This long weekend, I ask you to finish reading and annotating Oedipus Rex.
I am also asking you to respond to ONE of the following topics in a thoughtful, detailed, specific response that is at least 2-3 well-developed paragraphs in length. Push yourself to add something thought-provoking and original to our conversation here.
1.) This is an interesting time to read Oedipus Rex. We are still hearing about the fall of General David Petraeus, and this week Oprah is interviewing Lance Armstrong about his tremendous fall from grace and favor (lots of articles in NYTimes about both of these men--look up details if you need to brush up on these current events. Here are two I found interesting: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/18/sports/cycling/lance-armstrong-confesses-to-using-drugs-but-without-details.html?hp&_r=0 and http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/18/arts/television/lance-armstrong-interview-with-oprah-winfrey-lacked-emotion.html ). Unfortunately, the story of the "tragic hero" isn't that uncommon in our modern lives. WHY? In your opinion, why does the story of the tragic hero keep playing out, thousands of years after the story of Oedipus?
2. Define "tragedy." Be specific and detailed. Take a stand.
3. Analyze one of the following characters: Jocasta, Creon, the Chorus.
4. Do you pity Oedipus? Why or why not?
5. In your opinion, what is the most powerful part of this play? Why?
If you have another specific topic you would like to discuss, feel free to go in a different direction. My hope for this post is that you will write thoughtfully and specifically and originally. Help us understand or question some aspect of this play.
One word to sum up a tragedy is dramatic and can happen to anyone. A tragedy is very obvious when it occurs, and denial is a common way people try to cope with it. Honestly the word dramatic is an understatement. Looking at tragedies in our world today, I see peoples’ lives ruined and they are rarely able to comeback from the catastrophic event(s) that took place. Tragedies rarely affect one individual. Lance Armstrong’s actions during races ruined his life and the life of his family. Also the other cyclists that did not use performance enhancing drugs may have won some of these races and could have become famous if he had not cheated.
ReplyDeleteI believe tragedies are direct consequences of bad decisions. There are cases when tragedies happen to innocent people, but what I am trying to say is making a bad decision greatly increases your risk of enduring a tragedy. When people to decide to drink and drive a tragedy will occur. Whether it is getting in a car wreck or getting arrested a tragedy will almost always occur.
Tragedy cannot be defined on a pin point. Each person has their own opinion of what that word means or symbolizes. A person that is set (with money) for life can say a tragedy is that their car broke down. A person that is not as lucky will say that it is a tragedy that they cannot go to college. We, as a human race, do not see how spoiled we are. We are given the opportunity to help others around us, but we don’t do anything. We sit at home watching Honey Boo Boo, while there are people around the world wondering where and when their next meal is going to come from. In my opinion, this is a true tragedy. It’s a tragedy that football players get paid more than the soldiers in the military, air force, and the navy. It’s a tragedy that people in the world think that the only way to escape their pain is to commit suicide.
ReplyDeleteThere are events, like these, going on just beyond our backyard, and we all can help. We don’t have to go across the globe to be involved in making the world a better place. Volunteer at soup kitchens; donate clothes and old pieces of furniture, run a race for a good cause. We can make a difference. This is just one of many reasons why I really like the idea of going to volunteer over interim. I know that I am making Louisville a better place. It’s a ripple effect. Once others see how easy it is to lend a hand and help our world, more will help. But the one thing that we cannot do is stand by and wait for another to start the movement.
I pity Oedipus because he has faced more trials and challenges than anyone else in the play. First of all, the fact that he didn't even know his true identity was truly heart wrenching. His own parents were going to have him murdered and no child should ever have that knowledge. He also find out that the people who raised him weren't actually his parents, so he had been raised by strangers his whole life. The worst of all was when he realized that his wife, and the mother of his children, was actually his own mother, and his children were his half brothers and sisters. I couldn't even imagine recieving news like that.
ReplyDeleteIn the end, Oedipus contemplated suicide himself which is something I don't wish upon anyone regardless of who they are or what they've done. The feelings he experienced after his mother's suicide were ones that were truly heart wrenching because he felt responsible and then he had to leave his own children. He experienced a tragedy I couldn't even imagine in my own head. My heart hurt for him and I do pity him.
The “tragic hero” story repeatedly manifests itself long after the creation of the story of Oedipus because every human has his own personal flaw. Whether this flaw is miniscule, as in procrastination; or much more concerning, as in hubris or narcissism, it still defines who one is, and if he is not careful, it may bring him crashing down. Lance Armstrong, once the best and most revered cyclist in the world with seven Tour de France titles and an Olympic bronze metal, recently used his fame and recognition to his advantage and engaged in many uses of performance enhancing drugs under the thought that no one would think to accuse him. This situation is similar to Oedipus, who has rested on his laurels as “first of men,” “greatest in the eyes of all,” and “best of mortals” (Page 12, Lines 36, 44, 50) since he correctly answered “man” to the Sphinx’s riddle, thus saving the city of Thebes from the menacing creature.
ReplyDeleteHowever, when one achieves this level of social status, he can easily begin his slow decline into madness and lose all he has worked so hard to achieve. As Creon says, “Time alone shows that a man is just, but you might learn he is bad in a single day” (Page 32, Lines 640-641), he refers not only to the time period in which he lives, but also to the modern day world and all years to come. Oedipus spent his life building up his reputation as a fair ruler, from slaying the Sphinx to caring for his people, only to have it crumble upon him by the murder of Laius. Lance Armstrong has created an international empire to live strong against cancer, but it took only one leak of information regarding his use of drugs for his titles and fame to disappear in the blink of an eye. Creon’s statement expresses a solemn truth because it is timeless. Humans will never cease to have fundamental flaws, no matter the degree, because they are what make us unique; however, should one not harness and understand his weakness, it can violently boil to the surface and quickly prove Creon correct once again.
A huge reoccurring theme throughout Oedipus Rex is the act of falling. The most important scene in Oedipus is the fourth stasimon which places not only the fall of Oedipus, but also of Jocasta and the city as a whole (including Chorus). "Oh the generations of man-while you live, I count you as worthless, equal to nothing. For who, what man wins more happiness than just its shape and the ruin when that shape collapses" (Page 53, Lines 1209-1215). What the Chorus is saying is that all men are destined to fall-they build there selves up, just to eventually collapse to the ground. No matter what time period it is, man will always lay vulnerable to falling because there will always be evil in the world-"mourning, madness, death and disgrace" (Page 56, Line 1305).
ReplyDeleteThe fourth stasimon is the most powerful scene in the play because it sets up the fall of Oedipus, Jocasta and the Chorus. The greatest fall, is the one of Oedipus; his fall led to the others. When Oedipus finally realizes that Apollo's prophecy read true and he did kill his father and marry his mother, he and all the others were doomed to fall; Oedipus wishes to be killed and looses everything-his faith, mind, leadership ability and confidence-he falls; Jocasta kills herself-she falls; the Chorus's loyalty and belief in Oedipus falls: "Equally wretched in your mind and your misfortune, how I wish I had never known you" (Page 58, Line 1366-1367). When the Chorus's view finally favors Creon and not Oedipus, they start to hate Oedipus and want nothing to do with him, the person who they once revered. A person should not be judged good or bad until he breathes his last.
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ReplyDeleteWhat do Pharaoh Ramses in the time of The Ten Plagues (Moses) and Michael Jackson have in common? They are both perfect examples of “tragic heroes.” Why? They represent individuals who were and still are, until this day, arrogant and narcissist. That, in my opinion, is the key to downfall of one’s life. Pharaohs (as studied in history) thought they were gods on earth to build the most powerful civilization, until they die and become gods in heaven. Pharaoh Ramses thought that he was a GOD in which all of Egypt should worship and sacrifice most of their belongings to him. That HE can build the most powerful, influential and authoritative country in the world, but unfortunately this story ended disastrously and far from what he had planned. Instead Egypt was cursed by the Ten Plagues, Moses freed most of the slaves, and the empire collapsed. He collapsed. The same story occurred with Michael Jackson, who was announced as the “King of Pop” and was adored by many individuals around the world. What happened? He overdosed on drugs and sadly died.
