"Oedipus Rex"

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the Greek tragedy, written by Sophocles, "Oedipus Rex." The paper questions whether Oedipus is the puppet of fate or the creator of his own fate or if he can be a combination of the two. The paper then contrasts the characters, Oedipus with Teiresias. It discusses how Oedipus at the beginning of the play contrasts with the Oedipus at the end. It also looks at the theme of seeing and blindness.

Table of Contents:
The Puppet of Fate or the Creator of His Own Fate
Oedipus Contrasted with Teiresias. Seeing and Blindness in the Play.

From the Paper:

"Oedipus chooses to flee his fate by leaving his parental home. This is an act of free will. However, it is dramatically ironic that by this very attempt to flee, he fulfills the prophesy. Therefore, while he chooses freely to leave his home, he does so without knowing that the people who raised him are not in fact his parents. They however have chosen not to tell him the story of his abandonment and survival as an infant. If they had, they might have averted the disaster. What his adoptive parents choose to do is beyond Oedipus' control, and can therefore be viewed as fate from his point of view - there was nothing that he could do that would change this. Furthermore, it appears that Oedipus' very free will moves him closer to the fate dictated by the prophesy."

More papers on "Oedipus Rex":

• Analytical Essay # 133199 : "Sophoclean Oedipus Complex in "Oedipus Rex" Painting"
• Essay # 71220 : "Oedipus Rex"
• Analytical Essay # 88152 : "Oedipus Rex"
• Comparison Essay # 8869 : "Social Influence in "Lysistrata," "Oedipus Rex" and "A Raisin In The Sun"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: