He called this a tragic hero. Based on evidence, Athenians valued bravery, confidence and heroic strength in their leaders. For example, the entire reason Oedipus from Oedipus Rex by Sophocles became king of Thebes is because he defeated the Sphinx that was guarding the city, saving the citizens info from the backstory.
Sophocles, in the year BC, wrote Oedipus the King displaying multiple controversial topics, like the incestual basis of the play and the theme of fate versus free will. Portrayed in many different plays and tragedies, fate vs. In this play, Oedipus is given a horrendous oracle saying that he will marry his mother and kill his father. He displays his downfall through.
It is the responsibility of man to take ownership of his destiny which separates the human condition for that of other earthly beasts. Although by the opening act of the play, Oedipus has earned the throne of Thebes for solving the riddle of the Sphinx, the eponymous character is unaware that he has already fulfilled his prophecy. Meanwhile, the people of Thebes are dying of a plague that will only end when the unknown murderer of Laius, the previous Theban King, is punished.
This is a turning point for Jocasta, not only has her speech become reduced to short clauses, she has also come to the conclusion that Oedipus has inflicted his physical and mental trauma on himself by his choices. Fate was the will of the gods — an unopposable reality ritually revealed by the oracle at Delphi, who spoke for Apollo himself in mysterious pronouncements.
The promise of prophecy drew many, but these messages usually offered the questioner incomplete, maddenly evasive answers that both illuminated and darkened life's path.
One famous revelation at Delphi offered a general the tantalizing prophesy that a great victory would be won if he advanced on his enemy. The oracle, however, did not specify to whom the victory would go. By the fifth century, B. Philosophers such as Socrates opened rational debate on the nature of moral choices and the role of the gods in human affairs. Slowly, the belief in a human being's ability to reason and to choose gained greater acceptance in a culture long devoted to the rituals of augury and prophecy.
Socrates helped to create the Golden Age with his philosophical questioning, but Athens still insisted on the proprieties of tradition surrounding the gods and Fate, and the city condemned the philosopher to death for impiety. Judging from his plays, Sophocles took a conservative view on augury and prophecy; the oracles in the Oedipus Trilogy speak truly — although obliquely — as an unassailable authority. Indeed, this voice of the gods — the expression of their divine will — represents a powerful, unseen force throughout the Oedipus Trilogy.
Yet this power of Fate raises a question about the drama itself. If everything is determined beforehand, and no human effort can change the course of life, then what point is there in watching — or writing — a tragedy?
According to Aristotle, theater offers its audience the experience of pity and terror produced by the story of the hero brought low by a power greater than himself.
In consequence, this catharsis — a purging of high emotion — brings the spectator closer to a sympathetic understanding of life in all its complexity. As the chorus at the conclusion of Antigone attests, the blows of Fate can gain us wisdom. In Greek tragedy, the concept of character — the portrayal of those assailed by the blows of Fate — differs specifically from modern expectations.
Pages Home. Mitchell 1 W. Powered by Blogger. Literary Articles. Create your Fan Badge. As it is shown that the characters of the Greek tragedies are free but their freedom is tied with destiny. It controls the characters, Jocasta, Laius and Oedipus, and pre-determines the major events in their lives.
But in carrying out the plot Sophocles has shown that the characters are not altogether puppets in the hands of fate. As they are presented on the stage, they are free agents, freely choosing various actions. Long before the birth of Oedipus, it was announced from the Delphi that he would kill his father and marry his mother. All human beings through their kindness,intellect,inquiry and all other activities acted only to fulfill this prophecy.
Here every character tries o trick the fate but ultimately realizes that the fate can not be tricked. As we have seen pity, cruelty, foresight and bravery have all been employed in trying to circumvent fate and have actually themselves woven into the web of fate.
The fate controls the character,Jocasta. In the play, it is the element of fate that leads ultimately to the tragic downfall of the characters. In the play, Tiresias represents the symbol of fate. Oedipus is furious that someone confronts him. Then, the king is even angrier and accuses Tiresias of taking part in the murder.
The double identity of Oedipus as both son and murder of Laius is revealed through this episode. In the play, Tiresias represents a force, the truth rejected by a proud king.
The blind prophet is almost the personification of fate. She wants to comfort Oedipus, explaining to him that no one can predict the future:. You will find no man whose craft gives knowledge of the unknowable. Here is my proof: an oracle was reported to Laius once I will not say from Phoibos, himself, but from his appointed ministers, at any rate that is doom would be death at the hand of his own son-his son, born of his flesh and of mine!
Now remember the story: Laius was killed by marauding strangers where three highways meet Sophocles Jocasta in contrast to Oedipus, rejects the power of prophecy citing as proof her own experience with the oracle that predicted that her son would kill her husband. Jocasta attempts to reassure Oedipus that he has nothing to fear from oracles. May you never learn who you are! Listening to her, he could have maybe avoided knowing the truth.
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