ReplyDeleteOedipus was, although benevolent and kindhearted, arrogant. It was not his fault; in fact the people of Thebes encouraged him to think highly of himself. “…but be careful, since now this land calls you her savior… Rather, then, restore this city to safety. For at the time you gave us great fortune” (page 12-13, lines 51-56). How can a person not think highly of himself if he was called “savior” and had the ability to restore the city back from the Sphinx?
A person may be the greatest cyclist internationally or the “King of Pop.” A person could be even considered as a god on earth, but if a person does not have humility and humbleness, none of the grand trophies or wonderful titles will matter. People will remember that person as “the individual who died on overdosing or the guy who lost his grand title by cheating.” It all ends the same way. It ends as a tragic downfall.
Jocasta is a perplexing character who, if she had thought things through a bit more, could have stopped Oedipus’ downfall from happening. Jocasta knew that Laius “[bound Oedipus’] ankles together” (line 41). Knowing this information, why didn’t she question the scars on Oedipus’ feet from the beginning? And if she did, why didn’t she consider the possibility that Oedipus could be her son? She believed he died, but it would have been an extremely large coincidence that the scars and the story matched up so well, but two different people were involved, and to add to the evidence, he would have been the correct age to be her son. Jocasta had all these signs for so long, but didn’t put the pieces together. Even after Oedipus told her that his prophecy said “I must sleep with my mother” (815) and knowing that Laius’ prophecy was that he was to be killed by his own son and that Oedipus confessed, “When traveling near that very triple road… I killed them all” (825, 837), she still doesn’t question anything. Did she consider it but choose not to believe it? Even if that was true, she has all this evidence pointing to the fact that she married her son and only one up-in-the-air counter-argument that Laius intended to kill him as a baby, which makes not believing it almost impossible because the chances that all of this was just a huge coincidence are next to zero. Ruling out the possibility that she figured it out and decided to not believe what was almost 100% sure, the only thing left to think of Jocasta is that she could have figured out that he was her son much earlier on in their relationship if she had thought things through, so Oedipus would have realized that he had killed his father, and he wouldn’t have been able to build up his reputation so greatly that he would fall so far in the end.
ReplyDeleteI look at Lindsay Lohan as an example of a tragic hero. Once America’s freckled face sweetheart who then turned into a Hollywood party girl sweeping the night scene with her number of infamous car wrecks and run ins with the law. Over and over the media teases of rehab and change but the reckless behavior continues and Lindsay keeps finding herself in trouble. Lindsay fan or not, you know the majority of pop culture lovers were rooting for her recovery.
ReplyDeleteWhy is this the story of a tragic hero so common in our lives? For many young stars, like Lindsay, maybe too much fortune and success just comes too early. Some aren’t armed with the maturity to handle this. After all they haven’t had enough life experience yet to deal with all the fame, money and power. Money has the power to turn someone mad. People’s success is commonly tied to their self worth and famous people are held to a high standard and micromanaged by society so when they make a mistake, there’s no privacy. The wealthy have the means to attain any vice they chose so addictions are unfortunately common.
The tragic story of the hero makes big headlines and maybe it makes us more common folk see the human side and they suddenly seem more normal. Sadly though, the story like Lance Armstrong is sad because obviously he was really a con artist with no conscious. Famous people like athletes, politicians and actors are human and will make mistakes. They just don’t get the opportunity to make their mistakes privately. Kind deeds and good will go on all the time but unfortunately our society finds more pleasure in hearing what goes wrong and learning of peoples indiscretions.
I don't feel bad for Oedipus. He has gone through a life that has a whole different story he blinded himself to. Oedipus didn't realize that he killed his father because he didn't bother finding out who his father was. Oedipus lived a good life as king. Marie Antoinette was just like Oedipus. She was the queen in France who only worried about herself in the present because she didn't want to look at the poor starving people when she had all the money and jewelry that she needed. Oedipus also was blinded to the other side of him, who killed his father and married his mother, because he had no business looking back on the dark side of the story. Eventually, Marie Antoinette was killed by her own people because of her ignorance to their needs. In both stories, there was a point in which the truth had to come out. It hit both of them like a train. Oedipus and Marie Antoinette both deserved a harsh life after what they ignored. If one closes their eyes and expects the malevolence to go away, next thing you know it will be at your front door.
ReplyDeleteThe most powerful part of this play, in my opinion, is the characters' open denial of the blatant truth. I don't understand how Jocasta can assume everything is a coincidence when there is obvious evidence around her, such as Oedipus's scars. Oedipus is a little better than Jocasta in terms of denial. He at least, wants to find the truth. However, he is blinded by denial as well. He already expects the truth to say he didn't fulfill the prophecy. His arrogance and denial blind him to the truth and because of it he falls hard.
ReplyDeleteHow many times does this same sort of denial happen in society today. For example, drug and alcohol addicts refuse to realize that their situation is spiraling out of control. Also many people go into denial and refuse to recognize that they're wrong about something. Most people tend to play it off as downright stubbornness but, there is a major difference between denial and stubbornness. stubbornness is refusing to do or admit something because you believe you're correct. Denial is refusing to do or admit something because you believe you're correct despite the evidence that contradicts it. Jocasta and Oedipus were not stubborn in believing Oedipus was innocent, instead they were in denial.
Creon plays the role of the peace maker and the man that can do no wrong. He is calm and well-spoken and lives the life every man wants to. He has no responsibilities and because of that Creon's personality is laid back and sees the world in a different way. Creon is in the position to criticize Oedipus, yet surprisingly he doesn't. Creon personality reflects his nature as an understanding person. He understand why Oedipus accuses him but he is also bold and not afraid of Oedipus and he shows this on page 29 when Oedipus accuses him of trying to take his power. "I understand you think these things legitimate." He also shows he is not afraid to stand up to Oedipus on page 32 "The city is mine, too, not yours alone!" Overall Creon appears the scapegoat but he proves Oedipus wrong. The underlying fact about Creon's character is forgiving. Oedipus is aggressive and even tells Creon he would rather have Creon die than be exiled. Creon is forgiving and a good person. Even when Creon could pounce on Oedipus and criticize him he doesn't. He shows his true nature on page 60 "I have not come to mock you, Oedipus, nor to scold you for some previous wrong." Creon grants Oedipus his wish which is to be exiled and he doesn't mock or scold Oedipus. Creon never has his own problems he lives the life that every man wishes.
ReplyDeleteI believe the story of the “tragic hero” continues to play out because of all the hero’s that once had all this power and maintained such a studious character soon begin to crumble and deteriorate into this downward slope, because in reality no one can maintain a perfect character for long. Child stars have fallen while the spot light was still on them, major league sports plays have deteriorated and ruined there named through steroids, and so on. So this goes to show no matter what day in age it might be no one, no matter whom they maybe can not be expected to hold so much power because with that power may come an unfortunate chain of events.
ReplyDeleteI define tragedy as an unfortunate, hopeless event that ends in ultimate destruction of something or someone.
I believe Jocasta to be rather sneaky and sly throughout this entire play. I feel from the very start she new the truth behind Oedipus. A mother generally has an immediate instinct as to whether someone maybe her child or not. The fact Oedipus was similar to the same age as to when she had to dispose of her child must have given her a hint to chance that he may be her son. Once Jocasta told Oedipus her story about when her and her husband found out there sons oracle then having to rid there child goodbye she had to of then known after hearing Oedipus’s story that he was her child. I believe Jocosta just wanted Oedipus to figure it out on his own so she wouldn’t be accused for knowing all along the truth.
I pity Oedipus for the most part considering in wasn’t ever really his fault the way things turned out. He didn’t intentionally kill his father and marry his mother it was destined for him. I pity him because he had no other option or chance as to if he could change it all.
I believe the most powerful part of this play is when Oedipus finds Jocasta had hung her self and then Oedipus proceeds to jabbed at hid eyes with the gold pins and becomes blind, because he no longer wants to really see all the misery that life brings and how cruel life has been to him. Then he proceeds to curse marriages and people and lives all together. I felt that was the lowest point and the most powerful point of the whole play.
