An Analysis Of The Of Oedipus And Oedipus Rex Essay

Creon Rex Ambition is a unique trait that allows the human race to either accomplish great things or fall into a web of greed and malice. Throughout the framework of history, humans have willingly paid a price to obtain power, glory, and wealth. The price for this achievement could include the loss of friends, family, monetary goods, and social status. The story of Oedipus Rex is no exception. A man, seemingly through no fault or causation of his own, rises to power then suffers a great fall at the hands of a manipulative tyrant. Through a political lens, the reader can deduce that Creon orchestrated a plot to slay his brother and obtain the kingship of Thebes. This ultimately leads to the realization that humans are the masters of their own fates. To understand Creon’s thought process and plot to obtain the monarchy, one must understand how the government functioned during the time of Oedipus. Greece went through numerous changes in government system; however, during Oedipus’s time a monarchy was in place in Greek society. According to Hardyman, a monarchy is â€Å"any system of government where a [supreme head] holds the office†(p. 4). In Western monarchies, rulers hold the throne due to a concept called the Divine Right of Kings which states that God ordains the true and just king (Sommerville). This means that the authority to rule would be kept in the family and would pass down the genetic family line to the next of kin. Under this idea of succession, Oedipus’sShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Oedipus Rex 1705 Words   |  7 PagesIn the play Oedipus Rex, Oedipus unknowingly murders his father and marries his mother. When Oedipus discovers this he is disgusted with himself and decides to go into e xile. The Misanthrope is a play about the self-exile of the main character Alceste. Challenged in court, he refuses to take back the criticism of a sonnet written by a powerful nobleman. Alceste and Oedipus are both convicted by their knowledge of the truth. Although, the United States grants asylum to more refuges than any otherRead MoreOedipus Rex Analysis904 Words   |  4 PagesOedipus Rex is one of the many plays that exemplifies Aristotle’s principle of tragedy, where the plot revolves around the hero’s progression towards his own demise. In this story, the titular character was subject to a horrendous fate where he murders his own biological father-King Laius- and marries his own mother, which he eventually unearths this truth when it became his duty as the new king to find the murderer of the previous Ruler. Throughout the play, we begin to see that Oedipus intendsRead MoreAnalysis Of Oedipus Rex 2527 Words   |  11 PagesAri Victor Honors English 28 July, 2015 Summer Reading Oedipus Rex 1. The people of Thebes are suffering from a god attacking their city. 2. 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In the story, Oedipus was not a victim of only his actions or only his fate, but his actions and fatal flaws did affect the path that he took to his demise, through his pride/ignorance/temper, his unquenchable thirst for knowledge, and his cowardiceRead MoreAnalysis : Oedipus Rex 2007 Words   |  9 Pagessupposedly perfect, it only makes sense as to why a man gifted a beaten gold mask has flawlessly proportioned features. Individuals seemingly must have worshipped and blindly obeyed his every whim like the Chorus in Sophocles’, Oedipus Rex, followed their false god, Oedipus. That theory can even furthermore be confirmed, considering this artwork comes after the life of this man occurred, his death not sufficie nt in ceasing the infatuation many held. Beaten gold, a material that continues to possessRead MoreLiterary Analysis : The Kite Runner And Oedipus Rex1292 Words   |  6 PagesThe Kite Runner Oedipus Rex: Literary Analysis Essay Although The Kite Runner and Oedipus Rex differ from the style in which they were written and by the authors who wrote them what they do share are common themes. Both the play and the book share two major subject matters. Guilt is one theme that is seen constantly between Amir dealing with it in The Kite Runner written by Khaled Hosseini and Oedipus and Jocasta’s struggle with it in Oedipus Rex written by Sophocles. Another theme found in bothRead MoreCharacter Analysis Of Oedipus Rex943 Words   |  4 Pagessolved as the people of Thebes suffer. In Sophocles’ Greek tragedy, Oedipus Rex, Thebes is being punished by the gods for a crime committed far in the past. The city of Thebes is cursed with a plague until the murderer of Laius is discovered and banished from the land. As Creon and Oedipus work to save Thebes, their different qualities show who is a better fit to be king. Oedipus saved Thebes once from the sphinx; however, Oedipus’ qualities of being arrog ant, intense, and stubborn cause him to foilRead MoreOedipus Rex Character Analysis994 Words   |  4 PagesGuilty Woman Within the drama Oedipus Rex, Iocastà ª becomes a central figure of the controversy surrounding the arising destruction of Thebes. The kingdom of Thebes has become the victim of a sickness causing the death of crops, animals and people. The King Oedipus has sent his brother-in-law to the Oracle of Delphi to discover the problem that is plaguing the kingdom. The Oracle reveals that in order for the plague to end, the murder of the previous king must be found and killed. In the hunt ofRead MoreAnalysis Of Oedipus Rex Bliss 944 Words   |  4 PagesMr. Myles May 3, 2010 Oedipus Rex - Bliss in Ignorance One of the most memorable and meaningful Socratic quotes applies well when in context of Sophocles Theban Trilogy. The unexamined life is not worth living, proclaims Socrates. He could have meant many things by this statement, and in relation to the play, the meaning is found to be even more complex. Indeed, the situation of Oedipus, king of Thebes, the truth of this statement is in question. Would Oedipus have been better offRead More Analysis of Oedipus Rex Essay890 Words   |  4 Pages Oedipus did not have a fair start in life. His father, Laius, heard prophecy that Oedipus would one day kill his father and sleep with his mother. In order to prevent this, Laius gave Oedipus to a shepherd to be killed. Fortunately, through a string of events, Oedipuss life was saved, and he even went on to become the honored king of Thebes. Despite this feat, Oedipus still managed to make several decisions that ultimately fulfilled the original prophecy told to Laius, and inevit ably sealed