Title: The Challenges of Crafting Oedipus Rex Thesis Topics

Crafting a compelling thesis on a literary masterpiece like "Oedipus Rex" can be an arduous task that
demands extensive knowledge, critical analysis, and eloquent articulation. Scholars and students
alike often find themselves grappling with the complexities embedded within the narrative, making it
a challenging endeavor to develop insightful and original thesis topics.

One of the primary difficulties encountered is the sheer depth and intricacy of Sophocles' tragic play.
"Oedipus Rex" delves into profound themes such as fate, free will, and the consequences of
unchecked hubris. As a result, formulating a thesis that captures the essence of these multifaceted
concepts requires a thorough understanding of the play and its myriad layers.

Moreover, the extensive body of existing scholarship on "Oedipus Rex" poses another challenge.
Crafting a thesis that stands out amidst the wealth of previous analyses requires a unique perspective
and the ability to identify unexplored facets of the text. Navigating through the vast sea of
interpretations demands time and effort, leaving many students overwhelmed and in need of expert
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In conclusion, the challenge of developing meaningful thesis topics for "Oedipus Rex" should not be
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His plays depict characters caught in unsolvable dilemmas that test their faith in divine and human
justice. Audience more knowledgeable than the characters about their fate Heightened dramatic irony
You need to know the action of the play. Many authorities also credit him with the invention of
scene-painting. Proceed from here, describing the major events of the character’s, or characters’,
lives, up to their death(s). Sophocles is able to achieve this by glossing over the irrelevant parts of the
story and managing to focus more on the emotions that they create. The story, however, reveals that
Oedipus himself alone killed Laius. By continuing we’ll assume you’re on board with our. He also
acknowledges that blindness is not necessarily physical, as he questions the eyes that he could have
used to see. In literature, blindness serves a general significant meaning of the absence of knowledge
and insight. How successful were the programs of the New Deal in solving the problems of the Great
Depression. Had he been less narcissistic and judgmental, he probably might not have killed his
father and married his mother. In addition to his theatrical duties, Sophocles served for many years
as an ordained priest. There are always parallels and similarities; cite passages to show where they
are, and how they occur. In the year 468, sophocles defeated other tragedians in a competition that
was held in the main green city Athens (Wiles 213). Seeing that Oedipus’ arrogance is so strong as a
consequent it led to his downfall. The closer he got to finding the responsible, the closer he got to
his demise. Aristotle defines Oedipus’ hubris as “his excessive pride that causes the hero to ignore a
divine warning break of moral law” (Aristotle 43). This is the beginning stages of Oedipus’s
downfall. OEDIPUS: With what cleansing and for what type of disaster? (110) CREON: By driving
a man into exile, or undoing murder with murder again, since this blood shakes our city like a storm.
Oedipus, who happens to poses god sight, cannot see the truth, but Teiresias, the seer of fate, is
blind. See other similar resources ?3.50 (no rating) 0 reviews BUY NOW Save for later Not quite
what you were looking for. Then, once he really sees reality for what it is, he literally blinds himself.
After a prologue spoken by one or more characters, the chorus enters, singing and dancing. That I
shall never look upon thee more, Never have relish in the faery power Of unreflecting love;—then on
the shore Of the wide world I stand alone, and think, Till Love and Fame to nothingness do sink.
Checklist after writing your essay Types of Literature Essay Topics for Literature Essay Example;
Hamlet. In Oedipus Rex, Sophocles depicts the protagonist Oedipus as a person with good nature,
but with a frail of bad judgment. After she found out that Oedipus discovered the truth, she locked
herself in the bedroom alone and hung herself, “for whom it was impossible to watch, the ending of
her misery (Sophocles 45)”. Aeschylus (Esk-e-lus), for example, had used three tragedies to tell a
single story. Similarly, the play itself works backwards towards a revelatory start: the story has, in
effect, already happened - and Oedipus is forced to discover his own history. First, the people first
put him through shame at the presence of the residents of the city of Thebes because of marrying his
own mother, an incestuous act.
All the above characteristics qualify Oedipus as an ideal tragic hero according to Aristotle’s ideas.
Oedipus then sends for the one surviving witness of the attack to be brought to the palace from the
fields where he now works as a shepherd. Of these, Oedipus the King, or Oedipus Rex, is generally
considered his greatest work. Following a key characteristic of a tragic hero in tragedy, the audience
must respect the tragic hero as a “”larger and better”” version of themselves. Even Julius Ceaser is
known to have written a play about Oedipus, but the play hasn’t survived. Read all The land ruled
by King Oedipus is plagued by ill-fortune and the people are promised relief by the gods if the slayer
of the former king is apprehended and punished. This is 100% legal. You may not submit
downloaded papers as your own, that is cheating. Also you. Nonetheless, he does not deserve his
fate but it is beyond the realms of his control. In order to make the prophecy not come true, Oedipus
left Corinth and traveled far away. By continuing we’ll assume you’re on board with our. Tiresias,
the blind oracle, reveals to Oedipus that he is the killer of the King Laius, his own father (Hall,
2009). The death of King Laius would send a plague to Thebes until his killer was made responsible.