-Amy Cory
I believe that Oedipus deserves pity because he has been through a lot in his life. He was born to and raised by strangers who he claimed were his real parents. He loved them very much. Imagine finding out the people who are most dearest and closest to your heart are not who you really think they are. Also, throughout the entire play, Oedipus was always trying to do the right thing. Yes, he killed the king, but it was not under bad intentions. He questioned everybody in the kingdom trying to find out the murder. I believe he was a very good person and king, but he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Once knowing of his deed, he felt so bad about all the people he had jeopardized and contemplated suicide.
ReplyDeleteOedipus reminds me of a character from one of my favorite movies, Jason Bourne. Jason Bourne doesn't know where he came from or what he has done in his life to have the police constantly after him. He eventually finds out the he had assassinated an important person in South Africa, he doesn't stop running from the police. Oedipus pretty much has the exact same story, he doesn't know where he came from, he killed someone important unknowingly, and then he commits suicide. I don't know how someone couldn't feel bad for Oedipus. All of his actions were out of good intentions. He ment no harm to anybody. He was just trying to unravel his own mystery about his birth as well as the murder of the former king.
Would you feel bad for a man who killed six men because they accidentally ran him off the road? Why would Oedipus do such a thing to innocent people? He has some anger issues that are just going to continue if he is not locked up or banished. “In my anger I struck the driver” (830). The people of Thebes are putting too much emotion into the prosecution of Oedipus. Yes, Oedipus did just find out he had other parents, and one of them he killed, but that should be dealt with while he is thinking about his actions. Oedipus confessed to killing six men. What is controversial about that? Oedipus is throwing his own pity party and in doing so, inviting others to pity him and have them on his side. Over time, more people will grow to pity Oedipus after hearing his tragic story.
ReplyDeleteOedipus knew very well what he was doing at the time of the killing. “But he more than paid for it and soon was struck by the scepter from this very hand, lying on his back, at once thrown out f the car. I killed them all” (834-837). Oedipus is proud to show the people of Thebes the very hand that killed his father. He lifts his hand up to show off to everyone. He could have been killing a friend of his child’s. How would he feel about that after reality set in? Do the people of Thebes really want an angry murderer leading their city? Oedipus did not think about anything or anyone. He is not the kind of person that should run a city.
I do not pity Oedipus at all, and from the beginning I did not like him. Although he seemed like a caring ruler, he didn't even know there were problems in Thebes until there were people begging on his steps and the priest came to talk to him. Also, he was extremely rude to the Messenger and the Shepherd, even when they were telling him the truth. Oedipus couldn't even consider that he was the murderer of Laius. He was so blind to the truth when it was so obviously apparent. The answer was right in front of him, but he was so in love with how great he thought he was that he couldn't even recognize the coincidences that would have led him to the answer and possibly save him some trouble.
ReplyDeleteAlthough everything he thought he knew was wrong, I still do not pity him. He murdered Laius and the consequences should not be different even if he is now the king. Even if he only murdered someone unimportant, he still murdered a person and should have some repercussions. Realizing that he married his mother and is brother to his children must have been absolutely awful, but I do not pity Oedipus. There might have been better ways to handle his situation and being such a jerk to people telling him the truth was not a way to gain my sympathy.
The story of the "tragic hero" keeps playing out even now, thousands of years after Oedipus' story because these are different people that the tragedy befalls upon today. There are many examples of "tragic heroes" like Lindsay Lohan, Amanda Bynes, Michael Phelps, and sadly even more. For example, Lance Armstrong is supposedly a "tragic hero", but I feel that he was never a hero to begin with because he had been using performance enhancing drugs for almost his whole career. Since he had used drugs from the start, he does not deserve to be called a hero because he never was; he was never doing the right thing. He was just perceived as a hero, but really he was not one from behind the scenes of perception. The "tragic hero" keeps playing out now because these are different people that this keeps happening to. People don't learn the lesson from Oedipus' story until they themselves experience it, but even then they still might not fully have learned their lesson.
ReplyDeleteEvery single day of your life you learn something new whether it be about yourself or someone else, so you are always learning and absorbing the new information. People are still making the same mistakes as Oedipus in his story, even though you would think people should have learned by now what is the right thing. The problem is that people don't learn their lesson from Oedipus' story until they go through what he has gone through, until they go through something tragic in their lives. Even when they do experience, they still don't fully learn or understand what they did was wrong, and is what lead to their downfall. I bet Lance Armstrong still does not understand exactly why people are making a big deal out of this, of what he did, which is why people will still continue to play out the story of the "tragic hero" years, decades, centuries, millennia from now because they will never learn. My message has been repeated a lot because that's how it really is, the lessons are there, but the same tragedies keep happening because no one pays attention to the message. The messages and lessons are there, but some people choose to ignore them.
Question: In your opinion, what is the most powerful part of this play? Why?
ReplyDeleteAfter finishing Oedipus Rex and coming across this question, I immediately thought back to when Oedipus called for his daughter Antigone and Ismene. I feel that this scene was the most powerful because it showed and defined Oedipus's character. “Worry over them,and most of all I beg you, let me touch them with my hands and mourn our woes. Please my Lord1” (Sophocles 61). This shows how selfless Oedipus is that even though he accepted his fate of absolute shame and disgrace, he is more worried for the fate of his daughters. They will never be respected nor be able to marry, which is a major thing in the Greek era.
Aside from showing Oedipus's selfless greater concern for his daughters, this scene shows a great deal of how much Oedipus has fallen from greatness. The tables has turned on Creon and Oedipus. Before, Oedipus thought himself as more powerful and accused Creon of attempted overthrow of him. Creon defended himself out of loyalty and reminded Oedipus that he is not as powerful as he thinks he is, but rather they are equals. Now in this scene, Oedipus is practically on his knees begging Creon for the protective watch over his daughters. The once all great Oedipus has fallen to the grace of the one who was allegedly trying to overthrow him. This scene exhibits the utter downfall of a disgraced king, yet his selflessness as a honorable father-brother as well. But most of all, it shows the fatal repercussions of those who think they are above divine law and try to change their fate.
Question: In your opinion, what is the most powerful part of this play? Why?
ReplyDeleteThe most important part of the play was when the messenger who saved Oedipus’s life came on stage and attempted to tell Oedipus the truth. I think this is the most important part of the play because during the conversation between Jocasta, Oedipus, and the messenger, Jocasta discovers (before Oedipus) what her real relationship is with him. This was an “oh my gosh” moment for me because it showed Jocasta’s true colors and mindset.
Jocasta realizes that Oedipus is actually her child when the messenger says “I freed you when your feet were pierced at the ankles” (Line 1056). When the truth hits Jocasta in the face, she quickly responds to Oedipus’s inquiries with “What does it matter whom he means? Ignore it. Don’t think about it- it will all end in vain” (Line 1078). When Jocasta said this it showed that even though she knew the truth she’d rather forget about it and go on living the life they had been. Had Oedipus heeded his wife/mother then they would have been living in incest, which is illegal. I think that Jocasta wanted Oedipus to shut up and forget about it because she didn’t want to deal with the fact that she had illegitimate children and also that she would be kicked off the throne. Jocasta is willing to be her son’s wife in order to maintain her power and position in society.
Jocasta’s realization is the most powerful part of the play because it shows what power and wealth can do to a person, no matter what part of the world they are from. I pity Jocasta and at the same time I feel disgusted with her. If Oedipus had listened to her then they would have continued living the way they had but Oedipus’s mind would not be burdened whereas Jocasta would be living with constant reminder that she bore her son’s children.
Do you pity Oedipus? Why or why not?
ReplyDeleteOedipus has had a tough life. As a baby he is abandoned by his parents and left to die. He has to suffer through life with massive scars on his feet from where they were nailed together. I believe, however, that Oedipus did not respond to his life challenges well, as evidenced by the way he reacts to Tiresias. Oedipus is supposed to be a kind and caring person, but responds only with anger when Tiresias accuses him (rightly I might add) of killing Laius.
It is easy to say that Oedipus just had a tough life and that he did the best he could with it. The fact of the matter though is that he did kill not just his father but the servants with his father as well. That is a terrible thing to do, even though Oedipus didn't know Laius was his father. It is also easy to say that Oedipus deserves pity simply because of his tough life, but plenty of other people in the play have hard lives. The people of Thebes suffer everyday from a plague, but no one feels sorry for them. Oedipus can't control what happens to him, he can only control how he reacts to it, and he reacts very poorly. That is why he doesn't deserve any pity.
The reason that there are tragedies in the world is simple: we're humans. We're beautifully (and in some cases, devastatingly) imperfect beings that don't seem to learn from the past and allow our emotions to take ahold of us. Simple luck also plays a role in what happens to us. Parents make mistakes, and then try to teach their children not to make the same mistakes so they can avoid the consequences. It frustrates parents when they see their children disregarding their stories and still making these same mistakes (or so I concluded). Humans seem to learn through personal experience and hardly through stories. 'Tragic heros' in today's world aren't much different than 'regular' people. Let's create an example. We have a student here who gets good grades, volunteers regularly, respects and obeys her parents, and has offers from great colleges far away. She gets caught for cheating on the SAT, and all of a sudden, she's suspended and all those colleges refuse her. Now say that we have a big-name, philanthropic actress. She gets caught having an affair with her director, and now her story is being broadcasted on every entertainment channel for a month. These two people made actions that society has marked as 'mistakes'. The only difference between these two people is that the star made larger accomplishments; however, does this mean that the star more dishonored than the girl who cheated?
ReplyDeleteLiterature is filled with these types of characters. If an author wants to create a realistic story, they must include the flaws as well. Julius Casear is a tragic character because as a great military leader, he gained power and began to rule Rome as a dictator. The reason he was assassinated was because he was a dictator. That reason led him to his rapid downfall. In a Japanese manga, Death Note, Light Yagami, a brilliant and bored high schooler, works to gain world domination with the help of a grim reaper and a Death Note, a notebook that can kill a person just by writing their name in it. It's an intense, psychological story that questions a person's right to pass judgement and if anyone is justified to kill a person. Light approached his downfall after several years because his obsession to defeat his enemies consumed him. Another factor was his poor luck. He was exposed at some point because of an unlucky event, and he was ultimately revolted against. Another example comes from another manga called 'Black Butler'. The story is of the young earl Ciel Phantomhive, who at age nine, lost his parents when an angel set their home ablaze. Consumed with the desire for revenge, he makes a deal with a devil to give up his soul once they avenge his family. He worked hard until four years later, when his company became the largest manufacturer in England, and was highly respected by the royalty. He falls from his position when it is heard that he was conspiring to overthrow the English monarchy with the aid of his butler. His butler ultimately leaves Ciel in order to prevent the news from spreading even more, but it is was in vain. Without his amazing butler, he's looked down upon and disregarded until he practically disappears into the shadows. Both of these characters (as well as Oedipus) decline from their positions when their secrets are leaked out to the people, proving that sin does spread more quickly than grace.
4. Do you pity Oedipus? Why or why not?
ReplyDeleteWhile Oedipus had a "hard life" by most standards, it was actually much easier than most, but Oedipus set himself up for failure. The fact that Oedipus would kill his father and marry his mother was not a secret to him, therefore he should have been more careful about who he killed and married. If a god gives you a prophecy that you will kill your father, you probably shouldn't kill anyone just in case you weren't who you thought you were. Oedipus didn't even have a good reason to kill Laius; he was just angry for being pushed off the road. But killing an entire cart full of people seems extreme.
Oedipus was also a hypocrite. When Tiresias tells Oedipus that he is the murderer, Oedipus becomes very offended and then yells at Tiresias. But then he turns around and immediately yells at Creon for conspiring against him, even though he has no proof, and on top of that no proof that Tiresias was wrong in the first place. Oedipus acted immature and jumped to conclusions that really didn't even make sense.
Oedipus had a hard life set for him from the day he was born, but unlike most people, he had the means to avoid his fate. Unfortunately, he did not use those means, and because of this he deserves no pity.
The term “tragic hero” is sadly frequently discussed in our world today. A tragic hero is someone who people compassionately care about and root for, when really this person could have a major unknown flaw. This week, Lance Armstrong’s spoke out to Oprah Winfrey about how basically the last 20 years of his life have been one big lie. Lance finally confessed to using drugs during sporting events, that he earlier completely denied. He sued people he knew were telling the truth, and had no problem doing it. I watched this interview the night it aired and didn’t know what to feel. In the competitive industry of sports, music, and entertainment the pressure for perfection is a constant struggle. Fighting to be the best has pushed people to do unthinkable things and hurt the people they love.
ReplyDeleteI looked up to Lance Armstrong as being an all-American survivor kind-of guy. The people that children and even adults have looked up to their entire lives sometimes aren’t the people we think they are. Tiger Woods, supposedly the best golfer of all time, took his winnings to a level of arrogance and cheating on his beautiful wife of 5 years. His reputation took years to build and was shattered in less than an hour.
As far back as the 5th century tragic heroes were common. On line 633 of “Oedipus Rex” Creon says, “Since time alone shows that a man is just, but you might learn he is bad in a single day”. Now and back then, it doesn’t take long for something to ruin your career and legacy. We look up to people we think are fantastic, when really, they are cheating their way to the top, or pretend to be someone they’re not. The fact that society has put so much emphasis of having the best body, clothes, friends, job, etc., makes it almost impossible to achieve those goals. We should be praising the honest hero’s who make our world a better place.
When I looked in the 'Oxford American Dictionary', the word tragedy means, "a sad event; a calamity" (Oxford 1620). The definition didn't surprise me; it is standard. What did surprise me was the example following the defintion. It reads, "The team's defeat is a tragedy" (Oxford 1620). The questions I asked myself after were: Can something as small as a team loss be an example of a word as powerful 'tragedy'? How could there ever be a universal definition for 'tragedy' when one person's defintion is a team loss and another's is world hunger? Should people even be allowed to give a meaning of this word without ever experiencing it's significance? How can a person say that losing a game is calamitous when there is poverty in the world. After all these questions rushed through my mind, I realized that there will never be a true definition of the word 'tragedy'. Tragedy to me is the school shooting in Connecticut. It's the fact that people die for our country and aren't recognized. It's children being denied education. And to be perfectly honest, I find it disturbing to find an example like that in the dictionary. Tragedy is all around us.
ReplyDeleteWhen I looked in the 'Oxford American Dictionary', the word tragedy means, "a sad event; a calamity" (Oxford 1620). The definition didn't surprise me; it is standard. What did surprise me was the example following the definition. It reads, "The team's defeat is a tragedy" (Oxford 1620). The questions I asked myself after were: Can something as small as a team loss be an example of a word as powerful 'tragedy'? How could there ever be a universal definition for 'tragedy' when one person's definition is a team loss and another's is world hunger? Should people even be allowed to give a meaning of this word without ever experiencing its significance? How can a person say that losing a game is calamitous when there is poverty in the world? After all these questions rushed through my mind, I realized that there will never be a true definition of the word 'tragedy'. Tragedy to me is the school shooting in Connecticut. It's the fact that people die for our country and aren't recognized. It's children being denied education. There is a reason why the word ‘tragedy’ is used to describe these events. It’s because the children’s lives at Sandy Hook Elementary were taken away from them way too early. It’s because there are people who spend all their money on shoes or clothes when men and women are spending their lives for us. It’s because there are children in the world that die trying to get even the smallest amount of knowledge. And to be perfectly honest, I find it disturbing to find an example like that in the dictionary. Tragedy is all around us.
DeleteDo you pity Oedipus? Why or why not?
ReplyDeleteOedipus discovered a lot throughout the course of the play, and he did not take it all so well. At the beginning, he killed his own father without knowing who he was. Although the prophecy told Oedipus that he was going to kill father, it can be very difficult to put that together when one has already done the deed. If one kills a "stranger" he meets on the road and is told later that he/she is going to kill his father, one would definitely not want to believe that the stranger he killed was his own father. Even I would not be to piece that together if that happened to me because my mind wouldn't just immediately tell me, "Oh yeah, that was most assuredly your own father that you killed. You should kill yourself now." I would want to stay in denial to avoid guilt and mental pain. It would also be very difficult to figure out because Oedipus had a replacement father since he was very young. Nobody told him that Polybus was not his real father.
Also, it would be pretty strange to be able to assume that Oedipus married his mother. Because it is such an unusual occurrence, the facts/proof would have to be handed to him to show that he did, in fact, marry his own mother.
