Oedipus Rex
Oedipus Rex marks the formal achievement of classical Greek drama, given its perfect use of dramatic devices. Examining the life of Oedipus, the play portrays patricide, incent, and the eventual downfall of the protagonist. Herein is the nature of justice in the play, the impact of the gods, an explanation of who is to blame for Oedipus’s crimes, and a description of how Oedipus is admirable. Also included is how the play communicates human restriction and the eminence of humanity, details of the primordial parent-child relationship, similarities and differences between Oedipus and Willy, and a thesis incorporating Oedipus the King and Death of a Salesman.
The Nature of Justice
The nature of justice is based on natural law, and so, Oedipus does not receive justice at the end of the Oedipus Rex. The Olympian gods act as the forces of nature, implying that judgment does not include concepts of proportionality and fairness. Thus, justice fails to excuse Oedipus from punishment even though he did not intend to murder his father and to marry his mother.
Are The Gods Just To Oedipus?
The gods are not just to Oedipus because they destroy Oedipus by controlling his fate. By controlling his destiny, the gods grant people the power of prophecy through the oracle of Apollo, leading Oedipus into committing the two crimes. He asserts ‘‘I would not have come to kill my father,
and men would not see in me the husband of the woman who gave birth to me”(Sophocles, line 1360). Thus, the gods make Oedipus’ life miserable without him sinning. Eventually, Oedipus gouges his eyes out due to the overwhelming feeling of guilt. The blindness acts as a metaphor for his avoidance of the truth.
Who Is To Blame For The Actions Of Oedipus?
The gods are to blame for the actions of Oedipus due to the prophecy even though he shares the blame. However, the prediction is paradoxical. The gods are to blame because they had the choice to make Oedipus’s life better, but instead, they decided to ruin it. Oedipus is also to blame because when he solved the sphinx’s riddle, he regarded himself as a god. The prophecy was paradoxical because it drives Oedipus to flee his home not to fulfil it only to accomplish it.
How Is Oedipus Admirable?
Oedipus is admirable, and he is a good leader. Thus, it does seem fair for him to term himself as the worst. He is admirable because when he learns the prophecy would result in him killing his father, he leaves home. Ironically, as a good leader, he seeks out the murder of King Laius to save his people from the plague. The irony is that he finds the murderer while it is he that is the killer. These two actions prove he is the best of men because he shows unselfish, and he has a concerned attitude.
How the Play Communicates Human Limitation and The Eminence Of Humanity?
The play communicates both human restriction as well as the greatness of humanity. Concerning human limitation, Oedipus consults the gods on the curse in the city, which shows that he is not in control of the situation. The greatness of humanity is communicated through the symbolization of Oedipus as the state. The state is presented as a human whose physical and moral health could change.
Details of Primordial Parent-Child Relationship and Freud’s Idea
Details of the instinctual or primordial parent-child relationship are that male children between the ages of 2-6 years unconsciously develop sexual desires for their mothers with envy aimed at the fathers as they are the mothers’ object of affection. Thus, a boy might develop fantasies to get rid of his father. The play demonstrates Freud’s idea of the Oedipus complex through Oedipus’s acts of murdering his father and copulating with his mother.
Similarities and Differences between Oedipus and the Salesman
Oedipus and the salesman share some similarities but have some differences. Both characters have tragic flaws and struggle to accept their fate. Oedipus blinds himself after discovering he killed his father and bore children with his mother and Willy commits suicide due to his mistaken belief of himself. Oedipus tries to escape the fate unbeknownst to him by the gods, while Wily struggles to accept his dead-end job. The main difference is that Oedipus’s tragic situation impact the whole country, while Willy’s condition only affects his family.
A Thesis Incorporating the Two Plays
Divulging the Oedipus the King and Death of a Salesman, the main protagonists depict heroic tragedy. The two main protagonists attempt to avoid their problems only to run headlong into fate. Thus, death is presented as a tragic aspect of their self-destruction.
Works Cited
Sophocles. ‘‘Oedipus the King’’. Ian Johnston 2007