A Life Predetermined The Omnipotent Role of Fate in Sophocles's Three Theban Plays Fate is an oft debated concept. ... In Sophocles' Three Theban Plays, fate plays a crucial role in Theban and Athenian societies. ... However, soon this civil law is challenged when Tiresias, a Theban soothsayer warns the King that the gods disagree with his decision to defile the body of Oedipus's son. ... Fate is most noticeable in Oedipus the King. ... Sight and blindness is a motif throughout the plays, and plays a crucial role in the dramatic irony of Oedipus the King. ...

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• Grade Level: High School

As Oedipus first appears in the play, he stands before his people (the Thebans) and sees them in despair. ... From Oedipus" compassion, he is able to demonstrate his loyalty to the Thebans. ... Although he is the king and could choose to remain king and avoid exile, Oedipus stays loyal to his word and country and exiles himself from Thebes: Second Messenger. ... (Sophocles 133) Throughout the play, Oedipus is brave enough face the tragic fate that was bestowed upon him. ... (Sophocles 124) During this point in the play, Oedipus bravely continues to seek out the truth even though he b...

• Word Count: 838
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• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

Dramatic plays had become grand outdoor spectacles that drew in audiences numbering in the thousands and each year the first place award was given to the playwright who produced the best plays; an award that Sophocles himself had won twenty-four times while also never placing below second place. Some of Sophocles' greatest plays were the Greek tragedies of The Oedipus Cycle, a trio of stories about how a man named Oedipus's cunning led him to become the king of Thebes, but an unrelenting search for the truth about his birth coupled with an irascible nature ultimately guided him to h...

• Word Count: 1488
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• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Nature of the Gods As They Are Revealed in Oedipus the King Many ancient Greek plays dealt with the interaction of humans with the immortal gods of Olympus. ... This belief can easily be applied to the play Oedipus the King by Sophocles. ... It is futile" are the words Iocasta said to Oedipus (Sophocles, 103). ... Since Oedipus ruled greatly and experienced trust and loyalty from the Thebans it is easy to feel sorrow and sympathy for Oedipus at the plays end. ... The gods punished a murderer who happened to be a king and well respected by his fellow Thebans. ...

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• Grade Level: High School

The Three Theban Plays Reading through the Odyssey and the writings of Sophocles I explored many new ideas, however when I trace all of these ideas back to there simplest root I discovered that they all seemed to branch from the topic of destiny and fate. ... In each of Sophocles" Three Theban Plays he teaches a lesson through a story. ... In Sophocles" first Theban play, Oedipus the King, there are many lessons that are embodied by the characters, the plot and the theme. ... The story of Oedipus then continues as the blind man, who was exiled from Thebes, is lead by his loyal daughter ...

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• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Sophocles' piece, Oedipus the King, told his audience about an incredibly vital lesson they need to learn. ... Sophocles sets up by telling the story of how Oedipus' fate was decided at birth. In the play, Oedipus' life was to be a catastrophe, based on the murdering of his own father and become his mother's husband. ... In the beginning of the play, Sophocles informs his readers of the Theban legend that his play was based on. ... Sophocles described a major issue in the play Oedipus the King. ...

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• Grade Level: High School

Oedipus The King; Did the prophecy cause his destiny? ... I can only draw my own conclusions as to what Sophocles intended the meaning of his play to be. ... The story begins with Oedipus at the height of power as King of Thebes. ... Oedipus provokes Teirsias into telling him the prophecy, " Í tell you, king, this man, this murderer-he is here. ... King Oedipus is enraged and sends the seer away, not realizing that the prophecy was referring to him. ...

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As King Oedipus and the Theban Legend incorporate many themes, one particular themes sticks out. ... Throughout the play Sophocles forces us to read between the lines to solve the question. ... As Teiresias states, "You are the cursed and polluter of this land " (Sophocles 35). ... And secretly you are an enemy to your own kin " (Sophocles 37). ... It may be honorable to be the King and ruler of a city, but is one fully aware of the job they signed up for? ...