Another reason I pity Oedipus for his lack of knowledge is because when he had everything figured out, his own mother killed himself. When he discovered her dead, he used her brooches to make himself blind because he felt he did not deserve to see. He did not want to see the evils he had done.
I pity Oedipus for all of this because it was extremely difficult to accept all of these facts, even though some of them might have been obvious.
From Mary Peabody:
ReplyDeleteI do feel pity for Oedipus. He never tried to hurt anyone in fact he did his best to avoid the prophesy given to him. If you think about it he had a very hard life. He was abandoned, left to die, and never even told the truth about his real family. He never meant to kill his father or marry his mother. I am not trying to say that it is extremely weird that he did both, but that is what his prophesy foresaw.
I personally believe in destiny but I believe that you can change it. In other words, Oedipus could have made sure to prove his prophesy wrong and not killed anyone in which case he would never have ended up in this situation.
The most unfair part of the play in my opinion is when Oedipus finally gets to Thebes and is seen as hero but little does he know that soon the walls will all come crashing down. It takes the Chorus, Jocasta, Creon, the messengers, and even Oedipus so long to figure out that Oedipus is the man who slayed Lauis. This play is made up of confusion and pity for Oedipus thats what has made it so successful.
From Daniel Rolen:
ReplyDeleteThe tragic hero is an all too familiar event in our culture; whether it is in sports such as Tiger Woods, or in politics like the Watergate scandal, people tend to fall back down once they have risen to the top. Once these people have reached the pinnacle of their careers there is nowhere for them to go besides crashing down to back where they started, even sometimes below. I believe that this is due to the fact that people fail to remember where they came from. They lose track of their roots, their motivation, and whatever will they had that drove them to succeed. Once star athletes have their huge homes and beautiful they forget what got them there. Once politicians have finally been granted power, they forget their morals that got them elected. But who are we to blame them, we despise work as they do, and I am sure that if we were put in their positions we would crumble also. It is simply human nature to rest on our laurels.
However as many bad cases there have been of the fallen hero I recently found a story of a true hero. The Washington Redskins running back Alfred Morris was a sixth round draft pick rookie who worked his way up the roster and found himself as one of the best rushers in the nation. He was so good ESPN asked for an interview with him and they were shocked by what happened, not by what happened in the interview, but how he showed up to it. He showed up in a 1991 Mazda. They thought how could this be the car of one of the best rookies of all time. Simple. He remembered who he was. That car was given to him by his pastor so he could go to Sunday school. Ever since then he has kept his religion and his humble roots in mind. This story was aired once. An incredible story of humility and a star remaining humble was aired once on ESPN. That is why the tale of the tragic hero is so common. No one likes hearing about the good guy who is doing great. People only want to hear the horror stories, never the good ones. We don’t hear how Michael Jordan hasn’t been in any scandals, or how Matt Ryan hasn’t been in a DUI. The story of the tragic hero repeats, only because we love to hear it.
From Evan Foley:
ReplyDeleteThe story of the “tragic hero” keeps happening in our society because heroes aren’t really immune to anything and are just like normal people. Today’s heroes are people who are admired for their past noble deeds and admirable qualities. Don’t most of us possess these qualities as well? Normal people perform noble deeds everyday, such as holding the door for someone, picking up somebody’s books that were dropped, or carrying out simple favors for a friend. In addition, all of us have areas in which we are talented, just like heroes do. So, if the general public has qualities similar to those of a hero, then what makes them so different? They aren’t really that different; the public simply holds them to higher standards because of something they have done which makes them seem different.
! There is one major difference between the hero and the common folk, however. Heroes have immense pressure put on them because the public’s expectations for them are so drastically out of proportion. For example, Lance Armstrong recently admitted to using performance enhancing drugs, and everyone lost their minds because he was the face of cycling. I found it interesting how hardly anyone noticed almost all the other people who had gotten caught for doing the exact same thing. It shows that since these phenomenons are monitored so closely because of their status, one mistake can bring them down immediately. This is where the heroes stand out from the common person. If a regular person makes a mistake, they can learn from it and almost always get a second chance. But if a hero makes a mistake, it can cost them their image, career, and even their family. Ultimately, the public decides who the heroes are, and they also decide when they will fall.
Unfortunately, the story of the "tragic hero" isn't that uncommon in our modern lives. WHY? In your opinion, why does the story of the tragic hero keep playing out, thousands of years after the story of Oedipus? The story of the “tragic hero” isn’t uncommon in our modern lives because society is too quick to name people “heroes.” Society’s “hero” standards are very low, and society looks for “heroes” in the wrong places. People are called heroes because of minor good deeds, having athletic ability, or having musical talent. Yes, good deeds prove you are a decent person; yes, having athletic or musical skill means you could accomplish great things. Do these characteristics prove you deserve to be dubbed a hero? No. I see firefighters, policemen, and people who devote their entire lives to a cause as heroes. Heroes don’t need the publicity, the fame, or the rewards. They sacrifice.
ReplyDeletePeople say that we search for the flaws in these so-called heroes for our own entertainment. We, as a society, search for undeserving “heroes”, so that when they fall, we can see the entertainment in it. We search desperately for these “heroes” for much the same reason the people in the 5th century B.C. went to go see the tragedies. We need several things: we long for an escape from our lives, to see that other people’s lives are worse than ours, a way to let out emotions in a safe way, and a reminder to be thankful for the lives that we do have.
There are two fundamental causes to all the tragic heroes in our world today. The first is the media. The media is constantly scrutinizing our heroes and celebrities, and they are bound to find something wrong with them. Once the media finds a flaw or witnesses a mistake, they blow it out of proportion and turn it into national news. Of course the famous have to expect all of this media attention, but famous people are human too and make mistakes, so it is inevitable for them to have a tragic fall at least once in their lives. The second reason tragic heroes are so common in today's world is the fact that getting to the top of whatever profession you are in is extremely hard. When something is so hard to accomplish but also so coveted, people will do anything to attain it. Take Lance Armstrong for example, he told Oprah that at the time he did not think he was cheating, and that is because he thought the only way to get to the top of the cycling world was to cheat. He knew he had no chance at it if he raced clean. Unfortunately, Lance's perspective of "you have to cheat to win" is not his alone. Many people in today’s world will do anything for success and popularity, and because cheating seems like the only way to gain those things and is such an easy option nowadays, it is hard for most people not to cheat. Nothing in our lives goes unnoticed, especially when you become a hero. It takes years of dedication to become great; it takes years of always doing the right thing after that to become a hero; but it only takes one moment for it all to go away.
ReplyDeleteTragedy is a dramatic fall from happiness to a sadness that everyone can feel. Furthermore everyone can awareness a tragedy as a big one or a small one, it depends on the timing and their own values they understand it. If a person is happy, but a big tragedy fell upon him right after. The person will feel that a big tragedy because there is a big difference of elevation between happiness and sadness. If the happiness is getting bigger and bigger the tragedy will get bigger and bigger too. However everyone doesn’t have the same own value. If you are facing a moment that you think as a tragedy it doesn’t mean that everyone thinks that is a tragedy. Maybe some other person doesn’t think that the moment is a tragedy.
ReplyDeleteIn the case of Oedipus, he had a lot of come and go between happiness and sorrow.
When he was born he was thrown away from his real parents and started his life with a tragedy. He was picked up and adopted and had a peaceful time. However, one day he had a doubt that he was adopted and received a bad prophecy and decided to go away from his foster parents. This is his second tragedy. He came to a new city: unveil the mystery of the Spinx, became the king of Thebes, have some children and a wife. This is his climax of happiness. However the plagues became prevalent in the city, listened to the same prophecy he had before and discover that he was living right on the track what the prophecy was saying. This is his climax of tragedy. Thus Oedipus was having tragedy and happiness alternately. “This is the king who solved the famous riddle And towered up, most powerful of men. No mortal eyes but looked on him with envy, Yet in the end ruin swept over him,” (78) Creon explained about Oedipus at the end like this as Oedipus ended up his life with a deep greif. Creon also said and finished the play as follows “ Let every man in mankind’s frailty Consider his last day; and let none Presume on his good fortune until he find Life, at his death, a memory without pain” (78). That suggested everyone could be the main character of a tragedy because tragedy and happiness are the two sides of the same coin.