Thinking little of the incident, Oedipus continues his journey and finds himself in the city of Thebes,
which has just recently lost their king and has been beset by a Sphinx who demands sacrifices of
their young men unless someone can answer her riddle: what has one voice and four legs, then two
legs, then three legs. This once again acts as an addition to Aristotle’s concept of hubris. The plot is
perfectly in line with Aristotle’s requirements. When a plague strikes the city, Oedipus goes in search
of the murderer in order to rid of the plague. Our customer service team will review your report and
will be in touch. ?3.50 (no rating) 0 reviews BUY NOW Save for later ?3.50 (no rating) 0 reviews
BUY NOW Save for later Last updated 31 January 2021 Share this Share through email Share
through twitter Share through linkedin Share through facebook Share through pinterest iszyl Not the
right resource. His siblings were also his children, as they were the children of incest. This is an
extraordinary moment because it calls into question the entire truth-seeking process Oedipus believes
himself to be undertaking. The performances are visceral and dangerous, the colors beautiful, the
effect shattering. And although Oedipus cannot escape his fate, he finally finds peace in the sequal,
Oedipus at Colonus, after enduring the worst the fates had to offer. In Oedipus Rex, the story begins
with the city of Thebes afflicted by a plague. Sophocles wrote three plays about the story of Oedipus
and Thebes: Oedipus Rex, Oedipus Colonus, and Antigone. The couple attempts to avoid fate by
abandoning their child. In despair, the sphinx killed herself, and Oedipus received the throne and the
hand of Queen Jocasta for freeing the city of the sphinx. Oedipus makes several bad decisions,
which condemn his to profound suffering. He has written over 123 plays but only 7 are formally
recovered. Scenes then alternate between spoken sections (dialogue between characters, and between
characters and chorus) and sung sections (during which the chorus danced). The ode usually reflects
on the things said and done in the episodes, and puts it into some kind of larger mythological
framework. The character follows all rules, including an anagnorisis, a hamartia, and a peripeteia.
PROLOGUE QUESTION 1: Read the play’s backstory and evaluate the role of FATE vs. A prompt
is a topic you are asked to write about. 4 types of Prompts. Narrative Expository Persuasive
Descriptive. The main cause of depression is the denial of an individual’s own emotional reaction. It
is almost like Oedipus does not want to believe the truth. After the murder of the former King Laius,
the people in the city of Thebes were in pursuit of the murderer of their king to drive him out in order
to save the city from plague, which consequently drive Oedipus to his downfall, or peripeteia
(Literature Articles). This is 100% legal. You may not submit downloaded papers as your own, that is
cheating. Also you. In his attempts to save himself, he opts to blind himself. Since Laius, the former
king, had shortly before been killed, Oedipus has been further honored by marrying Queen Jocasta.
In his book, Poetics, Aristotle introduces us the Tragic Hero; a protagonist of tragedy in dramas. The
servant then exposes the infant on a mountaintop, where he is found and rescued by a shepherd in
some versions, the servant gives the infant to the shepherd. Since the skenes didn’t change, the time
of the play had to take place in a day, sometimes within a few hours. And you also get to see a
boyish William Shatner before he became Captain Kirk (you'll see him in the brief introduction; once
he puts on a mask you'll have no idea which one he is). It s also not really arguable as nobody is
likely to assert that the play is not about fate. He solved the Riddle of the Sphinx, and became loved
in Thebes. Deciding on a topic Asking a question Writing a thesis Statement Researching your topic
Outlining your paper Writing your paper Editing your paper. You are required to use only the
following primary sources: Oedipus Rex, and Oedipus at Colonus, both by the Athenian tragedian
Sophocles. An accomplished actor, Sophocles performed in many of his own plays. Only 10% of
population could participate Women, slaves, and non-citizens excluded. Sophocles. Therefore, his
actions are blind and he does not foresee the pursuit of the identity of his mother as a potential cause
of misery. All the above characteristics qualify Oedipus as an ideal tragic hero according to
Aristotle’s ideas. He settles in Thebes with the perception that he will outsmart the gods. The book
Oedipus Rex by Sophocles is an epitome of the Aristotelian tragedy. Moreover, the tragic character
must pose some degree of greatness and noble stature. In literature, blindness serves a general
significant meaning of the absence of knowledge and insight. Later, Oedipus becomes king after
defeating the Sphinx, that was terrorizing his birth home. It’s a story that highlights the inevitability
of destiny and the devastation that occurs when you try to thwart your fate. Jocasta and Oedipus
had four children: Eteocles, Polynices, Antigone, and Ismene. Greece and Rome. Second Series, Vol.