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Oedipus Rex Oedipus Rex, by Sophocles, (as translated by Dudley Fitts and Robert Fitzgerald), is replete with dramatic devices - one of which is known as Sophoclean Irony. ... Shocked, his parents (King Laios and Queen Locaste of Thebes) try to circumvent Hera's curse by turning the infant over to a loyal servant (The Theban Shepherd) to take to the top Mt. ... Meanwhile, back in Corinth, Oedipus grows to manhood believing Polybos and Merope (the King and Queen of Corinth) are his real parents. ... At this point, Sophocles begins his play. ... In the play, Oedipus Rex, by Sophocles (as...

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• Grade Level: High School

Both the concept of fate and free will played an equal part in Oedipus' destruction. ... When he heard that Apollo said some unclean thing was the reason of the curse in Thebes, he could have coolly investigated the murder of the former King Laius, but in his rashness, he curses the murderer (unknowingly curses himself.) ... (pg. 55; The Theban Play) At the end of this tragic story, when Oedipus takes out his eyes, the chorus asks him what god urged him to blind himself. ... (pg. 62; The Theban Play) He claimed full responsibility for his actions. Sophocles then in the end, says th...

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Freud read Sophocles' Oedipus Rex and it immediately determined that the underlying ideas in this drama would become a large part of his studies. ... In terms of the play, the Oedipus Complex is extremely unhelpful: firstly, because Oedipus is not a child when Sophocles' play takes place, but secondly (and more importantly) because the play rests on the fact that he is unaware of the identity of his parents when he respectively murders and sleeps with them. ... Oedipus, the protagonist of the play, is the birth son of King Laius and Queen Jocasta of Thebes. ... He is blind and bloo...

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• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

In Sophocles" King Oedipus, civil justice, poetic justice, and rough justice all exist in the world of the play to the extent that divine justice is served in the end, and ultimately, the wishes of the gods, who are wary of individuals with the most fortune and power, are fulfilled. ... He is called upon by Oedipus to provide information about the murder of King Laius. ... The gods do not appreciate the status of the Theban King and Queen because they feel insulted that these mortals receive almost as much acclaim as they do. ... Oedipus soon ends up in Corinth, where he is raised by King ...

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In Sophocles's play "Oedipus Rex- Oedipus Even though "fate" seems to determine Oedipus' life, . he does infact have a free will. ... Oedipus Essay (Fate) 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. ... - Oedipus correctly answered "Man- and became the king of Thebes. ... Oedipus Rex - Bliss in Ignorance Oedipus Rex - Bliss in Ignorance One of the most memorable and meaningful Socratic quotes applies well when in context of Sophocles' Theban Trilogy. ... Socrates had made this...

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Essay on Oedipus Rex 4-3-97 In Sophocles' Oedipus Rex, the theme of irony plays an important part through the play. ... Oedipus makes many ironic statements throughout the play. ... There are two prophesies in the play. ... Commentary It would be hard to find a play that has been more universally praised than Oedipus Rex ("King Oedipus"). ... Shocked, his parents (King Laios and Queen Locaste of Thebes) try to circumvent Hera's curse by turning the infant over to a loyal servant (The Theban Shepherd) to take to the top Mt. ...

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According to the play, the three crossroad was where he killed his father. ... But in the play, it was not stated that Oedipus was with his servants too, he was only with himself. ... I am the second speaker and I will prove that Oedipus is guilty in killing King Laius and his company. ... Oedipus could have run into his father anywhere along the Theban Way, but instead Sophocles specifically placed the confrontation at a three-way intersection. ... This proves that the play is not denying human freedom. ...

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The play Oedipus Rex, written by Sophocles, is a tragedy of fate. ... The following quote is said by Oedipus, to the Thebans, when they learn about the "cursed polluter", "I make this proclamation: if anyone of you knows whose hand it was that killed Laius, the son of Labdacus, let him declare it fully, now, to me." (line 223-226) This quote proves that Oedipus is unaware that he is the murderer of king Laius; his father. Oedipus was also unaware that Jocasta was his mother. ... Consequently Oedipus attempts to isolate himself from who he believes are his parents, however, as a result, fat...