Therefore life is like a pendulum. If the character earns the happiness, tragedy could occur and fell over after the happiness and the character could be unfortunate.
Unfortunately, the story of the "tragic hero" isn't that uncommon in our modern lives. WHY? In your opinion, why does the story of the tragic hero keep playing out, thousands of years after the story of Oedipus?
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, the story of the tragic hero is all too common. Whether it is a famous athlete, like Michael Vick or Lance Armstrong, or a celebrity like Michael Jackson, the story of a tragic hero happens almost weekly. Why? Contrary to our beliefs, these celebrities make mistakes too. Everyday regular people make similar mistakes to the celebrities but face no consequences. In the human eye these celebs are not held to the same standards, but higher ones and this is why they fall.
Another reason for the tragic hero is pressure. It could come from themselves or the media. Because of insurmountable pressure, Lance Armstrong cracked. He/people around him put so much pressure on him to succeed, in his mind the only way out was to cheat to win. Armstrong convinced himself and teammates that what they were doing wasn't even cheating. The will to win was so strong they would do anything. Because of his success and fame many people were suspicious and succeeded in taking him down. One night a beloved hero and millionaire, the next a lying scumbag. One mistake, a completely different life
I do not Pity Oedipus. I believe that in his rule, he did everything to the best of his ability after he had defeated the sphinx. He ruled with his best intentions for the people but he was mislead from the truth while he was growing up. When Oedipus finally realizes what had happened that he thought was the other way around, he immediately decided to get out of his position and exile himself because he now figured out what had really happened, even though he had no control over it.
ReplyDeleteWhile what Oedipus did was very wrong and improper for a ruler to do, Oedipus was unaware of these things at the time. He was living with his best intentions, to escape from his family which he thought was his real family because that is what he was told. And to get away from them because He had seen his oracle tell him about how he would inevitably murder his parents.
The gods seem to enjoy messing with their subjects, and Oedipus's case provides a prime example of this. When Oedipus was curious about his future, he went to the oracle to see how it would unfold. When it told him he would kill his parents, he fled who he thought were his parents and went to the place where his real parents were. And this would lead him to killing them without knowing they were his parents and his other families were completely unrelated to him.
corrections:
DeleteI do not Pity Oedipus. He did everything to the best of his ability during his rule after he had defeated the sphinx. He ruled with his best intentions for the people but he was misled from the truth while he was growing up. When Oedipus finally realized what had really happened, he immediately decided to get out of his position as ruler and exile himself. He figured out what had really happened, even though he had no control over it.
While what Oedipus did was very wrong and improper for a ruler to do, Oedipus was unaware of what he was doing at the time. He was living with his best intentions; to escape from his family because of the prophecy he was told seen about how he would inevitably murder his parents.
The gods seem to enjoy messing with their subjects, and Oedipus's case provides a prime example of this. When Oedipus was curious about his future, he went to the oracle to see how it would unfold. When it told him he would kill his parents, he fled from his adopted family and would eventually meet his true family who birthed him. And this would lead him to killing them without knowing they were his parents. Before he was shown the truth, he had no idea that his other family was completely unrelated to him.
(I do not pity Oedipus)
DeleteI pity Oedipus because of all the things that has happened to him and everything he has witnessed. He has to live with the fact that he married his mother and killed his father. He also witnessed his mother's death and no one should have to see that. I also pity Oedipus because his parents didn't really want him. Finding out your parents tried to kill you isn't the kind of information you want to hear. As a child he received a prophecy that he would one day marry his mother and kill his father. This is the worst thing to live with because he had to live in fear and make sure this never happened. Oedipus was in so much pain after his mother died that he blinded himself.The Chorus says: "O suffering terrible for men to see, o most terrible of all I have encountered!" This shows that Oedipus suffered greatly and how bad his emotional state was. That is why I pity Oedipus. He suffered more than anyone in the play, and he has to live with all of the mistakes he has done.
ReplyDeleteThe main reason that the story of the tragic hero still plays out today is the fact that we are all human. None of us are going to do all good things or all going to do all bad things. And now with the media surrounding all of society these heroes will come out more because people cannot have any skeletons in their closets without someone finding out and trying to leak it and get famous. Now a days we also expect our heroes to do everything perfect, and if they do something wrong then everyone immediately knows about it. Power is last reasons for a tragic hero kind of story. After these heroes do what they set out to do, and become heroes, they get the power that they probably deserve from it. Then they try to push thee limits of their power like was David Petraeus did and maybe the sort of the Bobby Petrino did. Oedipus could be considered the first tragic hero story, and people like Lance Armstrong, Manti Te'o, and David Petraeus will not be the last.
ReplyDeleteI felt pity towards Oedipus because he is was naïve towards his surroundings. He put 100% of his effort into finding the murderer of Laius when in doubt he was the murderer (situational irony). Sophocles set it up perfectly. In the beginning he made the audience respect and love Oedipus. When the time comes for Oedipus’s downfall, it makes it that much more dramatic.
ReplyDelete“Quickly—someone twist back this man’s arms.” Oedipus in this moment is so eager to find the truth about his heritage that he is willing to torture the shepherd who was sent to murder him at Cithaeron. This is the moment when my pity for Oedipus was at its peak. I know that all that is left for him at this point is sorrow and despair. My hypothesis is realized when Oedipus, over encumbered by the truth of his heritage and suicide of his wife/mother, resulted in stabbing his eyes out. There is some irony in this because preceding this event Oedipus accuses Tiresias of not being able to see the truth (blind). This is the reason why I greatly pitied Oedipus because this whole play was set up for his demise.
Tragic heroes” this is a term that we are very familiar with in this day and age. Tragic heroes are people that we looked up to for support of guidance until they make that one small decision to do something dumb, and we lose all respect for them. I think that it is such a shame to see what happens to some of these stars, go through complete turmoil. Like Britney Spears, who shaved her head; like Lindsay Lohan, who went from being a cute little adorable red head to a crazy partier; and like Lance Armstrong, who I think is worst of all, went from being little kids with cancer idols and one of the best cyclist ever to being a complete utter fake and lie.
ReplyDeleteI think that no matter how much time has past or how far in the future there will always be “Tragic heroes”. Tragic heroes are what keep this culture running we like and find entertainment in seeing people make a complete fools of themselves and ruining everything they have. Tragic heroes get the most attention out of anyone in the celebrity world, yeah they may talk about star actors or actress in a movie that just came out but if someone gets accused of doing drugs or even getting a DUI they will get way more attention then that actor from the next big movie.
Tragedy is something unbearable. Tragedy is when something unexpected happens. The scenario is perfect for a tragedy when everything around a person experiencing this as well, for example, if a person loses an important member of the family in a week, all things going well in her life the impact would be greater than in a week that many bad things were happening simultaneously.
ReplyDeleteIn "oedipus rex", Oedipus discovers that killed Lauis and married his own mother while he is showing great to be a king and have a high social position. Maybe if he found out what we did right after he lost his kingdom, or if something happened very unberable, the drama and the tragedy of Oedipus would become much smaller.
Tragedy is a fall. The more one has to lose the biggest tragedy will be, and the less one has to tragedy becomes almost nonexistent.
I pity Oedipus. He was a man with good intentions, but his whole life was a lie. From the very beginning, he was cast away by his father and sent to be thrown off of Cithaeron. Saved by the kind heart of Laius's servant, Oedipus began his life as the prince of Corinth. He had no idea that he was adopted, and had no way of knowing that his prophesy would come true.
ReplyDeleteHis whole life plan had already been planned since the day he was born, and there is nothing Oedipus could do to stop it. At first, he believes he had successfully stopped the prophesy when he found out his father had died, but he soon realized that there truly wasn't anything he could do to change or stop it. He had no chance to save his life, and this is why I pity Oedipus.
The reason there are new tragic heros everyday is because history repeats itself, and people make the same mistakes. A tragedy is something that alters life, mentally or physically, and causes great distress. People often make decisions that will cause themselves to suffer. Some people do these things thinking they will “get away with it”, like Lance Armstrong, some people do things having no idea what the consequences are, and some people make mistakes unintentionally.
