Oedipus Essays

Over the last few weeks we have been studying the two scripts, Valerie and Oedipus. We used some of the explorative strategies to help us understand and develop the plays. Oedipus is a Greek play. In Greece they perform plays in an Amphitheatre which has a lot of people that’s …

Theme of blindness recurred time and again in Oedipus Rex by Sophocles. It depicts two types of blindness i.e. physical and intellectual. One is related to physical sight whereas the other, the most pernicious type of blindness, pertains to insight. This theme is incarnated through the characters of Oedipus and …

The identification of Oedipus’ hamartia differs from reader to reader and from critic to critic. Some critics are of the view that excessive arrogance and self-confidence of Oedipus is the main cause of his tragedy. He harbors unjustified suspicions against Tiresias and Creon; in one place he goes so far …

            “Oedipus the King” and “Death of Salesman” both are tragedies. For a play to be considered as a tragedy it has to meet the principles determined by Aristotle, a Greek Philosopher, or those of Arthur Miller who is playwright of twentieth century. According to Aristotle a tragedy is a …

            “But perhaps “Oedipus” is that, all by itself. And the spendthrift transience of theatrical art makes it the more precious.” – Christopher Rawson, Post-Gazette.com             This quote from a review of the play Oedipus is merely true. From almost 24 centuries, Sophocles remained a living dead playwright of this …

Sophocles’ Oedipus is an impeccable personification of Aristotle’s concept of a tragic hero. Per Aristotle’s idea of a tragic hero, Oedipus possessed the qualities of a tragic hero while the story reflected the rubrics that the tragic hero need to undergo. Below is a review of Aristotle’s criteria of a …

            The great works of Sophocles and Rita Dove shared common story of love, fate and tragic ending. The Darker Face of the Earth is a poetic version of the Oedipus and some characters resemble in many aspects framed in a more realistic sound of modern slavery. Augustus is a …

            A catharsis is a Greek word for a purification of emotions.  Aristotle was the one who stated that a good tragedy would contain a catharsis and he used the Oedipus Trilogies by Sophocles as the perfect example.  Oedipus the King is a tragic story of how a king is …

Who is one of the most famous tragic heroes in the world of literature? It can be none other than the main character in Oedipus Rex: Oedipus the King. This is an inspired play written by Sophocles. In the duration of the play, a prophet has told that Oedipus is …

                  As human beings one predictably looks for a palliative when hurt or struck by a tragedy. While pain and hurt is instant, and seeks immediate relief, tragedy is different as its effect is slow, brutal and long lasting.     A person seeking relief from a tragedy would invariably look …