HERES MY OEDIPUS PROJECT.
John Saggese UH3
Oedipus project:
1.
“Quickly my children/ up
from the steps take up your branches now/ one of you summon the city here
before us/ tell them I’ll do everything. God help us. We will see our
triumph-or our fail”(160-164).
Oedipus calls the priests
his children as a term of endearment. He is saying he is the provider and
protector of the priests. The priests are scared and praying while Oedipus is
like don’t be worried, I’ll fix this. Then he goes on to tell the priests to
tell the city he will change this bad time. He will turn everything
around. He’s basically making a promise
that he will make the city great or die trying. However he says the words “our
fail” as if the city will fail as a result of Oedipus decisions. Our fail implies
that other people had part in his decisions where as he was alone in them. One
weird thing about this quote is Oedipus calls on god as in the almighty god not
Zeus. He says god help us not may the gods help us. So this gets me thinking
that Sophocles is imprinting his own faith on the reader
LEADER
You are good man gentle and
kind
A better man you cannot find
Oedipus rules with
compassion and love
Your soul white and pure as
a dove
You care and respect your
fellow man
Of your good deeds I am a
fan
I trust and love you
Oh great mighty ruler
Your soul is a gem and I the
jeweler
2.
“You mock my blindness? Let
me tell you this / you with your precious eyes / you’re blind to corruption of
your life, to the house you live in, those you live with / who are your
parents? Do you know? All unknowing / you are the scourge of your own flesh and
blood (468-474).
Here Tiresias acts like a
father figure to Oedipus who is acting like a child. Oedipus called Tiresias a
blind fool and Tiresias responded with something an adult would say. Tiresias
responds by saying, “let me tell you this” which in my experience is something
an adult who is fed up would say to a child who crossed the line. Tiresias is a
father who is about to “school” his child. Then Tiresias goes on to explain how
wrong Oedipus is. He is teasing Oedipus with knowledge of the truth the reason
why Oedipus lashed out is because Tiresias wouldn’t tell him the truth. Which
is something a child would do. A child would throw a temper tantrum when it
doesn’t get what it wants, which is what Oedipus does when Tiresias doesn’t
tell him the truth of his birth.
To me this shows how Oedipus
is a child and how Tiresias is a more mature and better person than Oedipus.
Oedipus lashes out and rather than attack him physically Tiresias dismantles
Oedipus with his knowledge. Oedipus doesn’t know what Tiresias knows and this
hurts Oedipus so when Tiresias gives Oedipus little pieces of information to
torment him, I applaud Tiresias. First off Oedipus is rude for making fun of
someone who is blind secondly Tiresias reacts like “oh yeah well you don’t even
know what going happen. What will rain down upon you”. So I feel that Tiresias
is a better person and Oedipus is just an immature kid.
3.
“When my enemy moves against
me quickly/ plots in secret. I must move quickly too. I must/ I plot and pay
him back. Relax my guard a moment/ awaiting his next move-he wins his
objective/ I lose mine… No I want you dead” (693-705).
Oedipus Truly hates the
killer of Lias. This hate blinds him and makes him believe that Creon is the murder
because Creon didn’t find the murderer. Oedipus starts to become frantic and
sees enemies everywhere. Even if his enemies don’t exist. He sees an enemy
behind every corner. Also Oedipus believes he is playing a game of chess with
the murderer. He believes that every move the killer makes he must counter and
never let his guard down. He needs to stay alive and by doing so he continues
to play the game until either of them is dead. The objective for Oedipus is to
stay alive. Both he and his enemy the killer wants to say alive. So if either
one of them relaxes and lets their guard down they will perish and lose the
game.
Oedipus is really
aggravating me. He is taking this unknown enemy thing too far. Granted that his
life depends on it but he doesn’t need to execute a loyal man just based off
suspicion. He needs some real evidence before he can make a real claim that
Creon is the enemy. Oedipus is just a scared man, and since he jumps to
conclusion I feel he doesn’t deserve to be king. He isn’t using his mind which
is why I feel he needs to let Creon rule.
4.
“People of Thebes, my
countrymen, look on Oedipus. He solved the famous riddle with his brilliance,
he rose to power, a man beyond all power. Who could behold his greatness
without envy? Now what a black sea of terror has overwhelmed him. Now as we
keep our watch and wait the final day, count no man happy till he dies, free of
pain at last. (1678-1684).
Here the chorus is
concluding the book story. They end by recapping the life of Oedipus. Oedipus
solved the riddle of the sphinx to rise to power. He became Thebes’ savior and
they respected him as such. Oedipus started as the savior but is now suffering
from depression and a horrible fate. He was so high and now is so low. He was
once a great man but now has fallen so far. And its all due to his character
flaws. His pride his aggression and all of his characteristics have led him to
this point.
I don’t feel sorry for
Oedipus. He’s caused pain and suffering all in his quest for knowledge. He’s caused
misery to his mother/ lover. His children will forever be scared and will be
outcasts. So I feel no pity, he tried to find out the truth but was warned. He
blamed Creon and tried to have him killed. So Oedipus deserves what he got.
QUEEN
How could you love someone who was unknown to you?
You were thrown away like garbage but yet you pulled thru
But you were hasty to judge and too quick to discover
When you should have left it alone. This is your entire
blunder
But now you beg for mercy and pity too
But no one will care about the plague that is you.
You poisoned Thebes and caused so much pain
It was your pride and insecurity not to mention you’re vain
You’re a horrible man with no future or eyes
You clawed them out when you saw between your mother’s
thighs
I feel no pity for you and your children
You blamed your people both men and women
You made love to Jocasta and now she is dead
While you are left here with eyes that bleed red
So leave Thebes Oedipus, go on and scatter
You can leave or die and I hope you choose the latter.
SYNTHESIS:
Sophocles
clearly outlines that power and the fear of losing power causes people to make
false judgments. Oedipus is a king and a very good one at that. However when he
starts to wonder who killed the former king, Lias, his mind becomes unhinged.
He goes to speak to an Oracle and the oracle tells him that the murderer is
someone who is close to Oedipus and “someone who lives at his house.” Oedipus
becomes judgmental and suspicious of everyone. He even calls Creon’s loyalty
into question, when he doesn’t find the killer. Creon explains himself by
saying “we did our best, of course, discovered nothing” (633). But Oedipus
loses control and still suspects him: “When my enemy moves against me quickly/
plots in secret. I must move quickly too. I must/ I plot and pay him back.
Relax my guard a moment/ awaiting his next move-he wins his objective/ I lose
mine… No I want you dead” (693-705).
Oedipus is saying that by not finding the killer and by not doing his
job Creon must be the killer and Oedipus wants him to be held responsible for
the death of Lias. Oedipus is so scared of dying and losing his power that he
is willing to kill someone based only off of his inability to find the killer.
Oedipus is not in the right state of mind. He accuses one of his most loyal
family members of being the killer merely off of wild accusations. Therefore
the fear of losing his power makes Oedipus scared and Irrational. Sophocles
clearly shows hoe judgment can be distorted when under the impression of losing
power. After all Power corrupts, and who
has more power than the king?
Sophocles. Oedipus the King. The Three Theban Plays. Trans. Robert Fagles. New York: Penguin
Classics, 1984. Print.
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