ReplyDeleteJocasta is the most complex character in the play. Readers are constantly trying to determine whether she knows what's going on or not. “Unlucky man, may you never know who you are” (page 48 line 1090). This line made me think, has she always suspected this? Does she know who he is?
I pitied Oedipus throughout the entire play. It is clear that what he did was unintentional, and his fate could not have been easily avoided. He moved away thinking that he would save his parents, only to find out that doing this caused his own downfall. Because of everything that had happened, his wife/mother killed herself, and he banishes himself. He will have to continue life knowing that he is the cause of so many problems, just because of his destiny.
When I first learned of Greek tragedies, a new knowledge on the word tragic was given to me. In the 21st century, tragic is used very differently then in 5th century Greece. Many define 9/11, the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, and other sorrowful events as tragic. Although the events are heartbreaking, many do not resemble a tragedy because prior to the event, the victims were not heroic like a widely know king in ancient Greece. What I believe to be the correct definition of a tragedy is the loss of reputation or life to one who has gained the respect of many. Events in recent history which do resemble a tragedy range from the shootings of JFK, Martin Luther King Jr. and Abraham Lincoln to the more recent charges of doping against Lance Armstrong. These men and women were heroes, role models, and leaders to many and in one instant, their reputations and sometimes lives were gone.
ReplyDeleteIn Oedipus Rex, a tragedy is clearly defined in the last and most important paragraph. The tragedy of Oedipus is summarized by the Chorus. It tells how Oedipus’ grand reputation came from solving the Sphinx's riddle and how soon after he was known as the most powerful and ambitious manin all of Thebes. Then, a "sea of dire misfortune” (pg. 64) took him. This misfortune is the knowledge of being cursed, murder to your father, marriage to your mother, and the burden of all the suffering of Thebe’s people. These tragic happenings happened in a single day after a Shepard spoke of truths that had been covered up for years.
The definition of pity on Dictionary.com is”sympathetic sorrow for one suffering, distressed, or unhappy," and that is what I feel for Oedipus at the end of this book; however, at the beginning of Oedipus's chronicled downfall I felt no pity for him. I knew the ending of this story/myth very well, and yet when Oedipus stuck out his eyes after seeing his wife's/mother's dead body I cannot be angered by his dense headedness. I tried putting myself in Oedipus's shoes. I would have done much worst to myself if I had known I had cause my mother's suicide plus the added salt to the wound being that she is your wife and bearer of your four children.
ReplyDeleteI felt no pity for the pompous and stubborn King Oedipus. I laughed inside myself knowing of how he was going to end. His stubbornness about believing in Teiresias got the better of me. I do not know how Oedipus could not believe a blind prophet, then turn around, and blame him as a culprit in the murder. His pompous attitude with Creon and the shepherd drove me to the brink of madness. Creon had it made, why would he want the stress of a kingdom on him; he sees what it is doing to Oedipus. I lost it when Oedipus hit the old shepherd. This is the man saved your life and you hit him. My pity was gone and the Oedipus saw clearly the error of his ways finally! Oedipus the king has no pity from me at all; however, Oedipus the exile deserves pity.
I do pity Oedipus since he was destined by the gods themselves to kill his father and marry his mother. There was absolutely nothing he could do to change that. He thought he was escaping this horrible prophesy by leaving the town where he was raised, but little did he know the man that he killed along the road was his real father, and the person that he married was his real mother. He would not have any idea that these were his true biological parents since he always assumed that the ones who raised him were his true parents. Oedipus worked so hard to do the best he could for his people, but the pollution that he was looking so hard for was really himself. He still wanted the best for his people even when he found out that he was the cause of all the suffering, so he wanted to leave the city-state or be killed which would help the citizens. "Kill me or cast me into the sea, where you will never see me again" (60). It would take a lot of strength and courage to be able to take yourself away from the position of power to really do what's best for your people.
ReplyDeleteFaith is a source of hope. Having just the right amount of hope encourages people. However, when people have too much hope, it becomes the only thing they rely on. In this play, the people in Thebes rely too much on the gods to solve their problems. They hope and pray that the gods will save Thebes from its misery. “And you, lord of light, from your golden bow I would have your unconquered arrows fly as a guard set in front of me before my enemy...” (207-209). They trust the gods so much that they put them above everything else in their life. “By the gods, Oedipus believe this, respecting this oath to the gods most of all, then me and these who are here with you” (676-678). However, they are oblivious to the fact that the gods are the source of this misery.
ReplyDeleteOedipus, like every human, is a toy for the gods. Apollo cursed Oedipus when he was a baby, knowing that the city would fall because of him. Even after everything that Apollo burdened Oedipus with, Oedipus remained loyal to him. This shows that these people viewed tragedy as a test sent from the gods to ensure their loyalty to them. The gods know that everything can’t be happy and easy. They created tragedies to remind people of how they can’t take anything for granted because it can vanish in an instant. Tragedies are there to remind humans that they are mortal, unlike the gods. The gods want the people to know how to get through tough times themselves, because that is how they become better prepared for the next tragedy.
In my mind tragedy is the act of something very bad happening. It is the feeling that overcomes your body when the dreadful moment happens that you have been trying to avoid for as along as you can remember. Tragedy is something that you don't want to happen because you never want the fear to come and haunt you. I have had some tragic moments in my life, but I almost don't even want to consider them a tragedy because they did not have a gigantic impact on my life. There were only a select few times that I can remember that was a true tragic moment.
ReplyDeleteI was in about seventh grade and my brand new puppy was just arriving at my house from the adoption place. I went home that day and saw the cute eyes of the little angel looking at me. I thought I had found my best friend. I went to school the next day and remember and was so pumped to get home and see my new friend, "Carlos." I arrived home and I saw my mom crying on the stairs. I asked her where Carlos was? She said that he had passes away because of a heart failure. I didn't know what to expect or say. I remember thinking that was the worst day of my life. This was the one moment in my life that I would classify as a tragedy.
In Oedipus Rex, one of the most tragic moments is when Oedipus kills Laius and then marries his mother. That is the main moment that really stood out to me. It was the scene that changed the way I thought of Oedipus.
DeleteIn Oedipus Rex, one of the most tragic moments is when Oedipus kills Laius and then marries his mother. That is the main moment that really stood out to me. It was the scene that changed the way I thought of Oedipus.
DeleteI think it is rather common to see a fall of a hero in modern times, this is because the history repeats itself. While people have changed a lot over time some of our traits and emotions have not. The feeling of jealous and want have been constant throughout time. This is evident in Lance Armstrong, General Patraes, and Oedipus. I think tragedy is a process. Tragedy begins with happiness and power and as the power grows so does the want for more. This is where the tragedy occurs the want becomes overwhelming and becomes the downfall. Then the character or person is left with nothing and is as miserable. Having read Antigone I have a good idea of what Creon is all about. In Antigone after he assumes power of Thebes soon follows in his brothers footsteps. In the end Creon meets Oedipus' fate. In Oedipus Rex Creon is much more relaxed and definitely more selfless. Creon throughout the book cares about his brother but more about Thebes. He was nice to Oedipus and willing to help him until he accused Creon of conspiring with Tiresias. I do pity Oedipus, it was not his fault that he had this terrible prophecy placed on him. Oedipus did everything in his power to change his fate, but in the end it was all in vein. I think the most powerful point was when Creon swears an oath that he is not conspiring and what he claims is true. This is the final part where Oedipus finally starts to realize all his wrongdoing.
ReplyDeleteThe story of the tragic hero is not that uncommon still to this day. People are the same as they were several thousand years ago. People think that they are untouchable because they have power and are well liked, then they over step their boundary and they fall into the same trap as thousands of people in there same place have fallen. A person that usually gets followers will start to think of themselves highly and will get a big head, and then because of their new superior mindset, they will step into the trap of tragic hero. Tragedy is something that has gone wrong or something that has turned for the worse that has negative effects.
ReplyDeleteI feel bad for Oedipus because just think about it, he was given up by his parents. They wanted nothing to do with him; they wanted him dead before his life really hadn’t even started. He grew up in a household that never told him the truth about his childhood years. Then he ended up killing a man and lived the rest of his life with that burden on his mind. I think that the most powerful part of this novel is the part when the shepherd tells him that his parents whom he thought they were, were really not what they told him they were. In this same section another powerful part that stood out to was when he was talking to his kids and telling them that he wasn’t only their father but also a sibling.
The story of a tragic hero is a classic one. Although not a helpful or interesting story to the person the tragic event(s) is being inflicted on, people enjoy watching other people's pain and learning from their mistakes. The word "Shadenfroia" or taking pleasure in other's pain is a prime example. If everything was happy and perfect all the time, there would be nothing interesting to watch/listen to/read about.
ReplyDeleteTragedy is a noun that, to me, means an event of great sadness. In traditional Greek or Roman theatre however, someone important has to die. I don't think that's the case in our modern day society however. Take the shooting in Connecticut for example. Those children lead ordinary lives, yet we look on their deaths as a tragedy.
Jocasta is very confusing. She figures out her parental relationship with Oedipus far before he does, yet he tries to keep Oedipus from figuring it out. I don't understand why she would do that and find it disgusting. It's like she doesn't want things to unravel and would rather deal with the reality that she married and had kids with her own son. In my opinion, she is just trying to keep things normal; she doesn't want the big uproar and it's consequences on her already failing kingdom.
I do pity Oedipus. He realizes that he did all of these terrible things in one day and that is a lot for one person to mentally deal with. He also was not responsible for a lot of these actions and tried his best to prevent them. When he got his prophesy, he left his town and tried his best to avoid it because he loved his "parents" and didn't want anything to happen to them. Oedipus also didn't know that it was is father that he killed on the road. If there is a fight that breaks out on a weary path, you usually don't stop and check ancestry.com first to check to see if the man you plan on killing is your father; you just fight to protect yourself. Also, with marrying Jocasta, with her thinking he was dead, and Jocasta never mentioning anything about her new born being thrown off a cliff to Oedipus, he could have never figured it out on his own before marrying her. It was just a series of unfortunate events that lead Oedipus to his blind state.
For me, the most powerful part in this tragedy, is when Oedipus is talking to his two daughters at the end. Its after he knows that he has done wrong and all he worries about is his daughter's futures. He doesn't want them to lead a bad life, but knows that they must because of his own terrible wrong doings. He says in line 1499, "And I weep for you, although I can not see you; contemplating the bitterness of your lives...". He really cares for his daughters and is scared for their futures which is very moving.
Jocasta is a ill-fated and slightly stupid woman. She personally gave Oedipus to the shepherd to kill him, showing that she knew everything. The whole time Oedipus was revealing facts of his past and who he was, Jocasta realized only when the messenger came. She did not realize the Oedipus had scarred feet, or that he had a prophecy that he was to kill his father and lay with his mother, the same prophecy that her child had. Jocasta also married the man who saved Thebes without knowing him well enough.
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ReplyDeleteTragedy is a drama that is based apon the suffering of its characters and story. A tragedy is also the downfall of a character or group of characters trough a story after they have experienced long term sucess. For example, Oedipus. He becomes king, but then loses everything when he finds out that his prophecy has come true.
ReplyDeleteI think the most important part of this play is when Jocasta realizes the horror she is a part of. It is unclear when she uncovers the truth, but when she does things only go downhill. Jocasta may have known the truth throughout her life and the guilt is just now breaking her down, or she may be naive enough to just now realize Oedipus is her son. I think that the moment Jocasta begins to unravel the truth is when Oedipus tells her of his prophecy as a boy. He left his home because he did not want it to come true, just like Laius attempted to avoid his prophecy from coming true. When Jocasta is revealed the horror that is bestowed upon her, she can no longer bare to live with the truth. The truth can only hurt at this point which is why she ends her life. The death of Oedipus's wife is only the beginning of the tragic disaster his life becomes. I think Jocasta uncovering the truth is the most important moment because it foreshadows the Oedipus becoming blind from the truth.
ReplyDeleteI do take pity on Oedipus because the gods gave him this fate. He was destined for failure. He was a caring and great leader. He didn’t know that the person he killed was his real father, and he also didn’t know that the women he married were his mother. He did everything he could to avoid this prophecy. He left his kingdom where he was raised so that he would not kill his own father and marry his mother. He never knew who his true parents were until the end of the play. After he found out that he was the one who killed Laius he still wanted to carry out the things he said before he knew who the killer was. He did this because he wants to say the city from the curse. He wanted to get punish for what he did.
ReplyDeleteI do pity Oedipus for his misfortune. Unlike many of the tragedies we hear today, Lance Armstrong, Oedipus fell into this crazy life; whereas Lance Armstrong took drugs to better enhance his performance, and then cover it up. I pity Oedipus because he does not know what he has done wrong, and that he searches for the truth. There is little to no chance that Oedipus could have known about what was going on around him. Any belief that the person he killed was his father, or that Jocasta was his mother, would have been pushed out of Oedipus’ mind by sheer ignorance. In that same way, I do not pity Jocasta. Jocasta knew Oedipus was her son, whether it was a “mother’s intuition” or when she started to piece it together later does not matter because she tried to cover it up. I pity those who search for the truth, not those who try to cover it up.
ReplyDeleteI also pity Oedipus because of his ignorance. Though Oedipus did try to stop the prophecy, by moving away from where he thought was his home city, he did not once question himself until all the facts pointed to him, and were repeated several times. He had slain the sphinx and given himself a god complex believing he was above the prophecies, and I pity him for this.
In the end, I pity Oedipus because once the truth came out, he did not run or hide it, and he took responsibility. Once Oedipus found out what he had done, he went and blinded himself. I believe that not a single person in that town would have made him do that in punishment. Oedipus did not try to hide the truth nor did he wait for the town to respond for punishment. Oedipus did one of the manliest and honorable things that I don’t believe I could have done, he blinded himself. The fact that Oedipus choose a life of darkness, and having to go through the pain of gouging his eyes out, made me both respect, and pity Oedipus.
Tragedy, in plays, is a series of misfortunate events, all very preventable, yet for some trick of fate or luck happen to line up perfectly in order to cause ultimate destruction. It's designed to make the readers wince in their seats and tear at their hair in frustration going, "If only I could tell them what I know!" Similarly, in real life, tragedy is a preventable misfortunate event, but unlike in plays, the audience is allowed to respond and act along with the actors. And when we observe the tragedy and fail to prevent it from happening the next time-well, that's the real tragedy. Because unlike the actors, we know exactly what's going on. Take the recent outbreak of school shootings. These should have people racing to get gun control laws passed-and some are. But there are so many people, despite the number of young lives we are losing, who are so adamant about their rights being respected that they don't even care. That is the real tragedy.
ReplyDeletePity is a sympathetic feeling for the distress of others (Merriam-Webster) . Oedipus Rex elicits pity in Sophocles play. How can you not feel bad for the guy? First of all, he was abandoned as an infant, to be brought up by a fantastic family in another kingdom. When he is older he hears of his prophecy and because he loves his family so much, he chooses to escape the horror of his fate and family. On the trip of fleeing, part of his prophecy comes true. As the series of unfortunate events continue and Oedipus Rex finds out his prophecy in fact did come true, you cannot blame him. He didn’t know!Even thought he obviously feels bad for himself, wouldn’t you feel bad for yourself too? You were escaping from something so you wouldn’t ruin your family, but instead of ruining his adoptive family - whom he thought was his real family - he ruined his true family. Not only did he ruin his parent’s lives, his children, long after himself is dead, will have to live with the fact that Oedipus was a monster. Not only was he being a good guy by trying to flee from his family, he was a hero because he saved the people of Thebes! He was so honorable, and such a role model, only to have everything he knew and loved come crashing down in so little time. Again, how could you not feel bad for the guy? I know I do.
ReplyDeleteI do pity Oedipus. I'm sure many would say, "How could you pity someone who killed another human being and was so cowardly about accepting his punishment?" Well I'd say he was doomed from the beginning. There's no way to get around a prophecy, and that was Oedipus's dilemma. If he had a choice between killing his father and not killing his father, then I'd agree with what many would say which is "How can you pity him?" But since Oedipus's life was laid out for him as soon as he was born, I pity him and believe that it sort of sucks to be deemed a killer as soon as you're born. The prophecy said that Oedipus would be a hero first (saving the town from the Sphinx), and then he would be a killer (murdering his father, so that he could marry his mother).
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