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Analysis of Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex

By NASRULLAH MAMBROL on July 27, 2020 • ( 0 )

The place of the Oedipus Tyrannus in literature is something like that of the Mona Lisa in art. Everyone knows the story, the first detective story of Western literature; everyone who has read or seen it is drawn into its enigmas and moral dilemmas. It presents a kind of nightmare vision of a world suddenly turned upside down: a decent man discovers that he has unknowingly killed his father, married his mother, and sired children by her. It is a story that, as Aristotle says in the Poetics , makes one shudder with horror and feel pity just on hearing it. In Sophocles’ hands, however, this ancient tale becomes a profound meditation on the questions of guilt and responsibility, the order (or disorder) of our world, and the nature of man. The play stands with the Book of Job, Hamlet, and King Lear as one of Western literature’s most searching examinations of the problem of suffering.

—Charles Segal, Oedipus Tyrannus: Tragic Heroism and the Limits of Knowledge

No other drama has exerted a longer or stronger hold on the imagination than Sophocles’ Oedipus the King (also known as Oedipus Tyrannus or Oedipus Rex ). Tragic drama that is centered on the dilemma of a single central character largely begins with Sophocles and is exemplified by his Oedipus, arguably the most influential play ever written. The most famous of all Greek dramas, Sophocles’ play, supported by Aristotle in the Poetics, set the standard by which tragedy has been measured for nearly two-and-a-half millennia. For Aristotle, Sophocles’ play featured the ideal tragic hero in Oedipus, a man of “great repute and good fortune,” whose fall, coming from his horrifying discovery that he has killed his father and married his mother, is masterfully arranged to elicit tragedy’s proper cathartic mixture of pity and terror. The play’s relentless exploration of human nature, destiny, and suffering turns an ancient tale of a man’s shocking history into one of the core human myths. Oedipus thereby joins a select group of fictional characters, including Odysseus, Faust, Don Juan, and Don Quixote, that have entered our collective consciousness as paradigms of humanity and the human condition. As classical scholar Bernard Knox has argued, “Sophocles’ Oedipus is not only the greatest creation of a major poet and the classic representative figure of his age: he is also one of a long series of tragic protagonists who stand as symbols of human aspiration and despair before the characteristic dilemma of Western civilization—the problem of man’s true stature, his proper place in the universe.”

For nearly 2,500 years Sophocles’ play has claimed consideration as drama’s most perfect and most profound achievement. Julius Caesar wrote an adaptation; Nero allegedly acted the part of the blind Oedipus. First staged in a European theater in 1585, Oedipus has been continually performed ever since and reworked by such dramatists as Pierre Corneille, John Dryden, Voltaire, William Butler Yeats, André Gide, and Jean Cocteau. The French neoclassical tragedian Jean Racine asserted that Oedipus was the ideal tragedy, while D. H. Lawrence regarded it as “the finest drama of all time.” Sigmund Freud discovered in the play the key to understanding man’s deepest and most repressed sexual and aggressive impulses, and the so-called Oedipus complex became one of the founding myths of psychoanalysis. Oedipus has served as a crucial mirror by which each subsequent era has been able to see its own reflection and its understanding of the mystery of human existence.

If Aeschylus is most often seen as the great originator of ancient Greek tragedy and Euripides is viewed as the great outsider and iconoclast, it is Sophocles who occupies the central position as classical tragedy’s technical master and the age’s representative figure over a lifetime that coincided with the rise and fall of Athens’s greatness as a political and cultural power in the fifth century b.c. Sophocles was born in 496 near Athens in Colonus, the legendary final resting place of the exiled Oedipus. At the age of 16, Sophocles, an accomplished dancer and lyre player, was selected to lead the celebration of the victory over the Persians at the battle of Salamis, the event that ushered in Athens’s golden age. He died in 406, two years before Athens’s fall to Sparta, which ended nearly a century of Athenian supremacy and cultural achievement. Very much at the center of Athenian public life, Sophocles served as a treasurer of state and a diplomat and was twice elected as a general. A lay priest in the cult of a local deity, Sophocles also founded a literary association and was an intimate of such prominent men of letters as Ion of Chios, Herodotus, and Archelaus. Urbane, garrulous, and witty, Sophocles was remembered fondly by his contemporaries as possessing all the admired qualities of balance and tranquillity. Nicknamed “the Bee” for his “honeyed” style of fl owing eloquence—the highest compliment the Greeks could bestow on a poet or speaker—Sophocles was regarded as the tragic Homer.

In marked contrast to his secure and stable public role and private life, Sophocles’ plays orchestrate a disturbing challenge to assurance and certainty by pitting vulnerable and fallible humanity against the inexorable forces of nature and destiny. Sophocles began his career as a playwright in 468 b.c. with a first-prize victory over Aeschylus in the Great, or City, Dionysia, the annual Athenian drama competition. Over the next 60 years he produced more than 120 plays (only seven have survived intact), winning first prize at the Dionysia 24 times and never earning less than second place, making him unquestionably the most successful and popular playwright of his time. It is Sophocles who introduced the third speaking actor to classical drama, creating the more complex dramatic situations and deepened psychological penetration through interpersonal relationships and dialogue. “Sophocles turned tragedy inward upon the principal actors,” classicist Richard Lattimore has observed, “and drama becomes drama of character.” Favoring dramatic action over narration, Sophocles brought offstage action onto the stage, emphasized dialogue rather than lengthy, undramatic monologues, and purportedly introduced painted scenery. Also of note, Sophocles replaced the connected trilogies of Aeschylus with self-contained plays on different subjects at the same contest, establishing the norm that has continued in Western drama with its emphasis on the intensity and unity of dramatic action. At their core, Sophocles’ tragedies are essentially moral and religious dramas pitting the tragic hero against unalterable fate as defined by universal laws, particular circumstances, and individual temperament. By testing his characters so severely, Sophocles orchestrated adversity into revelations that continue to evoke an audience’s capacity for wonder and compassion.

The story of Oedipus was part of a Theban cycle of legends that was second only to the stories surrounding the Trojan War as a popular subject for Greek literary treatment. Thirteen different Greek dramatists, including Aeschylus and Euripides, are known to have written plays on the subject of Oedipus and his progeny. Sophocles’ great innovation was to turn Oedipus’s horrifying circumstances into a drama of self-discovery that probes the mystery of selfhood and human destiny.

The play opens with Oedipus secure and respected as the capable ruler of Thebes having solved the riddle of the Sphinx and gained the throne and Thebes’s widowed queen, Jocasta, as his reward. Plague now besets the city, and Oedipus comes to Thebes’s rescue once again when, after learning from the oracle of Apollo that the plague is a punishment for the murder of his predecessor, Laius, he swears to discover and bring the murderer to justice. The play, therefore, begins as a detective story, with the key question “Who killed Laius?” as the initial mystery. Oedipus initiates the first in a seemingly inexhaustible series of dramatic ironies as the detective who turns out to be his own quarry. Oedipus’s judgment of banishment for Laius’s murderer seals his own fate. Pledged to restore Thebes to health, Oedipus is in fact the source of its affliction. Oedipus’s success in discovering Laius’s murderer will be his own undoing, and the seemingly percipient, riddle-solving Oedipus will only see the truth about himself when he is blind. To underscore this point, the blind seer Teiresias is summoned. He is reluctant to tell what he knows, but Oedipus is adamant: “No man, no place, nothing will escape my gaze. / I will not stop until I know it all.” Finally goaded by Oedipus to reveal that Oedipus himself is “the killer you’re searching for” and the plague that afflicts Thebes, Teiresias introduces the play’s second mystery, “Who is Oedipus?”

