and having no trust in his love Desdemona. Eventually realizing the truth it was too late to fix the inevitable. Oedipus did with trying to avoid a prophecy and not giving up on finding out the killer of Laius. By doing all this he did not think the effects it may cause trouble upon him and his family resulting in him to gouge out his eyes. Pride is a dangerous feeling that led to Othello’s and Oedipus downfall.

Identity, an important element in everyone’s lives, determines the future and the past. Although, what happens when the ideal of Identity turns out to be false, destroying the idea of the past and the future that is possessed? This is what happens to Oedipus in Oedipus Rex. As the story progresses it can be seen that the slow progression of identity affects Oedipus’s life negatively and the eventual consequences. Socrates ingeniously uses classic elements of tragedy to create a play that is well known to be considered the “pinnacle of tragedy” (Aristotle). Socrates emphasizes Oedipus’ hamartia which leads to his anagnorisis and leaves behind a legacy that was different from what was first thought to be.

Throughout the story, Oedipus makes mistakes based on his personality which eventually leads to his downfall. Oedipus is a character who possesses an excessive amount of arrogance. The story mainly circles around the prophecy that Oedipus would marry his mother and kill his father, so he attempts to flee Corinth. Later on his way to the Oracle, he encounters a caravan going to the same place; not knowing the identity of the caravan, Oedipus ‘struck the driver, turning [him] off the road, and the old man, when he saw, watched me as I passed the chariot and struck me on the head with the two-pronged goad’ (Sophocles 38-39). Oedipus does not take to this kindly and immediately proceeds to kill them all, thus fulfilling the prophecy.

Oedipus’ arrogance blinds his view of himself and others. Even when calling out Tiresias, a man known to have been a speaker for the god Apollo, he proceeds to accuse Teiresias of being a false prophet, a fake, and not a messenger from God, and that all his prophecies are ”nonsense you would speak” and states that he “ would hardly have sent for you’ (Sophocles 25). With this controversial statement, Oedipus rejects the Word of Prophecy, not a good idea as greek rituals were mainly based around prayers to gods: crossing them usually had bad consequences. By making terrible mistakes based on his flawed personality, Oedipus’ fortune is reversed and he suffers a peripetia.

Throughout the play, Oedipus makes numerous mistakes which all build up to the point in which there is a reversal in his fate. In the beginning, he calls on hardship and misfortune and demands the citizens disclose the murderer of Laios. Ironically he states “ that, if he should become an honored guest in my own home and with my knowledge, I may suffer all those things I’ve just called down upon the killers”. All the while, not realizing that the true killer was him. Later, as the realization of the acts sinks into Oedipus, he admits to the crime and recalls that “[He] killed them all” and that the curses that “ No stranger and no citizen can welcome him into their lives or speak to him” affect only him and he attempts to make things right by exiling himself. When the messenger announces that Polybus, Oedipus’s “father”, died of natural causes, Oedipus is relieved as he thought that he escaped the fate that was prophesized. Later after the messenger tells him that Polybus was not his biological parent. Oedipus is so determined to learn of his parentage that he ignores the warnings and attempts of others to stop him until he learns the truth of what he has done. But by then his world crashes around him as the truth about Laois and Jocasta surfaces.

The play begins with Oedipus being thought of as the hero of Thebes. Even being considered the “child of golden Hope” (190). After experiencing so much praise Oedipus considers that

Throughout the story, we see the Public boost Oedipus’s ego which results in Oedipus being arrogant and leading him to mistakes that affect his legacy and leading him to consider the entire population of Thebes as “ [His] children, a latest-generation born from Cadmus” (1). As the story reaches the end and the truth is revealed, we see the population of Thebes thinks that Oedipus is “Better to be dead than alive and blind”. Oedipus’ legacy slowly changes as the truth is revealed

Oedipus makes many mistakes affected by both his personality and the compliments given to him by the population which leads him to have a change in his perception. But after the truth is revealed, Oedipus takes dramatic action and stabs out his eyes to prevent his arrogance from blinding him.

Identity, an important element in everyone’s lives, determines the future and the past. Although, what happens when the ideal of Identity turns out to be false, destroying the idea of the past and the future that is possessed? This is what happens to Oedipus in Oedipus Rex. As the story progresses it can be seen that the slow progression of identity affects Oedipus’s life negatively and the eventual consequences. Socrates ingeniously uses classic elements of tragedy to create a play that is well known to be considered the “pinnacle of tragedy” (Aristotle). Socrates emphasizes Oedipus’ hamartia which leads to his anagnorisis and leaves behind a legacy that was different from what was first thought to be.

Throughout the story, Oedipus makes mistakes based on his personality which eventually leads to his downfall. Oedipus is a character who possesses an excessive amount of arrogance. The story mainly circles around the prophecy that Oedipus would marry his mother and kill his father, so he attempts to flee Corinth. Later on his way to the Oracle, he encounters a caravan going to the same place; not knowing the identity of the caravan, Oedipus ‘struck the driver, turning [him] off the road, and the old man, when he saw, watched me as I passed the chariot and struck me on the head with the two-pronged goad’ (Sophocles 38-39). Oedipus does not take to this kindly and immediately proceeds to kill them all, thus fulfilling the prophecy.

Oedipus’ arrogance blinds his view of himself and others. Even when calling out Tiresias, a man known to have been a speaker for the god Apollo, he proceeds to accuse Teiresias of being a false prophet, a fake, and not a messenger from God, and that all his prophecies are ”nonsense you would speak” and states that he “ would hardly have sent for you’ (Sophocles 25). With this controversial statement, Oedipus rejects the Word of Prophecy, not a good idea as greek rituals were mainly based around prayers to gods: crossing them usually had bad consequences. By making terrible mistakes based on his flawed personality, Oedipus’ fortune is reversed and he suffers a peripetia.

Throughout the play, Oedipus makes numerous mistakes which all build up to the point in which there is a reversal in his fate. In the beginning, he calls on hardship and misfortune and demands the citizens disclose the murderer of Laios. Ironically he states “ that, if he should become an honored guest in my own home and with my knowledge, I may suffer all those things I’ve just called down upon the killers”. All the while, not realizing that the true killer was him. Later, as the realization of the acts sinks into Oedipus, he admits to the crime and recalls that “[He] killed them all” and that the curses that “ No stranger and no citizen can welcome him into their lives or speak to him” affect only him and he attempts to make things right by exiling himself. When the messenger announces that Polybus, Oedipus’s “father”, died of natural causes, Oedipus is relieved as he thought that he escaped the fate that was prophesized. Later after the messenger tells him that Polybus was not his biological parent. Oedipus is so determined to learn of his parentage that he ignores the warnings and attempts of others to stop him until he learns the truth of what he has done. But by then his world crashes around him as the truth about Laois and Jocasta surfaces.

The play begins with Oedipus being thought of as the hero of Thebes. Even being considered the “child of golden Hope” (190). After experiencing so much praise Oedipus considers that

Throughout the story, we see the Public boost Oedipus’s ego which results in Oedipus being arrogant and leading him to mistakes that affect his legacy and leading him to consider the entire population of Thebes as “ [His] children, a latest-generation born from Cadmus” (1). As the story reaches the end and the truth is revealed, we see the population of Thebes thinks that Oedipus is “Better to be dead than alive and blind”. Oedipus’ legacy slowly changes as the truth is revealed

Oedipus makes many mistakes affected by both his personality and the compliments given to him by the population which leads him to have a change in his perception. But after the truth is revealed, Oedipus takes dramatic action and stabs out his eyes to prevent his arrogance from blinding him.