Essays on Oedipus Rex

The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision. – Helen Keller Throughout Sophocles’ Oedipus the King the metaphors of sight and blindness are exercised frequently. It is understood that the references to eyesight correspond to wisdom, knowledge, and truth while, comparably, the indication of blindness is a suggestion of futility….

There are many great examples of tragic heroes throughout the wide world of literature but one of the greatest examples would be Okonkwo, the protagonist of Chinua Achebe’s classic novel, Things Fall Apart. A tragic hero would best be defined as a literary character that makes a mistake in judgment or has a fatal flaw…

In Othello, the Moor of Venice by Shakespeare, A Doll House by Henrik Ibsen, Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, and The Glass Managerie by Tennessee Williams involve relationships and the development of the characters through conflicts in their relationships. For Othello it was Iago’s deception and Othello’s jealousy, and for Nora and Torvald in A Doll…

People are sometimes “blinded” from reality. Even though the answer to the question may seem very apparent, it isn’t to them. “Blindness” has multiple meanings and is seen in the play “Oedipus the King” in a couple ways. When the truth is presented to Oedipus, he realizes that he was blinded to the truth for…

The role of the king in the time of Greek tragedies was simultaneouslydesired and dreaded because of the king’s responsibility to the people andbecause of the effects of the position on the king’s character. Creon revealssuch ambivalent thoughts towards the kingship in his speech defending himselffrom Oedipus’s conspiracy accusation in Oedipus the King; these ambivalentthoughts…

In Sophocles’ play Oedipus Rex, first performed sometime in the 430s B. C. E, the scene opens in front of the palace of Oedipus, King of Thebes. As Oedipus enters, he finds many children and priests praying to the gods. Oedipus questions the oldest of the priests as to why they are praying. The priest…

Is deception justified? This question is a topic that many people have different views on. In my opinion, it is necessary to lie to other people. I also think that it is important to be an honest individual, but there are certain circumstances when lying is justified. Lying can often times save a lot of…

“Linda is in Action, she’s not just sitting around” (Arthur Miller). Consider how one character other than Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman and one character (including the chorus) other than Oedipus in King Oedipus contribute to the ‘action’ of each of these plays. Before looking at any individual characters or even plays, one…

What you don’t know won’t hurt you. This widely popular piece of advice directly applies to Oedipus. Unfortunately for Oedipus, he is incapable of following such advice. The story begins with the murder of Laius already in the past. As Oedipus learns of Laius’s death, he pursues knowledge of the tragedy and tries to expose…

In the third passage, from Oedipus the King, Sophocles reveals the importance of self-knowledge to rid of the illusions that fate can be escaped. Tiresias provides insight and truth to an ignorant and proud Oedipus. Oedipus holds the misconception that his worldly knowledge and power over Thebes provides him with enough insight to realize that…