You have eyes to see with, But you do not see yourself, you do not see The horror shadowing every step of your life, . . . Who are your father and mother? Can you tell me?

Oedipus rejects Teiresias’s horrifying answer to this question—that Oedipus has killed his own father and has become a “sower of seed where your father has sowed”—as part of a conspiracy with Jocasta’s brother Creon against his rule. In his treatment of Teiresias and his subsequent condemning of Creon to death, Oedipus exposes his pride, wrath, and rush to judgment, character flaws that alloy his evident strengths of relentless determination to learn the truth and fortitude in bearing the consequences. Jocasta comes to her brother’s defense, while arguing that not all oracles can be believed. By relating the circumstances of Laius’s death, Jocasta attempts to demonstrate that Oedipus could not be the murderer while ironically providing Oedipus with the details that help to prove the case of his culpability. In what is a marvel of ironic plot construction, each step forward in answering the questions surrounding the murder and Oedipus’s parentage takes Oedipus a step back in time toward full disclosure and self-discovery.

As Oedipus is made to shift from self-righteous authority to doubt, a messenger from Corinth arrives with news that Oedipus’s supposed father, Poly-bus, is dead. This intelligence seems again to disprove the oracle that Oedipus is fated to kill his father. Oedipus, however, still is reluctant to return home for fear that he could still marry his mother. To relieve Oedipus’s anxiety, the messenger reveals that he himself brought Oedipus as an infant to Polybus. Like Jocasta whose evidence in support of Oedipus’s innocence turns into confirmation of his guilt, the messenger provides intelligence that will connect Oedipus to both Laius and Jocasta as their son and as his father’s killer. The messenger’s intelligence produces the crucial recognition for Jocasta, who urges Oedipus to cease any further inquiry. Oedipus, however, persists, summoning the herdsman who gave the infant to the messenger and was coincidentally the sole survivor of the attack on Laius. The herdsman’s eventual confirmation of both the facts of Oedipus’s birth and Laius’s murder produces the play’s staggering climax. Aristotle would cite Sophocles’ simultaneous con-junction of Oedipus’s recognition of his identity and guilt with his reversal of fortune—condemned by his own words to banishment and exile as Laius’s murderer—as the ideal artful arrangement of a drama’s plot to produce the desired cathartic pity and terror.

The play concludes with an emphasis on what Oedipus will now do after he knows the truth. No tragic hero has fallen further or faster than in the real time of Sophocles’ drama in which the time elapsed in the play coincides with the performance time. Oedipus is stripped of every illusion of his authority, control, righteousness, and past wisdom and is forced to contend with a shame that is impossible to expiate—patricide and incestual relations with his mother—in a world lacking either justice or alleviation from suffering. Oedipus’s heroic grandeur, however, grows in his diminishment. Fundamentally a victim of circumstances, innocent of intentional sin whose fate was preordained before his birth, Oedipus refuses the consolation of blamelessness that victimization confers, accepting in full his guilt and self-imposed sentence as an outcast, criminal, and sinner. He blinds himself to confirm the moral shame that his actions, unwittingly or not, have provoked. It is Oedipus’s capacity to endure the revelation of his sin, his nature, and his fate that dominates the play’s conclusion. Oedipus’s greatest strengths—his determination to know the truth and to accept what he learns—sets him apart as one of the most pitiable and admired of tragic heroes. “The closing note of the tragedy,” Knox argues, “is a renewed insistence on the heroic nature of Oedipus; the play ends as it began, with the greatness of the hero. But it is a different kind of greatness. It is now based on knowledge, not, as before on ignorance.” The now-blinded Oedipus has been forced to see and experience the impermanence of good fortune, the reality of unimaginable moral shame, and a cosmic order that is either perverse in its calculated cruelty or chaotically random in its designs, in either case defeating any human need for justice and mercy.

The Chorus summarizes the harsh lesson of heroic defeat that the play so majestically dramatizes:

Look and learn all citizens of Thebes. This is Oedipus. He, who read the famous riddle, and we hailed chief of men, All envied his power, glory, and good fortune. Now upon his head the sea of disaster crashes down. Mortality is man’s burden. Keep your eyes fixed on your last day. Call no man happy until he reaches it, and finds rest from suffering.

Few plays have dealt so unflinchingly with existential truths or have as bravely defined human heroism in the capacity to see, suffer, and endure.

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Oedipus the King

Table of contents.

Tiresias says to Oedipus, “Creon is not your downfall, no, you are your own.” What is the extent of Oedipus’ guilt in his own downfall?

“Oedipus the King demonstrates that the quest for truth only leads to self-destruction.” Discuss.
What does the play have to say about fate and free will?
“The play is about Oedipus’ search for his identity.” Discuss.
“What should a man fear? It’s all about chance, / chance rules our lives.” Discuss Jocasta’s philosophy about life.
Discuss the dual role of the Chorus.
What do the choral odes have to say about the relationship between humans and the gods?
What are Oedipus’ feelings about family?
Evidence Bank

Oedipus the King is a classic Greek tragedy by Sophocles about the downfall of Oedipus, a heroic yet ill-fated character who was prophesied to slay his father and marry his mother. Oedipus finds himself caught in a dilemma between his determination to unwind the tangled threads of his history, or avoid undermining everything he knows about his life. The premise of the ancient play reminds audiences of the cruel nature of fate and the importance of making good decisions. Yet Oedipus himself is a complex character who does his best to exercise free choice within the restraints of his fate, which lends itself to the argument surrounding the extent of his guilt in his eventual downfall. To a large extent, Oedipus is responsible for his horrible actions that drive him to fulfil the prophecy given to him at birth, such as his violent nature which drives him to slay his father, as well as his incessant drive to seek the truth about himself. Yet as the ancient Greeks would have it, despite taking extensive manoeuvres to avoid his terrible future, Oedipus may have been a prisoner of his own fate and thus remain guiltless.

Oedipus the King, a timeless Greek tragedy penned by Sophocles, unfolds the tragic descent of Oedipus, a heroic figure ensnared in the ominous prophecy of patricide and matrimony with his mother/incest. Confronted with the formidable choice between unraveling the intricacies of his lineage and preserving the foundation of his perceived reality, Oedipus grapples with a profound dilemma. The narrative serves as a poignant reminder of the inexorable cruelty of destiny and the consequential significance of judicious decision-making.Oedipus, a character of intricate depth, endeavors to wield volition amidst the constricting threads of his foretold destiny, thereby fueling debates about the degree of culpability in his eventual downfall. While Oedipus bears considerable responsibility for the grievous deeds that propel him toward the fulfillment of his preordained fate—such as his proclivity for violence leading to the slaying of his parents—he also exhibits an unwavering determination to unveil the veracity of his existence.Yet, adhering to the ancient Greek ethos, Oedipus, despite his concerted efforts to circumvent the ominous prophecy, remains ensnared in the inexorable web of fate, prompting contemplation about his potential innocence. In essence, Oedipus, despite his extensive manoeuvres to avert a calamitous destiny, emerges as a captive of his predetermined path, thereby challenging conventional notions of guilt and culpability.

