Being one of the most respected men of his day, Sophocles uniquely combined Greek mythology with tragedy into the two of his most known plays: Antigone and Oedipus Rex. ... Yet some characters still ignore their predictions. ... Oedipus is very vain. ... "When Oedipus could see, he beheld the piercing light of Greece, but he had then less understanding of his fate, less inner vision, and less humility than he is beginning to achieve after he loses that flooding, outer light and towards the end of Oedipus Rex, the physical blinding is already encouraging new insight, awareness, and compassion....

• Word Count: 1256
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

Freud read Sophocles' Oedipus Rex and it immediately determined that the underlying ideas in this drama would become a large part of his studies. The tragedies and misfortunes of Oedipus Rex opened new doors to the applications of his theories and the subject of his definition of an Oedipal Complex that still is studied today. ... 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....

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

Sophocles characterizes his antagonist Creon in such a way that evokes a feeling of hatred towards the character. ... Though with respect to chronology, due to the audience's prior knowledge of the preceding plays Oedipus Rex and Oedipus at Colonus, and the evidence presented in the authors note, the conflict of Antigone is provided before Scene I even begins. ... The transitional sections offer as a buffer, summary, and form of parallels between the lives of characters and the minds of the audience members. ... The Oedipal curse and characters like Jocasta or Tiresias play vital roles in...

• Word Count: 1423
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography

The character of Creon is presented in direct opposition with the character of Antigone, but it would be premature to pass immediate judgment on Creon and call him a villain. ... It is commonly assumed that the three works that chronicle the curse of Oedipus were intended as a trilogy, but although Antigone follows Oedipus Rex chronologically, it was written earlier. When comparing the character of Creon, as presented in Antigone, with the character as presented in Oedipus Rex, the differences in characterization are remarkably apparent. In Oedipus Rex, Creon is portrayed as a benevolent figur...

• Word Count: 1647
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

The actors - all men - wore theatricalized versions of everyday dress, but, most important, they wore larger-than-life masks, which aided visibility and indicated the nature of the character to the audience. ... The characters are stock - identifiable, simplified social types, such as a miserly father or a nagging mother-in-law. ... The seven extant plays are Antigone, Oedipus Tyrannus or Oedipus Rex (Oedipus the King), Electra, Ajax, Trachiniae (Maidens of Trachis), Philoctetes, and Oedipus at Colonus (produced posthumously in 401 BC). ... Oedipus Tyrannus and Electra date from 430 to 415 ...

• Word Count: 2321
• Approx Pages: 9