Questions On The Guilt Of Oedipus - 1574 Words

Section II: Counterarguments Free Will and Hamartia Counterargument #1: P. H. Vellacott for Free Will Many classicists believe that Oedipus’s fall is due to his Free will and the decisions he makes. Those who hold this belief hold that Oedipus made his own decisions, which is what led to his fall and that he was not compelled by some external source. P. H. Vellacott is a strong supporter of this theory. As such, in his famous essay, â€Å"The Guilt of Oedipus,† Vellacott argues that, factually speaking, Oedipus must have at one point thought to himself, â€Å"If the man I killed was my father, and if I overcome the Sphinx and marry the queen, the oracle will be exactly fulfilled, and I shall have only myself to blame,† (Vellacott 213). In other words, Oedipus, knowing the prophecy given to him, must have understood the risk he was taking in possibly fulfilling the prophecy. What Vellacott is claiming then, is that Oedipus made the choice to approach the Sphinx, in turn risking the fulfillment of that awful prophec y for the reward of a throne. Furthermore, Oedipus, in making this choice brings upon himself the curse that we are addressed within the Oedipus Rex and it is his fault alone, because he chose to take a risk. In Sophocles play, there was no investigation of the murder of king Laius; â€Å"Oedipus: Trouble? What could have kept you from investigating the death of your king? Creon: The Sphinx. The Sphinx was confounding us with her riddles, forcing us to abandon our search for theShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Oedipus The King  ¸ Jocasta 1078 Words   |  5 PagesSuicide is a desperate act that puts forward a clear yet sombre statement to their audience. Keeping this is mind, the question arises, why do people commit suicide? In Sophocles’ play, Oedipus The King ¸ Jocasta who is both wife and mother to Oedipus is an excellent example of why one might commit suicide due to two major themes. The first theme is pride and manifests itself in Jocasta’s prideful character. The second theme is prophecy and its relation to suicide is found it Jocasta’s actions afterRead MoreGuilt And Regret Essay1338 Words   |  6 Pages Facing and Handling the Burdens of Pain, Guilt, and Regret Analyzing how guilt and regret stick with one forever not to mention the constant weight of pain, Oedipus and Amir the (main characters) confront guilt, regret, and pain in hopes to relieve themselves from the burdens. Guilt and regret two things everyone should be very familiar with because they tend to co-sign together. However, let’s not forget about pain; it may haunt one forever. After all everyone knows what they did/didn’t doRead 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 MoreA Greek Play Created By Sophocles1608 Words   |  7 Pagesplay created by Sophocles around 335 BC, Oedipus the King tells a story about one man’s irony to find the previous’ king’s murderer to seek justice. Oedipus stops at nothing to find the killer. As he questions the citizens, he only finds himself to be the killer. In this essay we explore how one major event can create multiple forms of conflict. The conflicts of Human vs. supernatural, the predestined fate of Oedip us and the gods. Human vs. human, when Oedipus heeds no warnings and stops at nothingRead MorePride Can Hinder People From Taking Other s Opinion Into Account1500 Words   |  6 PagesPride can hinder people from taking other’s opinion into account. Sophocles wrote the play Oedipus The King to accentuate that pride can lead to smugness and prevent an individual from listening to others. Oedipus, the protagonist, takes pride in his wisdom due to solving a riddle to become a king. As a result, he embarks upon a journey to unmask the culprit behind King Laois’ murder to free his people from the plague. However, during the process, the prophet, Teiresias, warns him that it might bringRead MoreSophocles Oedipus The King992 Words   |  4 PagesThroughout tragedies in Greek literature, the hero always has one tragic flaw. 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Little did Oedipus know this riddle would be an analogy of his life as King in ThebesRead MoreOedipus Rex Motifs And Symbols1319 Words   |  6 Pages Oedipus Rex Motifs and Symbols The paths (3 crossroads): Expressed three independent ways Oedipus could have chosen to continue his life, and Oedipus chose the inferior road. Oedipus’s legs: Oedipus’s damaged legs and feet symbolize his painful upbringing. As well as this, it represents his mental health, which is damaged just like his feet. Vision: Oedipus can actually see, while Tiresias is actually blind. Yet, even though he can see, Oedipus is blind enough to not recognize that he killedRead MoreThe Role of Fate in Oedipus the King Essay1051 Words   |  5 Pages Fate played an important part in the plays and literature of the Greeks as is shown in Sophocles play Oedipus Rex Sophocles lived during the Golden Age of Greece. He is renowned as one of the greatest dramaticist of western literature. He was a greek through and through as he held important political positions, and he even served as the priest of the haling diety Amynos. During his life tragedies were popular plays of the greeks, and Sophocles noted for his writingRead MoreComparison of Othello and Oedipus the King Essay525 Words   |  3 Pages *INTRO*The character Oedipus in the play Oedipus the King by Sophocles, and the character Othello in the play Othello the Moor of Venice by Shakespeare are both tragic characters. Oedipus ends up killing his father, and marrying and having children with his mother, whereas Othello ends up mistrusting and killing his wife. These two individuals have similarities and differences in several aspects such as the roundness of their characters, the retribution that they incur upon themselves and upon