Analysis of the Structure of Oedipus the King
The plot and structure of the play, Oedipus the King, applies several themes of a drama. Sophocles embodies tension, plot twist, personification, conflict, antagonism, fate, and character reversal in the play to grab the attention of the viewers and listeners. The revelation from the oracle, coupled with the change of Oedipus from a protagonist to antagonist manifests how drama works. The outbreak of plague in Thebes after Oedipus kills his biological father and marrying the mother creates tension in the kingdom and forces the concerned to take drastic measures. Besides, gouging his eyes creates tension in his subjects and the audience. Therefore, the play, Oedipus the King, is a reflection of what drama should apply.
According to Alexander MacKendrick, tension is a crucial element in drama, and this has been used severally in Oedipus the King play by Sophocles. First, tension builds up between Laius and Jocasta, the biological father and mother of Oedipus after the fate of the Oedipus is revealed to them. According to the oracle, Oedipus was destined to kill his Laius and marry Jocasta, which apparently made the two tense. Therefore, in order to avoid falling victim to these happenings, the parents were advised to kill the child or break its legs, which further raised their tension. Due to pity, after his birth, Oedipus was abandoned by his parents (Finglass, 2018). The bold step to abandon Oedipus builds tension among the audience, which is an element of drama. However, the tension subsidizes when the child is taken to the King Polypus of Corinth. Therefore, the birth and abandonment of Oedipus create tension which is a crucial element in drama.
During his upbringing, Oedipus learns about the revelation of the oracle and becomes tense. Besides, a drunk man informs him that King Polypus and his wife, Merope, are not his biological parents. The two revelations create tension to the audience. On the other hand, Oedipus is left tense and irritated at the same time. First, he is afraid of killing Polypus and marrying Merope, since he presumes they are his biological parents. In order to avoid becoming a victim of the prediction, he sets off to Thebes, leaving King Polypus tense. On his way, he meets Laius, whom he confronts and kills in the process, making the audience tenser (Sophocles, 1994). Upon his arrival to Thebes, Oedipus is presented with a difficulty riddle from the Sphinx to solve. When he is made King and married to Queen Jocasta, the prediction of the oracle is sealed.
The element of plot twist is presented severally in the play. First, the information relayed by the oracle brings a twist to the direction of the play. In most societies, it is a taboo to harm one’s biological father or engage in incest, which Oedipus defied unknowingly. Besides, a plot twist comes into play when Laius and Jocasta avoid the truth about the fate of Oedipus. When they abandon Oedipus without killing him or breaking his legs, the plot thickens, since his fate is left unknown (Gaskin, 2019). Another instance of plot twist in the play is when Oedipus curses the person who was involved in the murder of Laius. When a plague befalls Thebes, the audience is left in a twist on how Oedipus will react to the situation. Therefore, the decision to abandon Oedipus, him getting married to his mother and killing the father, and the plague in Thebes is a plot twist in the play.
The play by Sophocles is filled with personification and imagery. First, the play starts with Oedipus listening to the pleas by his subjects to rid the city of plague in their city. The audience can create the impact of the plague by observing how the residents of the city explain to Oedipus when the oracle explains to Laius and Jocasta the fate of Oedipus and possible solution, disappointment forms on their faces (Sophocles, 1994). Although the parents do not explain their disappointment, the irrational actions taken to dispose of the child shows that it is difficult for them to let go of their only son. When Oedipus finds out the truth about his fate, feat forms in his eyes. Sophocles uses personification in the reaction of the actors which is transferred to the audience as seen after the plague in Thebes, after the revelation of the oracle, and when Oedipus learns about his fate.
Sophocles also uses personification and imagery to bring forth the character of Oedipus. First, when Oedipus manhandles Laius and eventually kills him, the audience gets enraged and sees him as inhuman, violent and selfish. After it emerges that Laius was killed, Oedipus rejoices, unknown to him that he is the real murder, and the audience apparently sees him as ignorant. The same element is seen when Oedipus orders the murder of Creon after accusing him of planning to take away his leadership. However, when Oedipus solves the riddle from the Sphinx, the audience sees an image of a highly intelligent person. Guilt is seen in the face of the audience after Oedipus finds out that Laius and Jocasta were his parents. On the other hand, Tiresias is impatient, and his rushed truth causes the audience to tense (Finglass, 2018). The play brings imagery of ignorance, recklessness, jealousy, intelligence and guilty of Oedipus to the mind of the audience.