Oedipus’ violent and aggressive nature, as shown by his various impulsive actions, can be said to be a defining factor which led him to the actions of his downfall. Even considering the audience’s knowledge of his horrible fate, there is no question that his nature lends itself to his questionable actions. For example, Oedipus testifies to Jocasta that the man he killed, Laius, was “accompanied by a herald”, thus announcing to the world that he was a king. Yet Oedipus, despite having been raised as royalty himself, does not hold himself back in the slaughter of Laius, the herald, and multiple others. This can be interpreted in several ways: either his impulsivity and pride led him to rashly kill Laius and his followers, thus cementing his guilt in his own fate, or that the threads of fate led him to make that decision in that moment. Either way, there is little doubt that it was simply part of Oedipus’ nature, as there is little other justification for his violent actions. In a similar way, his dogged determination to uncover the truth of his past turns him hostile and abusive, revealing his hubris; when Tiresias does tell him the truth about what he seeks, he does not listen as he is consumed by paranoia. His aberrant character flaws are thus determinant of his guilt in his own downfall.

Oedipus’ propensity for violence and aggression, manifested through impulsive actions, emerges as a pivotal factor contributing to his eventual downfall. Despite the audience’s awareness of his inexorable fate, there is an unequivocal acknowledgment that his inherent nature propels him towards morally ambiguous deeds. Notably, Oedipus, while recounting to Jocasta the slaying of Laius, explicitly highlights the regal stature of his victim, accompanied by a herald. Paradoxically, even though Oedipus himself was nurtured in royal surroundings, he fails to restrain his carnage, perpetrating the ruthless murder of Laius, the herald, and others. This dichotomy invites interpretations that either his impetuosity and pride precipitated the hasty annihilation, cementing his culpability in his tragic destiny, or that the inexorable threads of fate coerced him into that fateful decision.Moreover, Oedipus’ unwavering commitment to unraveling the truth of his origins transforms him into a hostile and abusive figure, laying bare the depths of his hubris. When Tiresias imparts the veracious revelation he seeks, Oedipus, ensnared by paranoia, remains deaf to reason. His anomalous character flaws thus serve as decisive elements substantiating his complicity in the tragic unraveling of his own fate.

In addition to his violent nature, Oedipus’ incessant seeking of the truth also leads him to his downfall. As the play opens, the audience learns that Oedipus is at the height of his success, as he had already become a great ruler of Thebes, revered by many for “defeating the Sphinx”. This only lends itself to demonstrate the great downfall that he will face at the hands of his own curiosity. Later, when Jocasta tells the tale of Laius’ death to Oedipus, he begins to doubt himself, in that he is indeed the murderer he is seeking. However, despite understanding the consequences, this does nothing to stop the momentum of his investigation. Oedipus refuses to consider Jocasta’s advice that he “live at random, best we can” and according to chance. Instead, he is so fixated on getting to the bottom of the truth by calling for the old shepherd who saved him when he was a baby. Oedipus is aware of the consequences, that “if he refers to one man, one alone, / clearly the scales come down on me: / I am guilty”. Even as the shepherd, like Tiresias, demonstrates reluctance to tell Oedipus what he knows, he insists that the truth must come out. Moreover, when Jocasta collapses in despair, Oedipus remains fervent in his determination to discover his true identity, proclaiming that “I must know it all, / must see the truth at last”. In the end, it is this unwavering confidence and determination for the truth that ultimately leads him to his downfall.

However, despite these interpretations, it can also be said that Oedipus was merely a prisoner of his own fate, indicating that all the questionable actions he took were merely part of his destiny, no matter how hard he tried to avoid it. Through this interpretation, Oedipus is guiltless as there was no way to avoid his fate. Many attempts to avoid Oedipus’ tragic fate appear in the play, yet he still fulfilled it regardless. Jocasta and Laius cast him out as a mere infant; Oedipus exiles himself from his adopted parents in fear that ill would befall them (and not his birth parents). Yet it is fate that drives him towards Thebes and to the crossroads where he slew Laius, where there was no reason to kill Laius, but he was driven to do so anyway. Fate rewards him cruelly with Jocasta as a wife after besting the Sphinx. Lastly, fate drives him to pursue the truth of his past, driving home the final punishment of exile and blindness set by himself. There appeared the illusion of free will in his choices, but Oedipus was ultimately driven to make horrible choices which resulted in the fulfillment of the prophecy. Hence, Sophocles presents the cruel reality that even though characters may take extensive manoeuvres to avoid committing the crimes of their fate, they will be compelled to commit abhorrent acts in order to fulfill their destinies.

Overall, Oedipus himself is a complex character: the extent of his guilt depends on how much the audience places value on his personal choices or the prison of his fate. It is true that his nature lends itself to the interpretation of his own guilt in his actions. However, given the context of ancient Greece where individuals were commonly understood to be prisoner of their own fate, there may have been no way for him to avoid the consequences. Hence, while Oedipus was ill-fated from birth, Sophocles aimed to imbue audiences with the moral that one’s choices are highly important to the outcome of their lives.

“ Oedipus the King demonstrates that the quest for truth only leads to self-destruction. ” Discuss.

92 Oedipus the King Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🏆 best oedipus the king topic ideas & essay examples, 👍 good essay topics on oedipus the king, 💡 most interesting oedipus the king topics to write about, ❓ oedipus the king essay questions.

