What Does Oedipus the King Show Us About Greek Thought...

What does Oedipus the King show us about Greek thought on Fate, the gods, and free will? Oedipus is a play that explores the styles of freewill and fate throughout its totality. This is the tale of a guy and how he tries to resist his own fate and thus focuses on his defense of the future that he needs. Oedipus wished to reject his personal predestination and wanted make a life of his own choosing. The tale all started by a prediction upon Oedipus life that therw will come a day when he would eliminate his dad, defile his moms bed and roam the world for the rest of his life in loss of sight. At what many say was an early age, Oedipus made the aware choice to reject the prediction and step from exactly what he thought was his home town, to Thebes, in order to run away from his predestined path for life. While some people decided to count on predestination in order to preserve some semblance of balance and peace in their lives, a sense that whatever is implied to occur will take place, Oedipus desired a varied result, and with his options, did exactly what he could. At the start of the play, the priest discusses the fact that Thebes is dealing with an affliction. Plants, pets, and individuals are all passing away. Individuals there understand that Oedipus is not a god; however they think that some god influenced him to resolve the riddle of the sphinx and conserve the town. Becau se Oedipus has actually been king, he has actually done a great task, so now individuals wantShow MoreRelatedDiscuss The Importance Of Oracles To Oedipus Rex1620 Words   |  7 Pagesimportance of oracles to the ancient Greeks and specifically, to Oedipus Rex. Include a consideration about whether human actions are the result of predestination (Fate/Destiny) or free will. What does Sophocles seem to believe on this issue? After reading the passage throughly, I feel that for the ancient Greeks fate was an important aspect to their daily lives it shaped and formed human life. Fate has evolved during the years mainly because for the Greeks it was seen something as an unstoppableRead MoreThe Role of Fate in Oedipus the King Essay1051 Words   |  5 Pages Fate played an important part in the plays and literature of the Greeks as is shown in Sophocles play Oedipus Rex Sophocles lived during the Golden Age of Greece. He is renowned as one of the greatest dramaticist of western literature. He was a greek through and through as he held important political positions, and he even served as the priest of the haling diety Amynos. During his life tragedies were popular plays of the greeks, and Sophocles noted for his writingRead MoreA Close Reading Of Oedipus Rex1226 Words   |  5 PagesENG October 21, 2015 A Close Reading of Oedipus Rex Ancient Greeks cared deeply about the pursuit of knowledge. Although the truth was often a terrifying concept, they still saw it as a critical virtue. The theater was one way in which the ideas of knowledge and truth were examined. Many Greek dramatists use the self-realizations of their characters to underscore the themes of their tragedies. Sophocles, for one, uses the character transformation of Oedipus, in tandem with the plot, to highlightRead MoreOedipus the King: Oedipuss Submission to the Gods Essay1529 Words   |  7 PagesOedipuss Submission to the Gods In ancient Greece, plays were more then simply a form of entertainment. Athenian drama was supported and financed by the state. (...)Greek theater was directed at the moral and political education of the community. (Kennedy and Gioia, pgs 1357-1363) Sophocles understood this, and dissipated any pollyanic view of society by presenting us with plays that were intended to teach. Sophocless Oedipus the King issued a warning for those who foolishly believed thatRead MoreJocasta as a Tragic Hero Essay1222 Words   |  5 PagesUpholding Jocasta as the Tragic Hero What makes a tragic hero? Aristotle lays down groundwork of a tragic hero as being essentially good. They are neither villain nor saint because they have flaws. Several elememts are nevcesary to have a tragic hero, they are the tragic flaw, the reversal, recognition, and hubris. These generally make up the story of the tragic hero, and in the case of Jocasta, the wife and mother of Oedipus in Sophocles’ Oedipus the King, she posses all three. Yet she is notRead MoreGreek Mythology : A Tragic Hero2559 Words   |  11 PagesGreek mythology is such an interesting genre of stories. They let the audience, or reader, know what happens in the plot before the actual story takes place. In this Greek tragedy, the main character is in conflict with himself and has a wicked twist of ethics with fate itself. The story of Oedipus is one of the greatest Greek stories in history; Oedipus is a tragic hero in a classic Greek tragedy. A tragic hero is a character, that no matter what they choose to do, whether it is to run and hideRead MoreOedipus The King : A Tragic Hero1541 Words   |  7 Pages and that the characters fate must be greater than deserved (Else). Since the main character in Sophocles’ classic tragedy Oedipus Rex or Oedipus the King matches up to Aristotle’s definition, Oedipus certainly exemplifies what it is to be a â€Å"tragic hero.† The play’s protagonist Oedipus is revered as a good man and intelligent ruler who acts quickly to support Thebes- a city which is troubled by plague. This is demonstrated in the background notes that describe Oedipus saving the city from theRead More Destiny, Fate, Free Will and Free Choice in Oedipus the King3894 Words   |  16 PagesThe Concept of Fate in Oedipus Rex  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To the first-time reader of Sophocles’ tragedy, Oedipus Rex, it seems that the gods are in complete domination of mankind. This essay will seek to show that this is not the case because the presence of a tragic flaw within the protagonist is shown to be the cause of his downfall.    In the opening scene of the tragedy the priest of Zeus itemizes for the king what the gods have done to the inhabitants of Thebes:    A blight isRead MoreOedipus Rex2527 Words   |  11 PagesEssay on Oedipus Rex 4-3-97 In Sophocles Oedipus Rex, the theme of irony plays an important part through the play. What Oedipus does, what he says, and even who he is can sometimes be ironic. This irony can help us to see the character of Oedipus as truly a blind man, or a wholly public man. A great irony is found in Oedipuss decree condemning the murderer. Oedipus says, To avenge the city and the citys god, / And not as though it were for some distant friend, / But for my own sake, to beRead MoreThe Truth Of Courage : Socrates, Oedipus, And Antigone2414 Words   |  10 PagesCourage is often a measure of our self-esteem and will, seen as a great subject for ancient Greeks. It is what makes us individuals different from others, showing what we believe and the power of belief over our will. In Greek literature it can often be seen as the difficult path—an unconscious act of boldness, but before all it is the conscious decision of a person to act despite the danger. Socrates, Oedipus, and Antigone all manifest courage in their own ways. It can be displayed by human and divine