Oedipus
Oedipus Rex follows the clear nature of a tragedy, in that it encompasses the common conventions of a Greek Tragedy, with ones life being controlled by fate and the gods. The gods inflict ate on Oedipus which leads to serious characteristic flaws including hubris, and the tragedy ends with a nemesis worse than death. The tragic nature of the play and the themes are conveyed not only through these features, but also through the role of the chorus and dramatic techniques including irony. Oedipus is seen as a tragic hero in the play, a principal character, in a position of social importance being the King of Thebes. His downfall is the result of incidents beyond his control, and is rather the result of fate. In Oedipus Rex, it is not so much a hamartia that leads to his downfall, but more the role played by fate and destiny. His characteristic flaws of pride and arrogance don't so much contribute to his downfall, but play more the role of hastening it. From birth, a prophecy existed that he would kill his father and marry his mother, and so his downfall seems inevitable. When Oedipus discovers his parents are not who they seem to be and later discovers the prophecy, in a similar way to which Laius tried to manipulate fate by
As a result tragedy is worsened by Oedipus's punishment which is unfitting of the crime he committed. When his nemesis occurs, the chorus, plays a crucial role in generating sympathy towards Oedipus. The tragic nature of the play, is not only brought out by Oedipus's characteristic flaws, but also by the way he was treated by the gods. sending Oedipus away, Oedipus also tries to change his destiny, by leaving Corinth "At this I fled away, putting the stars between me and Corinth, never to see home again. It was the driver that thrust me aside and him I struck" Oedipus at that stage, should have been careful about who he kills, and what he does, but his indiscriminate, violent and careless nature leads him to killing his own father over an incident only pride would cause. Nemesis is inflicted upon Oedipus with his loss of sight, his banishment from Thebes, the death of Jocasta and through the degradation of his children. Good tragedies are filled with irony, and dramatic irony is reflected in the play through the theme of blindness versus sight. Laius orders him out of the way at a crossroad, but Oedipus's pride, anger and temperament drives him to kill Laius for what he perceives as an insult. "Insensate agony! What demon of destiny with swift assault outstriding has ridden you down?" Oedipus's nemesis is like a fate worse than the death, being forced to live on with the sins he had committed. " His language and tone when he accuses Teiresias "Do you think you can say such things with impunity?" displays his rash nature, and tendency to make quick deductions without further thinking. The plague has ended brining a sense of relief and order back to the town, with Oedipus having solved his problem and been released from fear and anxiety. In the beginning, Oedipus claims that the killer of Laius might try and kill him next, and so by "serving Laius, I serve myself" Ironically discovering the killer of Laius does not protect him, but destroys him. Like in many tragedies, where a characters actions are due to forces beyond his control, Ate' is inflicted upon Oedipus due to the gods The "ate encourages him to display unreasonable anger against Teiresias who he calls a "shameless and brainless, sightless, senseless sot" This exposes a characteristic flaw in that he is without grace, and exhibits uncontrollable anger. The tragedy of Oedipus Rex is conveyed to the audience through several features common in Greek tragedies.
Common topics in this essay:
Jocasta Laius's,
Oedipus Insensate,
Oedipus Rex,
Teiresias Nemesis,
Oedipus Oedipus,
Oedipus Jocasta,
Greek Tragedy,
Greeks Gods,
King Thebes,
characteristic flaws,
fate destiny,
oedipus rex,
tragic nature play,
nature play,
beyond control,
downfall play,
worse death,
tragic nature,
dramatic irony reflected,
oedipus's nemesis,
rash nature,
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Acceptance Essays