Blindness in Oedipus Rex & Hamlet Therefore, in this play, the sighted like Oedipus and Jocasta are ‘blind’ to the truth whilst the blind like Teiresias can see the truth.
Oedipus Rex Critical Analysis | Critical Writing Example The advancement of art in the Greek cities cannot be compared to any in the other civilizations that existed at the time. Most of Sophocles’ plays emphasize the tragedies of life and the pain inherent […]
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Free Will and Fate in Sophocles’ Oedipus the King Drama Even though the role of fate and prophecy is significant in influencing the life of Oedipus, the king’s destiny can be discussed as a direct result of his actions, choices, and decisions.
How Does Oedipus Exhibit Weakness of Character? At the start of the play, he was not aware that he had slept with his mother or that he had murdered his father.
Oedipus the King as a Piece of Classic Literature This story is nothing short of a treasure in terms of the use of literary devices, and various other techniques employed by the writer to elevate this work to the status of one of the […]
Hamlet and King Oedipus Literature Comparison This essay compares the characters and roles of both Hamlet and King Oedipus as the sons who have to deliver justice to their fathers’ killers.
Comparison Between the Book “Oedipus – The King” and the Movie “Omen” The only difference between the ‘Oedipus’ and ‘Omen’ is that of mode in which the crime is committed, or in other words, is the curse initiated.
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Comparison and Contrast of Two Plays: “Comedy of Errors” by William Shakespeare and “Oedipus the King” by Sophocles The main character Oedipus in the play “Oedipus the King”; is full of pride which he loses at the end and has to bow down to fate.
Women in Literature: Oedipus the King and The Odyssey Two major works of literature, ‘Oedipus the king’ and ‘The Odyssey’, provide some of the best examples of how the role of female characters is portrayed in different ways and how these women influence the […]
Gregor’s Relationship With His Father in “The Matamorphosis” This paper seeks to explore the father and son relationships in Metamorphosis and Oedipus the King and offers a comparison for the two.
Othello and Oedipus Rex Characters’ Traits The two characters had to overcome several obstacles in a manner that led many of their followers to respect and honor them, and their royal positions Othello can be considered to be a black member […]
The Other Character in Oedipus The King The chorus in Oedipus, the King is an additional set of characters, the Theban elders. They represent “the people” of the city, and they alternately pray, bemoan their fate, or criticize the King.
Sophocles’ Oedipus the King and Aeschylus’ Agamemnon On the other hand, Clytemnestra, a character in Agamemnon, is the daughter of a king and a Greek leader. Love is not the getting and having in times of joy, it is the giving, serving, […]
Responsibility and Punishment: “Oedipus Rex” by Sophocles Although the death of his father signifies his own downfall, nonetheless, one could argue that Oedipus acted in self-defense, in that he was attacked unexpectedly while travelling alone and out of fear of losing his […]
Exploration of Art Theater: Comparing and Contrasting “Oedipus Rex” and “Death of a Salesman” Proposals to the queen and the execution of the king are two coincidences in “Oedipus Rex”. On the other hand, as Cohen notes, “the death of Willy is a tragedy while the failure of his […]
The Three Themes of the “Oedipus the King” by Sophocles The theme of this story was to address issues that were affecting the people of Thebes during this time and even in times to come.
Pride and Arrogance in the “Oedipus the King” by Sophocles As the events unfold and Jocasta senses that Oedipus is indeed her son, she begs him to drop the matter but he decides to have none of this. This leads to the death of Jocasta […]
Oedipus the King by Sophocles Literature Analysis The closer he gets to the truth, the bitter the reality of his dreadful fate unveils. This is the mistake he made as this search made his life full of agony.
“Oresteia” by Aeschylus and “Oedipus the King” by Sophocles: Family Tragedies In this way, Agamemnon presents imperfections in the family under consideration with the tragedy of this family rooting in the wife’s unfaithfulness to her husband and the father’s sacrificing his daughter in exchange for the […]
Will and Fate in Sophocles’ “Oedipus the King” When speaking of Sophocles, he integrates the myth of Oedipus into the plot of the play in order to demonstrate a deep conflict between the will of gods and the will of human beings.
Strength of Oedipus Character One day, while Oedipus was on his way, he had a dispute with the King of Thebes and unknown to him he killed him after having the argument.
Literary Devices in “Everyman” and “Oedipus the King” Thus, the main feature of the play “Everyman” is that the main protagonist has no name and is not a specific character. The main protagonist in “Oedipus the King” is Oedipus himself, who is the […]
“Oedipus King” by Sophocles and “Hamlet” by Shakespeare The protagonist is on the verge of madness: an intelligent and unexcelled humanist in the world, which is an enemy to his ideas. However, Oedipus later comes to terms with his fate and takes responsibility […]
Sophocles. Oedipus the King. Michael W.Cox. Analysis of the Play It is open to anyone reading the play to make a personal conclusion as to the degree of pain and suffering that Jocasta went through in her life.
Oedipus the King and Ancient Greek Culture Oedipus consults the servant who was sent to abandon him as a child and it is revealed that he was the child of Laius and Jocasta.
World Literature. Oedipus the King by Sophocles The Delphic Oracle informed that this famine served as a punishment from the gods for not having reattributed the murderer of the Oedipus royal predecessor; therefore, Oedipus ironically vowed to find the murderer.”Just as if […]
“Oedipus the King” by Sophocle: The Representation of Genre Peculiarities In the tradition of classical dramaturgy of ancient Greeks, the concept of the pay and its representation was driven in terms of the natural play of actors and without decorations.
“Oedipus the King” Drama by Sophocles It vividly discloses and illustrates the talent of the ancient Greek dramatist as the master of disclosure of the themes that have been topical in the course of development of human society and literature.
People Get What Deserve. “Oedipus the King” Play Providing some actions people do not always think about the consequences, but it usually appears so that they get what they deserve and the play of the ancient Greek author Sophocles “Oedipus the King” is […]
“Oedipus the King”: Life Is Ruled by Fate Alone It is known that the plot of the drama is built around an awful tragedy in the life of the protagonist and his surrounding.
Fate in “Oedipus the King” Play by Sophocles As the story progresses, the protagonist, Oedipus, evolves from his position as the egocentric king of Thebes and rapidly disintegrates into a victim of his own fate.
The Concept of “Total Flaw” in the Tragedy of Sophocles “Oedipus the King” While both versions indicate extreme passion involved in the killing of Laius and the claiming of Jocasta, the Oedipus in the play greets his subjects with almost concealed disdain and the Oedipus of the film […]
The Fate of Oedipus, the King Oedipus, born to Laius and Jocasta, the king and queen of Thebes, is destined to “kill his father and mate with his mother”.
Characters in “Oedipus the King” by Sophocles In this essay, we are going to explore the following issues; first, whether, Oedipus can be perceived as a hero in the traditional meaning of this word, in other words, we have to answer the […]
Unconscious Knowledge in “Oedipus the King” by Sophocles There is something in the symbolism of his career, and in the words with which it is memorialized, which is evocative of drama not upon the tragic stage but in the theories and speculations of […]
Theatre in Contemporary Culture: Sophocles’ Oedipus the King The director aims at portraying Oedipus as a confident person and this is very evident in Oedipus’ opening speech in the play as it exudes the authority of a father to his people and brings […]
Rhetoric. Sophocles’ “Oedipus The King” Oedipus as a ruler is supposed to solve a problem of the disaster that fell upon his state and thus invites a blind prophet, Tiresias, expecting to clarify the causes of the plague.
Oedipus the King by Sophocles and Proof by David Auburn It is also of the utmost importance to discuss the attitude of two authors towards the very notion of the overwhelming force.
Gilgamesh and Oedipus the King In the case of Enkidu, he uses his strength to undermine all those going against his will and he is not putting in mind what the results will be to other in the society.
Inexorability of Fate in Sophocles’ Oedipus the King Soon, Oedipus also understands that the prophecy has come true and that he is the source of the curse for the kingdom.
The Most Complicated Element of Sophocles’s “Oedipus the King” for the Modern Audience Sophocles’s Oedipus the King is one of the most acclaimed plays, but because of the chorus, it may be not successful with the viewer nowadays.
Oedipus King vs. Macbeth: Drama Comparison The concept reflects the foundation of the decent authority through showing the tendencies of power both in the ancient times and in the period of Renaissance.
Oedipus the King – Characters and Performance Oedipus’s cleverness makes his candidature to surface as the best individual to inherit the throne, hence becoming the King of Thebes. He is a seer and prophesized that the end times of Oedipus is nigh.
Drama Oedipus the King by Sophocles The key aspects of Sophocles’ play capture the learners’ interest in the purpose of comedy and twist of fate. The theme of tragedy is illustrated in the play, Oedipus the King.
“Oedipus the King” by Sophocles He is aware that his background is not Thebes and is likely to face the threat of the Sphinx. Therefore, it is worth noting that Oedipus provides a good example of the ancient Greeks who […]
Treatment of Women by Shakespeare and Sophocles Othello disregards the explanation that Desdemona has in regard to the accusation of being unfaithful and kills her.’She’s, like a liar, gone to burning hell, Shakespeare 28.’ After Othello killed Desdemona, he believed more in […]
Prophecies in Oedipus the King In Oedipus the King, one of the persons, who receive prophesies that project a doomed end, is King Laius; who is the biological father to Oedipus. Oedipus then arrives back to his father’s land, Thebes […]
Tragic Error in the “Oedipus the King” by Sophocles The main character Oedipus is the King of Thebes. The reward for this work was for Oedipus to be made the King of Thebes.
Interpreting the Playwrights’ Messages in the Oresteia Trilogy, Oedipus the King, and the Bacchae In Sophocles’s Oedipus the King, the playwright chronicles the narration about the king of Thebes and his eventual fall due to the conflict between the state and the individual values.
Pride in “Oedipus the King” by Sophocles This divergence in the acceptance of what is said to them between the younger and older versions of Oedipus is based on the fact that the older version of Oedipus had developed a considerable degree […]
Similarities of the Pericles’ Speech and “Oedipus the King” On the other hand, Sophocles, in the play “Oedipus the King,” emphasizes on the value of the city in the speech of the king.
Oedipus the King and Hamlet However, the fact is both Oedipus and Claudius managed to get the post of kingship after killing the former kings leaving the seats vacant. In conclusion, both Oedipus and King Claudius attained their crown after […]
Leadership Reign in “Oedipus Tyrannus” by Sophocles In a typical way of people in modern world, Oedipus goes on to question the credibility of the Oracle. Oedipus has to pay for all his sins and face humiliation in front of the very […]
Sophocles: Fate in “Oedipus the King” From an initial reading, most readers assume that the tragedies that befall Oedipus and his family are mere actions of free will by both Oedipus, his parents and the shepherd but it is actually the […]
What Is King Oedipus’s Tragic Flaw in “Oedipus the King”?
What Did Oedipus Discover About Himself in “Oedipus the King”?
How Does the Play “Oedipus the King” Provide a Catharsis?
How Did Oedipus Prevent the Prophecy in “Oedipus the King”?
What Is the Thesis of “Oedipus the King”?
How Does Oedipus Cause His Self-Destruction in “Oedipus the King” by Sophocles?
“Oedipus the King”: Does Oedipus Satisfy the Definition of a Good Man?
Does Oedipus Sleep With His Mother in “Oedipus the King”?
What Has Oedipus Gained From His Experience in “Oedipus the King”?
What Is the Storyline of “Oedipus the King”?
Are “Oedipus the King” and “Death of a Salesman” Definitive Tragedies?
Why Does Oedipus Choose to Blind Himself in “Oedipus the King”?
Can Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman” and Sophocle’s “Oedipus the King” Be Regarded as Tragic Plays?
When Did Bad Things Happen to Good People in Sophocles’ “Oedipus the King”?
What Does “Oedipus the King” Show Us About Greek Thought?
How Is Fate Shown in “Oedipus the King”?
Why Did Oedipus Marry His Mom in “Oedipus the King”?
Are “Hamlet” and “Oedipus the King” Dramas of Conscience or Consciousness?
“Oedipus the King”: Did the Prophecy Cause His Destiny?
What Page Does Oedipus Find Out the Truth in “Oedipus the King”?
Are “Oedipus the King” and “Death of a Salesman” Tragedies?
How Does Oedipus Try to Change His Fate in “Oedipus the King”?
How Sophocles’ Tragedy “Oedipus the King” Conforms to Aristotle’s Definition of Greek Tragedy?
How Did Oedipus Discover He Killed His Father in “Oedipus the King”?
What Is “Oedipus the King” Known For?
What Causes Oedipus’s Downfall in “Oedipus the King”?
What Literary Techniques and Themes Do Sophocles and Marquez Use to Portray Dramatic Irony in “Oedipus the King” and “Chronicle of a Death”?
What Errors Does Oedipus Make in “Oedipus the King”?
Who Revealed the Truth About Oedipus’s Beginnings in “Oedipus the King”?
Why Does Oedipus Search for Truth in “Oedipus the King”?
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Theme of Blindness in Oedipus

