Wednesday, October 16, 2019
An Ancient Tragedy Oedipus King Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words
An Ancient Tragedy Oedipus King - Essay Example This is because; it utilizes the universal literary devices in a very effective manner. As will discuss, in this paper. The play is about a young boy, and his parents. The boyââ¬â¢s name is Oedipus. He was the son of a king (Laius). The king finds an oracle, which was predicting the fate of his son. The oracle was foretelling that the kingââ¬â¢s life would be taken away by his own son, who would then take over his wife. The sonââ¬â¢s sole intention of killing his father was to marry his own mother; due to this, when Oedipus was born, the king tied his legs and discarded him on a mountain, with a hope that nature would take over the role of eliminating him from the world. This was a strategic manner, of preventing the oracleââ¬â¢s prophecy from taking place. Unfortunately, the young boy did not die. He was saved by a shepherd and landed on another kingââ¬â¢s palace (King Polybus). Polybus was the king of Corinth. When the shepherd handed him Oedipus, the king took him i n whole heartedly, as he did not have a son of his own. Oedipus grew up believing that Polybus was his real father. However, as time passed, Oedipus began questioning his parentage. He decided to consult with Delphic god and heard some word leading him to Laius. He fled from his foster fatherââ¬â¢s house. During his flee; he unwillingly murdered his real father. Coincidentally, when he went to Thebes, he answered a riddle correctly. This earned him a ticket to the bereaved kingââ¬â¢s house. He took over the kingship and married the kingââ¬â¢s wife. They were very successful in life and bore children. However, there came a great calamity in the town. On consulting the oracle, it was realized that he there was blood guiltiness. Oedipus denounced the crime, as he was not aware of it. He puts his foot forward to track the person responsible for the crime. Gradually, the play reveals that Oedipus is the man responsible for his own fatherââ¬â¢s death. One of the major themes o f this play is the theme of fate. To begin with, the oracle to Laius states clearly Laiusââ¬â¢ fate; ââ¬Å" he would demise a victim, at his sonââ¬â¢s hands.â⬠(711-714). In addition, Oedipus says ââ¬Å"I was destined to sleep with my motherâ⬠¦I was fated to take the life of my fatherâ⬠(791-793). Both oracles show that fate was the determinants of the main characters life, and so they could do nothing about it. The theme of fate and fortune recurs in many parts of the play. For instance, fortune made it possible for Oedipus life to be saved from the mountains. Fate made Oedipus start questioning his parentage and made him flee away from his foster fatherââ¬â¢s house. The killing of his real father was an act of fate. The manner in which Oedipus came to sleep with his own mother can only be explained by fate. It is also fate that led Oedipus, to his real fatherââ¬â¢s kingdom. Most incidences in the play are beyond human understanding and can only be expla ined as destiny. Fate is a common theme amongst many Greek writings. The writer of this play was not an exception and utilized this theme perfectly. This theme helps explain things that are beyond human understanding, and hence is considered as a very strong literature device. Another theme of the play is that of freewill. The play reflects that humanââ¬â¢s freewill has its own limit. As much as human beings have a desire for things to go according to their own wish, it is not always possible to accomplish this. For
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