Sophocles' "Oedipus Rex"

Paper Summary:

The paper relates that Sophocles' work, "Oedipus Rex", is one of the essential myths of mankind and is so fundamental that it transcends and defies any strictly literary interpretation. The paper focuses on the extraordinary coincidences that form the plot of the play and shows how this work is an unanswerable riddle. The paper concludes that unlike another deviation or tragic situation that would probably only cause disgust, it is appreciated and re-used by culture precisely because of its mythical and highly esthetic quality.

From the Paper:

"Sophocles' work is at once the paragon of the Greek classical tragedy, one of the essential myths of mankind and a great esthetic achievement. Furthermore, the too well-known plot has been made by Freud into a landmark theory of psychoanalysis. The power of the Oedipus story then comes from the archetypical and riddle-like significance of the events described. The work is so fundamental that it transcends and defies any strictly literary interpretation. The extraordinary and ineluctable coincidence which forms the plot of the play is the core of its fundamental significance. The tragedy knows no respite and no resolution for itself; it is an unanswerable riddle, where all the elements converge at different points. The story is at once paradoxical and uncongenial with any simple interpretation."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Green, Janet. A review of Oedipus Rex, in the Explicator, Vol. 52, no. 1, Fall, 1993, pp. 2-3. Reprinted in Drama for Students, Vol. 1.
• Hamilton, Victoria. Narcissus and Oedipus: The Children of Psychoanalysis. London: Karnac Books, 1999.
• Hogan, James. A Commentary on the Plays of Sophocles. Illinois: Illinois University Press, 1997.
• "Oedipus the King". http://ablemedia.com/ctcweb/netshots/oedipus.htm
• Sophocles. Oedipus Rex trans. by F. Storr. New York: Heritage Press, 1965.

More papers on Sophocles' "Oedipus Rex":

• Book Review # 68947 : "Sophocles' "Oedipus Rex"
• Analytical Essay # 10010 : "Sophocles' "Oedipus Rex"
• Analytical Essay # 88152 : "Oedipus Rex"

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