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118 Oedipus the King Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

Inside This Article

Oedipus the King, also known as Oedipus Rex, is a famous Greek tragedy written by Sophocles. The story follows the tragic downfall of Oedipus, a man who unknowingly kills his father and marries his mother, fulfilling a prophecy that he tried to avoid. This timeless tale has been studied and analyzed for centuries, and there are countless essay topics and examples that can be explored. Here are 118 Oedipus the King essay topic ideas and examples to inspire your next literary analysis:

The role of fate in Oedipus the King
Oedipus as a tragic hero
The theme of blindness in Oedipus the King
Oedipus's search for truth and self-discovery
The use of dramatic irony in Oedipus the King
Oedipus's downfall as a result of his hubris
The symbolism of the Sphinx in Oedipus the King
The role of the chorus in Oedipus the King
Oedipus's relationships with Jocasta and Tiresias
The significance of the oracle's prophecy in Oedipus the King
Oedipus's tragic flaw and its consequences
The portrayal of women in Oedipus the King
The influence of Oedipus's parents on his fate
The theme of free will vs. fate in Oedipus the King
Oedipus's journey from ignorance to enlightenment
The role of the gods in Oedipus the King
The impact of Oedipus's actions on the people of Thebes
Oedipus's struggle with identity and self-acceptance
The symbolism of sight and blindness in Oedipus the King
Oedipus's tragic fate and its implications for the audience
The conflict between individual will and societal expectations in Oedipus the King
Oedipus's relationship with his children, Antigone and Ismene
The theme of power and authority in Oedipus the King
Oedipus's role as a leader and king in Thebes
The impact of Oedipus's actions on his family and kingdom
The significance of Oedipus's exile at the end of the play
The theme of justice and punishment in Oedipus the King
Oedipus's moral dilemmas and ethical choices
The portrayal of Oedipus's character development throughout the play
The role of prophecy and oracles in Oedipus the King
Oedipus's relationships with Creon and the other characters in the play
The symbolism of the plague in Thebes in Oedipus the King
Oedipus's struggle with authority and control
The theme of redemption and forgiveness in Oedipus the King
Oedipus's journey towards self-awareness and acceptance
The significance of Oedipus's self-inflicted punishment at the end of the play
Oedipus's role as a tragic hero and his ultimate downfall
The theme of guilt and shame in Oedipus the King
Oedipus's relationships with his parents and the impact of their actions on his fate
The symbolism of Oedipus's name and its significance in the play
Oedipus's struggle with his own identity and destiny
The theme of prophecy and predestination in Oedipus the King
Oedipus's relationships with the gods and their influence on his fate
The significance of Oedipus's journey from ignorance to knowledge
Oedipus's role as a tragic hero and the impact of his actions on those around him
The theme of pride and arrogance in Oedipus the King
Oedipus's relationships with Jocasta and Tiresias and their impact on his fate
The symbolism of Oedipus's physical blindness and its metaphorical implications
Oedipus's struggle with his own mortality and the inevitability of death
The theme of family and legacy in Oedipus the King
Oedipus's relationships with his children and the impact of his actions on their lives
The significance of Oedipus's relationship with his parents and its influence on his fate
Oedipus's role as a father and the impact of his actions on his children
The symbolism of Oedipus's journey towards self-awareness and acceptance
Oedipus's relationships with the other characters in the play and their impact on his fate
The theme of betrayal and loyalty in Oedipus the King
Oedipus's role as a leader and king in Thebes and the impact of his actions on his kingdom
Oedipus's struggle with guilt and shame and the impact of his actions on his fate
The significance of Oedipus's journey from ignorance to knowledge and self-awareness
The significance of Oedipus's relationships with the other characters in the play
The significance of Oedipus's role as a tragic hero and his ultimate downfall
Oedipus's journey from ignorance to enlightenment and self-discovery
The theme of blindness and sight in Oedipus the King
The significance of Oedipus's journey towards self-awareness and acceptance
The symbolism

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Oedipus The King

Introduction of oedipus the king.