The play brings the element of emotional conflict severally. The first instance of conflict comes up when the oracle tells Laius and Jocasta the fate of Oedipus. Their thoughts are in conflict on whether to carry out the recommendations of the oracle or give him out for adoption. The second instance in the play emerges when an oracle tells Oedipus about his fate. When a drunk person tells Oedipus about his biological parents, a conflict ensues in his head on whether to accept that as the truth (Gaskin, 2019). When residents of the city bring complaints to Oedipus, he gets into an emotional conflict to find a solution for the plague. Oedipus also gets into an emotional conflict when he finds out that he killed his biological father and married the mother, which is incest. Sophocles, therefore, uses emotional conflict to keep the audience focused.
Sophocles uses physical conflict to resonate with the audience. The first incidence of physical conflict happens when the drunkard tells Oedipus about his fate and real parents. Oedipus shoves the drunkard away, which brings an element of violence in the play. Second, on his way to Thebes, Oedipus meets Laius whom he goes ahead to confront and kill. Thirdly, Oedipus becomes violent towards the messenger in order to find out the truth about his biological parents. Oedipus also becomes violent towards Tiresias in order to fight his guilt after he finds out that his fate had been fulfilled. Finally, Oedipus gets violent and murders Creon after accusing him of trying to cover his leadership (Putra & Widayanti, 2019). Therefore, the violence against the drunkard, Laius, the messenger and Creon by Oedipus is vital in the play since it raises the emotions and imaginations of the audience.
In the play. Sophocles uses antagonism to build the base of the play. First, the oracle is painted as an antagonism due to his prediction of Oedipus’ fate. Similarly, due to his suggestion, the audience sees him as a sadist, which is a feature of antagonism. When Oedipus meets Laius on his way to Thebes, he confronts and kills him, making him an antagonism. Besides, he orders the execution of Creon for an unjust cause which is a characteristic of an antagonist. When Oedipus threatens to execute the messengers and becomes violent towards Tiresias for speaking the truth, he becomes an antagonist (Finglass, 2018). When Jocasta learns about the antagonism of Oedipus, she commits suicide while Oedipus gouges his eyes. Therefore, the antagonism of Oedipus results in threats, murder, suicide and loss of sight.
Sophocles uses the play, Oedipus the King, to explain how fate unfolds. First, the oracle predicts the fate of Oedipus to his parents, who ignore the recommendations. Fate makes the parents abandon Oedipus, who is adopted by the king of Corinth. While fleeing Corinth to Thebes, Oedipus kills Laius, his biological father unknowingly. After solving the riddle from the Sphinx, he is made the king of Thebes and given Jocasta as his wife. However, Oedipus does not know if Jocasta is his biological mother, and they sire children, who become his sons and brother at the same time (Gould, 1965). They later learn that the fate which the oracle had foretold has been fulfilled, making the mother commit suicide and Oedipus gouges his eyes. Sophocles uses fate to explain that human life is ruled by forces beyond their control, including fate.
Character reversal is used in the play to twist the minds of the audience. First, when Oedipus is abandoned by his parents, he is picked to the king of Corinth, which changes which means that his status changes from the prince of Thebes to a prince of Thebes. At the start of the play, Oedipus is seen as the solution to the problems facing the people of Thebes. He listens to their complaints and promises to offer them a solution (Sophocles, 1994). However, as the play goes on, the character of Oedipus changes into that of an antagonist. First, he kills his own father then marries his own mother, which is incest. Besides, he orders the murder of Creon. When he sires with his mother, he changes to a father and brother to his sons. The use of character reversal is useful in the play creates plot twist in the drama.
In conclusion, the play, Oedipus the King, reflects elements which drama should contain. First, the several incidences in the play which create tension which is crucial in a play. The plot twist in the platy and personification keeps the audience focused during the play. Oedipus is viewed as the main antagonist, although his character changes from time to time. Besides, fate is used to guide the audience through the play, which is crucial in a play. Screen and play writers should, therefore, incorporate tension, character reversal, fate and antagonism to make the play attractive.
References
Finglass, P. J. (Ed.). (2018). Sophocles: Oedipus the King (Vol. 57). Cambridge University Press.
Gaskin, R. (2019). Sophocles: Oedipus The King.
Gould, T. (1965). The innocence of Oedipus: The philosophers on Oedipus the King. Arion: A Journal of Humanities and the Classics, 4(3), 363-386.
Putra, M. D. A., & Widayanti, M. J. A. (2019). Victory in Tragic Ending: Analysis of Sophocles’” Oedipus The King”. Rainbow: Journal of Literature, Linguistics and Cultural Studies, 8(1), 1-7.
Sophocles, E. A. (1994). Oedipus the king (p. 313). Classic Productions.