Tiresias is extremely explicit in revealing the guilt of Oedipus. He specifically declares him he murderer and then goes on to say that the murderer had killed his father and coupled his mother. However, Oedipus denied all of that, even though he knew that prophecy. It was why he left Corinth after all, thinking that that was his birth home. I believe that it is Oedipus's own ignorance that makes it hard for him to see the truth and admit to it. Oedipus is also very selfish and thinks of himself above others.
I partially agree with the interpretation that hay may be blameless for his actions. However, he killed several men and his father, unknowingly, simply because he was angered because they were going to push him off of the road. Why would one kill all those men just because of that? That is senseless and ignorant.
Jocasta is genuine queen figure. She is also a character with genuine traits though. She respects her husband and her brother. At the same time she leads her people. In a sense she is the ideal female role model. For example, in line 773 she attempts to settle the quarrel between Creon and Oedipus. This is something a queen would do. On the other hand, she is her own person with genuine traits in that she believes that the prophecies of the gods are wrong because she had to "kill" her child, and because she committed suicide in shock of the news that she coupled and had children with the murderer of her husband, her son.
Dramatic Irony is when the audience knows something that the character does not. We know that Oedipus is the murderer and his prophecy has come true. We know everything, but he doesn't. It's seems to be a play of reaction. How the character(s) react to the knowledge that we already know. Even with all the hints and clues that make them look really really slow...
It is an advantage for the play because all the characters have to do is go offstage and change masks or something. It does leave us to imagine what really happened. It leaves us to whether we believe the words of the messenger that is in shock as they are, or suspect that something else happened. For all we know, Oedipus in rage could have attacked Jocasta who could have retaliated by stabbing him wit the first weapon that she could grab, her brooches.
Oedipus says that be blinds himself because he says he wouldn't be able to look into his mother and father's eyes when he died. He had done them to wrong to face the guilt. He can't look at his children who are also his siblings. Also he cannot look upon the city of Thebes because it is the sacred glittering image of the gods. Mainly because of his guilt though. He uses Jocasta's brooch because it represents her. His mother metaphorically blinds him.
Oedipus really brought the things on to himself. If he hadn't gotten angry and killed his father and all those men like an idiot he wouldn't have married his mother after saving Thebes from the Sphinx that apparently only harmed if u answered it's questions wrong. I would make a zoo around it and let it have fun. Throw some steak in, a ball, and let it have fun. Why bother it if it's gonna kill you if you get it's question wrong. Then it goes and kills itself when it's question is answered. I bet it was real depressed that it was out smarted. So sure Oedipus did have a sad fate, but his faults led to his demise. Along with the stupidity of everyone else in his world.
The gods really must have been bored if they gave him a fate like that. Why destine a child who has no faults of his own, to commit such atrocious acts? Then the gods even commanded to kill the murderer of the king, which they knew was Oedipus of course. How could they not? They are the gods. Apollo must have especially been bored or enraged by something if he went through all the trouble for that. It would have been even more sad if the whole cause of this was the people at Delphi telling everyone about the "word of god." Also since the prophecies did come true, it makes the gods look all powerful. One must never try to outsmart them and stuff like that or they will get served. The people all revere the gods and their power. Jocasta and Oedipus don't like their prophecies much though.
The play does seem to end in total gloom. It's all depressing and sad. The only bright thing, though not necessarily good, is that Creon is in power now. Besides the everything is downhill.
One thing or theme statement that would actively describe this text is that Ignorance breeds blindness. These are my views of Oedipus Rex.
I partially agree with the interpretation that hay may be blameless for his actions. However, he killed several men and his father, unknowingly, simply because he was angered because they were going to push him off of the road. Why would one kill all those men just because of that? That is senseless and ignorant.
Jocasta is genuine queen figure. She is also a character with genuine traits though. She respects her husband and her brother. At the same time she leads her people. In a sense she is the ideal female role model. For example, in line 773 she attempts to settle the quarrel between Creon and Oedipus. This is something a queen would do. On the other hand, she is her own person with genuine traits in that she believes that the prophecies of the gods are wrong because she had to "kill" her child, and because she committed suicide in shock of the news that she coupled and had children with the murderer of her husband, her son.
Dramatic Irony is when the audience knows something that the character does not. We know that Oedipus is the murderer and his prophecy has come true. We know everything, but he doesn't. It's seems to be a play of reaction. How the character(s) react to the knowledge that we already know. Even with all the hints and clues that make them look really really slow...
It is an advantage for the play because all the characters have to do is go offstage and change masks or something. It does leave us to imagine what really happened. It leaves us to whether we believe the words of the messenger that is in shock as they are, or suspect that something else happened. For all we know, Oedipus in rage could have attacked Jocasta who could have retaliated by stabbing him wit the first weapon that she could grab, her brooches.
Oedipus says that be blinds himself because he says he wouldn't be able to look into his mother and father's eyes when he died. He had done them to wrong to face the guilt. He can't look at his children who are also his siblings. Also he cannot look upon the city of Thebes because it is the sacred glittering image of the gods. Mainly because of his guilt though. He uses Jocasta's brooch because it represents her. His mother metaphorically blinds him.
Oedipus really brought the things on to himself. If he hadn't gotten angry and killed his father and all those men like an idiot he wouldn't have married his mother after saving Thebes from the Sphinx that apparently only harmed if u answered it's questions wrong. I would make a zoo around it and let it have fun. Throw some steak in, a ball, and let it have fun. Why bother it if it's gonna kill you if you get it's question wrong. Then it goes and kills itself when it's question is answered. I bet it was real depressed that it was out smarted. So sure Oedipus did have a sad fate, but his faults led to his demise. Along with the stupidity of everyone else in his world.
The gods really must have been bored if they gave him a fate like that. Why destine a child who has no faults of his own, to commit such atrocious acts? Then the gods even commanded to kill the murderer of the king, which they knew was Oedipus of course. How could they not? They are the gods. Apollo must have especially been bored or enraged by something if he went through all the trouble for that. It would have been even more sad if the whole cause of this was the people at Delphi telling everyone about the "word of god." Also since the prophecies did come true, it makes the gods look all powerful. One must never try to outsmart them and stuff like that or they will get served. The people all revere the gods and their power. Jocasta and Oedipus don't like their prophecies much though.
The play does seem to end in total gloom. It's all depressing and sad. The only bright thing, though not necessarily good, is that Creon is in power now. Besides the everything is downhill.
One thing or theme statement that would actively describe this text is that Ignorance breeds blindness. These are my views of Oedipus Rex.
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