A dramatic masterpiece, Oedipus The King by Sophocles, has also been popular with the title of Oedipus Rex or Oedipus Tyrannus. This Grecian tragedy was first performed during the Grecian around 429BC. It is stated that its initial title was just Oedipus as Aristotle, too, has referenced it in his Poetics. However, it was later changed to Oedipus Tyrannus after Oedipus at Colonus appeared. Sophocles has presented the ruler, Oedipus, as a tyrant, to demonstrate the Grecian model of the king, who if does not comply with the Grecian standards, is doomed to fail. However, his mastery lies in weaving various thematic strands in this royal story .

Summary of Oedipus The King

The story of the play starts with Oedipus, who is ruling Thebes. He sends his brother-in-law, Creon, to Delphi to seek assistance from the oracle about the plague ravaging the city. The Thebans have been gathering at the gate of the palace to make the king aware of his responsibility. Creon, however, soon returns with the riddle that there is some religious pollution in the city cleansing of which can make the city rid of this plague which is linked to the murder of the former king, Laius. Upon knowing this Oedipus vows to fulfill his duty and exact the revenge and end the plague. Before searching for the answers to end the plague, the story goes on like this: when Oedipus enters the city Thebes and saves everyone from sphinx. To that, the people request him to take over the crown and marry their queen Jocasta. The reason Oedipus left his hometown and came to Thebes because in search of answers regarding his birth parents and the ill prophecy associated with this leading to the abandonment of him while he was still an infant.

While looking for the truth about the person associated with King Laius’s murder, soon Oedipus faces Tiresias, the blind prophet to whom he has called for assistance to find out the murderer. When Tiresias sees Oedipus, he refuses to answer his questions and advises him to break his vow about his responsibility. Cocksure about his sincerity and loyalty to the city and the public, Oedipus fumes and berates Tiresias for his being cruel and senseless and further goes on to insult that he was talentless too. However, when the situation spirals out of control, Tiresias still refuses to respond to his fury and finally breaks his silence saying Oedipus is the filth that the city needs to cleanse, which means that Oedipus has killed King Laius. Seeing himself coming clean of this accusation, Oedipus accuses Tiresias of plotting with Creon to orchestrate his overthrow.

However, the arguments become too hot to be cooled down by Jocasta, who immediately appears on the scene and advises patience to Oedipus. Yet, Oedipus makes fun of the blindness of the soothsayer, saying he is a fake prophet at which he alleges that Oedipus is blind rather than he. Tiresias, however, does not leave Oedipus until he has disclosed everything about him that he is the native of Thebes, the murderer of his father, and the husband of his mother and brother to her children.

As soon as Creon approaches the king, Oedipus alleges his treachery and demands his removal from the scene at which the chorus appears to advise him restraint. Jocasta, the wife of Oedipus and also the wife of the previous King Laius, also intervenes to save Creon, alleging that the prophets do not predict things accurately. She relates the story of her former husband, King Laius, and states that the robbers rather than his son killed him on the crossroads when coming from Delphi.

When Oedipus hears about this murder at the crossroads, he senses something suspicious and asks Jocasta about the surviving servant who is immediately called to verify the claim . Jocasta becomes much more flabbergasted at this haste of Oedipus to find the truth after he relates his own story of hearing somebody calling him not the son of his father King Polybus and Queen Merope, at which he leaves for Delphi to know the truth and kills an old man on the way. He, then, tells her that the person was similar to what Jocasta tells him, though, the discrepancy lies in the one or several robbers which only the witness could verify.

Meanwhile, a messenger arrives from Corinth with the news about the demise of his father and the revelation that he has not been his real son. However, he also discloses that he got him from another shepherd on Mount Cithaeron at which Oedipus falls upon the bait of seeking that shepherd to know his reality. The shepherd’s man was one of the workers of King Laius who received the baby Oedipus from Jocasta since he’d bring threat to the life of his father and bears children with his own mother. Disgusted with this prophecy Jocasta wanted the child killed. But the shepherd felt that if the baby grew in a different city wouldn’t bring any threat to his parent’s hands over the baby to the messenger. Sensing the issue complicating further, Jocasta tries to put a stop on that but Oedipus does not stop and moves. When that shepherd arrives, Oedipus falls upon him with his questions and threatens him with life if he does not disclose the reality at which he tells him the secret of that child.

When Jocasta flees from the scene and hangs herself, Oedipus, seeing reality staring in his face. He curses himself and his fate and then blinds himself with the pins on her dress, while the chorus finds itself at crossroads, expressing the only lamentation at his fall. After this tragic incident, Oedipus begs his brother-in-law to exile him and hands over the responsibility of his two daughters on him to Creon. The chorus then laments and states that nobody should be considered lucky or happy unless he is dead. The story ends with a moral that no matter how happy and successful one could look in one’s life, they will always be played by fate. At the beginning of the story, everyone wants to be like Oedipus and he is the man of everyone’s dreams but eventually, no one would even dare to trade places with him in spite of how successful he is.

Major Themes in Oedipus The King

Free Will: Free will is the major theme of the play and dominates when Oedipus claims to have the knowledge of solving riddles and vows to end the plague. Several avenues available to Oedipus in the early part of the play demonstrate that he might have covered or kept in secret or avoided what he has invited through his free will, though, he has tried his best to avoid everything; first, he flees Cornith so that he could avoid it yet some of his actions bring him to the point where he is trapped in the web of fate instead of being independent in exercising his free will.
Fate: Fate is the second significant theme of the play too. It appears in the course of the play as if Oedipus is fated to do so. However, in certain respects, it seems that Oedipus has excessive pride of his knowledge. For example, the pride displays his rashness which invites his fate to deal a heavy blow to him. He could have avoided it but then he recalls and says that Appollo has told him once that it is his fate and is pre-ordained that he would commit these acts.
Self-Discovery: Self-discovery or learning about ourselves is another major theme of the play. Oedipus takes up this path to know himself better but is caught in the web of fate. He boasts that only he has solved the riddle of the Sphinx and that he has responded to its question. However, when he comes to know his real self, he feels cursed and let down by the gods.
Pride: Despite demonstrating humility before the Thebans, Oedipus becomes boastful thus showing excessive pride. When he comes across the Sphinx, he proclaims that nobody was able to resolve that riddle. He, on the source of his past, boasts that he would again rise up to the expectations of the people but falls into disgrace despite the fact that what happened was none of his mistakes.
Ignorance/Blindness: The play shows the theme of blindness and ignorance in a metaphorical sense. Tiresias is blind whom Oedipus mocks but when he alleges that Oedipus is blind, it indicates metaphorical blindness in that he does not know what he has committed, though, Tiresias, the blind seer, knows it despite being a blind one.
Guilt and Shame: The theme of guilt and shame is tied to the character of Oedipus as he does not think that he is guilty of any wrongdoing, the reason that he is quite boastful. However, when he comes to know that he has committed the guilt, he feels ashamed at himself. That is why he blinds himself at the end.
Search for Truth: In a metaphorical sense, the theme of the search for truth is also tied with Oedipus, for the Sphinx riddle is about a human being, while the truth that Oedipus discovers is that a man cannot escape fate.
Hubris : Hubris or defiance to god is another thematic strand tied with Oedipus and his acts. As both husband and wife, who is also his mother, become sanctimonious and berate gods, it becomes their hubris which cost both of them their honor, their positions, and their worldly wealth.
Power : Oedipus demonstrates the theme of power as he can accuse his brother-in-law, can speak against the gods, and can coerce anyone to speak the truth. This power costs him his own position when it comes to his end.
Justice : The theme of justice is apparent when Oedipus becomes obsessed with the idea that Creon is plotting against him with Tiresias and he accuses both of them of this. However, Creon alleges that perfect justice is that obsessed people like Oedipus become tough against themselves and not against others.