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Oedipus Rex The play Oedipus Rex, written by Sophocles, is a tragedy of fate. ... The following quote is said by Oedipus, to the Thebans, when they learn about the "cursed polluter": "I make this proclamation: if anyone of you knows whose hand it was that killed Laius, the son of Labdacus, let him declare it fully, now, to me." (line 223-226) This quote proves that Oedipus is unaware that he is the murderer of king Laius; his father. ... Consequently, Oedipus attempts to isolate himself from who he believes are his parents, as a result, fate brings him to his real parents, king Laius an...

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"Oedipus Rex," written by the great playwright, Sophocles, depicts ancient Theban, Oedipus, who attempts to escape the fate given to him by an oracle. ... Oedipus commits various acts of hubris, also commonly known as excessive pride, throughout the entire play as his tragic flaw. ... Their high status plays a big part in their hamartia and affects how they perform with others in their polis or tribe. Going back to Oedipus' exhibition of hubris, his high status as king engenders him to become very egotistic. He tells, "I would not have you speak through messengers and therefore I have com...

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In the Theban play "King Oedipus", written by Sophocles there are three characters that are victims to the tragic issue. There is a question to what leads this play into what felt like an unavoidable end. ... Much of the arrogance of this play is depicted in that particular story that Oedipus narrates. ... Though with Jocasta her arrogance plays a role in another part of the play. ... It is from this speech that the secrets of the play are let out. ...

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• Grade Level: High School

The Seven Against Thebes, produced in 467 BC, is based on a Theban legend, the conflict between the two sons of Oedipus, Eteocles and Polyneices, for the throne of Thebes. It is believed to be the third play of a trilogy, the first two being Laius and Oedipus. ... SOPHOCLES Sophocles lived from 496 BC to 406 BC. ... Sophocles composed more than 100 plays, of which 7 complete tragedies and fragments of 80 or 90 others are preserved. The seven extant plays are Antigone, Oedipus Tyrannus or Oedipus Rex (Oedipus the King), Electra, Ajax, Trachiniae (Maidens of Trachis), Philoctetes, and Oedipus ...

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In the play "Oedipus the King-, Sophocles defamed the gods' reputation, and lowered their status by making them look harmful and evil. ... Fundamentally, by utilizing fate, prophecies, the oracle of Apollo, and the plague, the gods played a significant role in the destruction of Oedipus and his family. ... In conclusion, the gods, Apollo in particular, played a major part in the overall circumstances of Oedipus. ... Finally, they send a plague to the Thebans for not punishing the murderer of their king, which results in Oedipus' exile or execution. Oedipus, the wise king, has ...

• Word Count: 1081
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

In the play "Oedipus the King-, Sophocles defamed the gods' reputation, and lowered their status by making them look harmful and evil. ... Fundamentally, by utilizing fate, prophecies, the oracle of Apollo, and the plague, the gods played a significant role in the destruction of Oedipus and his family. ... In conclusion, the gods, Apollo in particular, played a major part in the overall circumstances of Oedipus. ... Finally, they send a plague to the Thebans for not punishing the murderer of their king, which results in Oedipus' exile or execution. Oedipus, the wise king, has ...

• Word Count: 1081
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• Grade Level: High School

In Sophocles" play Antigone we are faced with a simple conflict between Creon, king of Thebes, and his niece, Antigone. Although the conflict is clear and easy to understand on its surface, beneath the surface onlookers often become jaded as to which character, Creon or Antigone, Sophocles intended to portray this tragic play through. As the play begins, Antigone is alone in her beliefs. ... Creon enters the play and declares to the Theban elders that the state is supreme and that devotion to one's country outranks all other loyalties. ... (Antigone, ll. 823) He follows this up by saying...

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• Grade Level: High School

Oedipus the King is written by Sophocles. The main character in the play, Oedipus, is faced with this type of situation. ... Laius is the king of Thebes at the time of Oedipus' journey. ... The Thebans make him king out of thanks for saving their town. ... In the play, Oedipus is warned about his fate in two different dreams. ...

• Word Count: 1056
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• Grade Level: High School