The real power of Oedipus Rex lies not in the fact that it illustrates the Oedipus complex-that Oedipus was oedipal-but that it depicts a troubling and seemingly universal dimension of human behavior; the way we unwittingly create the fate we fear and dislike. ... This complex is roundly exhibited in the play 'Oedipus Rex', where Oedipus does end up murdering his birth father and marrying his birth mother, Jocasta. ... Creon returns to Thebes and Oedipus accuses him of staging the prophecy that says Oedipus will kill his father and marry his mother in order to over throw the throne....

• Word Count: 1933
• Approx Pages: 8
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Although partly true, it is not entirely accurate in Sophocles' Oedipus the King. In the story, Oedipus is shown, on multiple occasions, as someone who, through his choices, seals his own fate. ... However, because Polybus and Merope are not Oedipus' biological parents, Oedipus has not, in fact, avoided fate, instead, he is now wandering down the exact path that will end in him fulfilling the prophecy. ... (38), to which Oedipus replies, "I will not hearken – not to know the whole" (38). ... This final decision to honour his word, determines Oedipus' less than ap...

• Word Count: 690
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

No one would doubt Oedipus as a glorious king, especially the King of Suffering. ... Oedipus, like Sherlock Holmes, moves ahead of others. ... With this belief, Oedipus is informed that "Laios was killed on the way to Delphi" (140-141) and the prophet Teiresias is then brought to Oedipus. ... Teiresias's ridiculous accusation of Oedipus as a murderer further irritates Oedipus, whom Thebans trust and rely on. ... Oedipus fails to anticipate his doomed destiny with his wisdom. ...

• Word Count: 1352
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

In the play "Oedipus the King" Sophocles depicts Oedipus' inevitable downfall, which represents man's struggle between free will and fate. ... Oedipus' struggle between fate and free will reveal a sense of humanism in his character. ... Although the outcome of the play is already known beforehand, Oedipus' determination towards solving the mystery of Laius' murder causes one to question how much Oedipus truly knew about his past. ... If ignorance serves as a moral excuse, Oedipus may be free of blame. ... The nature of Oedipus' knowledge is the vaguest element in ...

• Word Count: 631
• Approx Pages: 3
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Is this true of Oedipus? In the play Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, the main character Oedipus is seen to follow his prophesized fate, which ends in his downfall. ... Oedipus has great difficulty in believing the words of others who dispute any set ideas or beliefs he has in his mind. ... Despite Jocasta having already pieced together the tragic events which had occurred Oedipus sticks to his ideas to the very end, his pride guiding his path. Oedipus manipulates his fate unwillingly to conform to that of the oracles he is so desperately trying to avoid. ...

• Word Count: 859
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Sophocles' Oedipus, the King is a great representation of Greek tragedy and of the human experience. ... His primary focus as the story begins and progresses is the growth of Oedipus from an unintelligible and unenlightened mentality to its antithesis. ... And, fearing the dreadful prophecy, that the parents nailed their first son's feet together (thus the name Oedipus, which means "swollen-foot-) and left him to die on a lonely moun-tainside outside the city. ... The story begins after some time after Oedipus has taken the throne and when there is a mysterious plague that sweeps ...

• Word Count: 545
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

A shepherd rescues the child, Oedipus, and gives him to his king, Polybus, King of Corinth. As Oedipus grows up, he learns from an oracle that he will kill his father and marry his mother. ... Through Oedipus" determination to seek the murderer, the shepherd who "rescued" Oedipus the baby comes forth, revealing his story, which leads to the downfall of Oedipus. ... Through this act, order is finally restored in Thebes and Oedipus is left to be a crippled bum. In Sophocles" Oedipus Rex, Oedipus fulfills all the three requirements set by Aristotle to define a tragedy. ...

• Word Count: 696
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Oedipus itself is an interesting study of mythology. ... There are many similarities with Cassandra and Oedipus as both texts questioned and challenged certainties. ... Oedipus also is a study in ideology, paralleling itself with texts such as The Waste Land and Paradise Lost. ... These versions, although not exactly a mirror image of Oedipus have many elements in common. ... The audience fears him and fears for him, making Oedipus almost the archetypical hero. ...

• Word Count: 1933
• Approx Pages: 8
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

The Golden Rule of Civility In the epic of The Odyssey, Homer explores a variety of different themes that heavily influence Odysseus" quest to return home and re-claim his throne as the rightful King. These themes are prevalent throughout the story and they significantly affect the fate of the entire Greek kingdom that Homer portrays. Equally as important, they reflect the dominance of these traditions in the Greek culture during the classic time period. While there were numerous themes in the epic, the role of hospitality was one of the most prominent. Throughout the story, Homer depicts sc...

• Word Count: 1626
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: Undergraduate