Major Characters in Oedipus Rex

Oedipus: Oedipus, the King of Thebes, is the major character of the play. He leaves his hometown for the fear of the fulfillment of the prophecy that he will kill his father and marry his mother. Unfortunately, his efforts to avoid the prophecy prove futile and he meets his woeful fate predicted by the gods. When the play begins, Oedipus has already married Jocasta and is proud and confident. He addresses his people gently and promises to provide justice. He is unaware at the start that he is the root cause of all the problems; he does not know that he has murdered his biological father and has shared his mother’s bed. As the story develops and mysteries reveal, he discovers that he has brought ruination to his family and the people, too. Thus, unable to see the damage he has caused, he blinds himself and departs, leaving his daughters in Creon’s custody.
Jocasta: Jocasta is another major character of the play. She is Oedipus’ mother and also his wife. Thus, she is Queen of Thebes. First, she was the wife of King Laius, whom Oedipus murdered. Oedipus was not aware of his lineage at that point. As a mother, she is a cruel lady as she leaves her son to die helplessly to escape the binding prophecy. However, as a wife, she acts as an advisor and faithful companion as she cautions Oedipus. She asks him not to pay attention to the prophecies and pretends to be skeptical of the prophets. However, when all her tactics fail, and Oedipus reaches the truth of his identity, she fails to digest the harsh reality and commits suicide at the end of the play.
Creon: Creon is another important character in the play. He is Oedipus’s brother-in-law and an influential man of Thebes. Oedipus sends him to Delphi to find a solution to the problem his state is facing. He takes his responsibility and follows the command, however, when he returns with a solution, instead of believing, Oedipus curses him for plotting against him in collaboration with the blind prophet, Teiresias. Creon does not react negatively to the false accusation, but he does not accept Oedipus’s words either. Once the truth about Oedipus’s identity appears, he shows kindness and offers him to stay in the palace, but Oedipus rejects the offer and leaves.
Teiresias: Teiresias is the blind prophet who interprets the prophecies. He curses Oedipus for causing trouble to Thebes. He also intentionally tells Oedipus about his past revealing that Oedipus had killed his father and married his mother. Thus telling him the main reason for the plague in the city. Instead of believing Teiresias’ words, Oedipus takes it as an insult and accuses him, too. However, he does not take his words back and remains honest.
Corinthian Messenger: There are two messengers spotted in the play. The first arrives from Corinth with two surprising news that ultimately connects Oedipus with his quest . He tells him about the death of his father, Polybus, and the news that the state is waiting for him to take the throne. This news brings solace to him because it seems that the first part of the prophecy has proved wrong, yet he feels the danger that the second part that predicts his marriage with his biological mother may prove true. The messenger also tells him that he should not worry about this either as he is not Polybus or Merope’s real son.
Shepherd: The shepherd is called in front of the king and the queen to verify the news the Corinthian messenger brings to them. First, he hesitates to answer, but after facing Oedipus’s wrath, he tells him that Oedipus is the man abandoned by his parents in childhood. Also, he verifies the death scene of King Laius. Thus, his verification makes the story clear to everyone.
Second Messenger: The second messenger appears for a short time. He only announces the death of the queen, Jocasta. The guilt-ridden queen could not face the tragic turn of life and hangs herself in the castle.
Antigone and Ismene: Ismene and Antigone are the unfortunate daughters of Oedipus. They appear at the end of the play as Oedipus leaves them in the custody of Creon. Also, he laments that his daughters will not be able to find suitable companions due to their father’s crime.
Priest: The priest appears in the prologue and asks Oedipus that as a king, he is responsible for the good and bad of his people. Being a ruler, it is Oedipus’s responsibility to find a solution to this plague, He asks him to find the person whose immorality has brought this disaster to the people.

Writing Style of Oedipus Rex ‎

The writing style of the play, Oedipus Rex, follows strict structure and form that not only communicates the story to the audience but also makes the existing Grecian ethical framework clear to the readers. The dramatic structure, somber tone , tragic flaws of the characters successfully play with the emotions of pity and fear of the audiences. Although the diction used in the dialogues is quite simple, it is seductive as it plays with the readers’ emotions, making them see the events shown through the use of the device of foreshadowing . The use of strophe, antistrophe , and chorus has, somewhat, made the tone quite less cumbersome at times when it seems to become too tragic for the readers.

Analysis of Literary Devices in Oedipus Rex

Action: The main action in the play occurs when Oedipus reaches Thebes after killing his father at the crossroads and solves the riddle posed by the Sphinx. The rising action occurs at the beginning of the play when Oedipus asserts that only he can solve the problem of the plague. It reaches its climax when he starts unraveling his own birth and starts following down when he finds out his reality after the shepherd identifies him as the child he threw on the mountain.
Anagnorisis : It refers to the moment in a story or plot when the lead character identifies his or other characters’ true identity in the below example, I felt so sorry for him, master, and thought he would take the child away to his own land. But instead, he saved him for an awful fate. For if you are who he says you are, you were doomed from birth. (1179-1181)
Apostrophe : Apostrophe is used to call something from far. Sophocles has used this device at various places in this play. For example, O lord Apollo, let it be your favored blessing on us 80 that shines from his eyes. (81-81) ii. O Zeus, what are your plans for me? (738) iii. O mortal generations, lives passing so quickly and equaling nothing. (1186-1189) In the above examples, two are used by Oedipus and third by Chorus show that they are calling who are not present or do not need to be present.
Characters: The play features static as well as dynamic characters. Oedipus is a dynamic character , as he undergoes various changes and endures various pains. At the same time, Creon is presented as a static character in that he does not show any change in his thinking and behavior, including Jocasta, the Second Messenger, and the Chorus.
Climax : The climax in the novel arrives when Oedipus comes to know that he is the son of the late King Laius and Jocasta, who is now his wife. He realizes that his whole life has passed in vain as he tried to run away from his fate but could not succeed.
Conflict : Two major conflicts run parallel in the text. The first one is Oedipus versus himself, as the text revolves around his mysterious identity. The second is Oedipus versus fate as he tries his best to avoid the disastrous future but fails.
Dialogue : The play shows the use of dialogue as shown in the example below, Chorus If he knows what fear is, that man, he will not linger, after your curses. Oedipus If he did not fear murder, he will not fear curses. (294-296) This conversation takes place between Oedipus and the Chorus.
Dramatic Irony : Dramatic Irony is when the audience is aware of the situation, but the characters are unable to comprehend until they reach the climax. Whatever may come, let it burst forth! Even if I spring from lowly stock, I must know. (105-1076) Here the dramatic irony is that he wants to know even if he is from a lowly race or tribe, but the audience has already become aware of his lineage.
Foreshadowing : There are several instances of foreshadowing in the play as given in the below examples, i. My children, new stock of old Cadmus, why are you seated here before me crowned by suppliants’ wreaths, and the air of the city dense with incense, groans, paeans, and prayers? (1-5) ii. Pitiful children, you come to me wanting answers I cannot always give. (58-59) iii. Where can they be? Where can we find the traces of this ancient crime? (108-109) iv. Alas, our troubles are endless. All the people are sick— no one knows how we can defend ourselves. (168-169) All the given examples of foreshadows point out that something sinister has happened and its consequences are going to be equally evil. While Oedipus speaks the first three, the fourth has been spoken by the Chorus.
Imagery : Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. For example, Our richest fields are sterile now. Our women labor in stillbirth. Wherever you look, like winged birds or forest fire, crowds flee toward the darkening west, to Hades’ land. (172-178) ii. O Teiresias, you who know and teach 300 Olympian secrets and mysteries here on the earth! Though sightless, you perceive everything. You know what sickness gnaws at the city. Like a soldier in the front row of the phalanx who takes the first onslaught, you alone can save us. (300-305) iii. Every cave and shelter in Cithaeron will echo 420 with your cries, when you realize the full meaning of the marriage you thought would be your safe harbor. (420-424) The above examples of imagery show the use of images that appeal to the senses of touch, the sense of sight, the sense of sound as well as the sense of smell.
In Medias Res : This happens as the story starts from the middle when most of the events have already taken place and Oedipus cannot escape from fate now.
Hamartia : Oedipus is the best example of hamartia as he intends to find the murderer of Laius to regain the prosperity of his city, but ultimately turns the table on him after exposing his unintentional wrongdoings and impending exile.
Mood : The play, Oedipus Rex, shows a serious mood of horror and grief in the beginning that turns into bantering when Oedipus comes face to face with Tiresias but ultimately becomes somber, ironic, and highly lugubrious at the end.
Peripeteia : Peripeteia or reversal in fortune occurs in the play when the Corinthian messenger arrives with the purpose to gladden Oedipus but leaves him in utter horror after the unraveling of his sins.
Plot : The plot of the play involves the story of Oedipus but it has been taken in medias res in that when the play opens, most of the events such as the murder of Laius and marrying Oedipus with Jocasta have already taken place.
Rhetorical Question : The play shows several instances of rhetorical questions. For example, But too much time has passed, and now I wonder, what is he doing?— (73-74) ii. Is that the sweet-sounding voice of Zeus from the gold-decked Pythian shrine come to glorious Thebes? (151-154) iii. who can see nothing but his own gain, being blind in his supposed art? Give me an example of your vision. 390 How is it that when the dog-haunched singer squatted here you said nothing to save the city and its people? (388-392) The above excerpts are perfect examples of rhetorical questions posed by Oedipus and the Chorus. They are not intended to elicit answers but to stress upon the point.
Setting : The entire action of the play takes place in the ancient city of Thebes yet some of its events seem as if they have taken place in Delphi, a place located at some distance from Thebes and some at Corinth, another Grecian city.
Simile : The play shows various similes as given in the examples below, i. Bloody plague crashes over our heads like a tide of death. (23-24) ii. Banishment or death for death—blood unavenged menaces the city like a storm. (100-101) iii. Wherever you look, like winged birds or forest fire, crowds flee toward the darkening west, to Hades’ land. (176-179) iv. And you, shining wolf-god Apollo, let the adamantine shafts, our defenders, fly from your plaited golden bowstring like Artemis’ fiery torches when she hunts on the Lycian hills. (203-207) v. Like a soldier in the front row of the phalanx who takes the first onslaught, you alone can save us. (304-305) The first example shows a comparison of plague with the tide of death, the second of the death with a storm, the third of birds with the people, the fourth shows Apollo with Artemis, and the last Oedipus with a soldier.
Symbolism : Oedipus The King shows the symbols of the swollen foot , oracle, the crossroads, eyes, blindness, and prophecy.
Theme : The play, Oedipus The King, not only shows the theme of an inescapable fate, but also various other themes such as self-discovery, mystery , the quest for truth, and pride hath a fall.
Tone : The play demonstrates a serious and grave tone throughout the text which at times becomes too tragic to bear.
Tragedy : The play shows the tragedy of Oedipus as this story has been used as a canonical model in the literature to show elements of tragedies.

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How does the play Oedipus the King provide a catharsis?

In dramatic terms a catharsis essentially refers to self-actualization based upon a sudden realization of previous escaped insight and knowledge. In most instances, a catharsis comes after a character has refused to accept this self-actualization and realization. In a way, a catharsis provides the “great change” that makes the ending worth waiting for. In Oedipus the King, the ending of the play is incredibly memorable because it provides one of the most stunning cathartic experiences for both the characters in the play as well as the audience.

In the play, Oedipus is a self-aggrandizing figure that is figuratively blind to his own faults as well as being shockingly stubborn is regards to accepting what his destiny is. This is where the first symbolism of blindness rears its head. Oedipus is blind to his destiny and moves forward thinking he can escape it. While he may seek to avoid reality there comes a time when reality is not longer avoidable and it brings a brutal catharsis to the character as well as teaching a morality lesson to the audience.

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When Oedipus discovers he has murdered his father and slept with his mother he becomes aware of his prior blindness to accepting his destiny. But, the cathartic moment comes when Oedipus gouges out his own eyes. The symbolism here is impossible to miss: in order to truly see Oedipus must become blind. The reason for this is now he can only look inward and must accept what he sees. So, in that regard the catharsis that he now has a new perspective and understanding of his plight through his self inflicted blindness.

The morality lesson (catharsis) this invariably provides the audience is that a destiny can never be escaped when one is blind to reality. As such, the action of blind clearly displays catharsis in the clearest manner. What type of comedy is A Midsummer Night’s Dream? What makes it that type of comedy? Shakespeare had written several comedies during his playwriting years but one of the most endearing would be A Midsummer Night’s Dream mainly because it was a departure from the types of comedies he had previously written.

To a great extent, the type of comedy employed in A Midsummer’s Night Dream could be considered “dark comedy. ” That is to say, the humor derived from the play is drawn from what would normally not considered humorous and, instead, draws its “laughs” from material that is generally considered more foreboding and serious than whimsical. Now, there will be those who insist that this play should fall into the category of a romantic comedy.

While it is true that romance is at the center of the play and it does draw elements from traditional romantic comedies, but there is much weirdness present in the play that creates a backdrop of dark humor. In a way, this overrides some of the humorous romantic elements. Because of the inherent weirdness of the mystical elements in the play it can be said that much of the backdrop to the play follow an almost horror film style approach. That is to say, there are a number of mythical creatures that provide a unique backdrop that creates the whimsy that the humor in the play derives.

This has led to many critical interpretations of the play as taking place in an environment of sheer madness and such imagery tips the scales of the play into the realm of dark humor. Clearly, when the specter of insanity is raised as a definition of the environment in which the play takes places it becomes difficult to refer to the play as anything less than a dark comedy despite the apparent lighthearted nature that most of the humor emotes on a surface level.

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