13, No. 1 pp. 37-49. Retrieved on March 31, 2012, from Hall, E. (2009). Greek Tragedy and the
Politics of Subjectivity in Recent Fiction. Years later, as a high school and college English instructor,
I knew lots about Greek tragedy and this version of Oedipus the King remains one of my favorite
dramatic experiences. Each multiple-choice question corresponds to a particular selection from the
text, promoting opportunities for developing and testing close-reading, critical-thinking, and literary-
analysis skills.
His plays depict characters caught in unsolvable dilemmas that test their faith in divine and human
justice. He also served on the Board of Generals, a committee that administered civil and military
affairs in Athens, and for a time he was director of the Treasury, controlling the funds of the
association of states known as the Delian Confederacy. No Yes Your fate has been decided, but you
try to change it. This thesis discusses the ironic qualities of sophocles oedipus rex. Assess with
respect to TWO of the following: Relief Recovery Reform. Thinking little of the incident, Oedipus
continues his journey and finds himself in the city of Thebes, which has just recently lost their king
and has been beset by a Sphinx who demands sacrifices of their young men unless someone can
answer her riddle: what has one voice and four legs, then two legs, then three legs. The only public
job of importance for a woman was as a religious priestess. After rising to power and marrying the
queen of his new home, Thebes, he learns that he has done exactly what he had hoped to avoid. The
main cause of depression is the denial of an individual’s own emotional reaction. In order to bring
out these strong feelings, Aristotle notes the characteristics that which a tragic hero consists of and
the “”type of role a tragic hero must play. Sophocles wrote three plays about the story of Oedipus
and Thebes: Oedipus Rex, Oedipus Colonus, and Antigone. Think about the “olden days” of
television, when there were live studio audiences. “I Love Lucy” is a great example. After the truth
of his actions is revealed, Oedipus is at a figurative crossroads between death and banishment.
However, a shepherd comes to the rescue and Oedipus survives the predicament. Remember that
even though audience members knew the whole story, they enjoyed watching the play. What events,
or details, are shared between these heroes, or the gods, in the other stories. Read all The land ruled
by King Oedipus is plagued by ill-fortune and the people are promised relief by the gods if the slayer
of the former king is apprehended and punished. The theme reoccurs again as another oracle tells
Oedipus of the already prophesized action of his parents. He solved the Riddle of the Sphinx, and
became loved in Thebes. This conflict in the drama “ oedipus rex ” constitutes of the conflict
between various facets of Oedipus. Oedipus then sends for the one surviving witness of the attack to
be brought to the palace from the fields where he now works as a shepherd. Oedipus is then exiled
from the city, expressing “to Gods, above all men, I am a mark for hat (Sophocles 53)”. Is English
Colonialism presented in a negative light in both novels. Second, Oedipus believes he is the son of
Polybus and Merope, the King and Queen of Corinth. CREON: My lord, once Laius was our leader
in this land, before you came to govern this city. (115) OEDIPUS: So I have heard, though I never
saw him. Accordingly, the tragic hero must learn from his judgment mistakes and errors, and become
an example to the audience as a symbol of great people in society who fall from their lofty political
and social positions (Kennedy and Gioia, 2010). This once again acts as an addition to Aristotle’s
concept of hubris. The themes of his story have been taken into consideration for many artists and
scientists, making Oedipus a remarkable character in history. While he is a young man, an oracle, or
someone with the gift of seeing the future, tells Oedipus that his fate is to kill his father and marry his
mother. Athens 5 th Century BCE. “exclusionary democracy”- run by elected officials in the form of
open assembly.
We may argue that Oedipus doe not deserve the terrible fate as it results from his parents actions.
One’s research technique is the same whether one is writing. The major themes in the book are
blindness through ignorance and inescapable fate (Kennedy and Gioia, 2010). Poorer women often
went to the market without a male escort. Starry, starry night.Flaming flowers that brightly
blaze,Swirling clouds in violet haze,Reflect in Vincent's eyes of China blue.Colors changing hue,
morning field of amber grain,Weathered faces lined in pain,Are soothed beneath the artist's loving
hand. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies. Athens 5 th
Century BCE. “exclusionary democracy”- run by elected officials in the form of open assembly. The
only public job of importance for a woman was as a religious priestess. This man is known to only
speak the truth, and when threatened by Oedipus to express that knowledge about the murder, it
leads to a tragedy, rather than enlightenment, in this plot. After rising to power and marrying the
queen of his new home, Thebes, he learns that he has done exactly what he had hoped to avoid. By
using motifs, Sophocles can fill his stories with recurring ideas that support and clarify the themes.
As these actions culminate, they cause Oedipus to satisfy his fate inadvertently. Oedipus’ negligence
in accepting responsibility, along with his surplus of pride leads to his refusal in accepting the truth
and instead opts to blame others. It is evident that over the years the classic tragedy has experienced
changes in its definition and in its idea of conflict. After the murder of the former King Laius, the
people in the city of Thebes were in pursuit of the murderer of their king to drive him out in order to
save the city from plague, which consequently drive Oedipus to his downfall, or peripeteia
(Literature Articles). If your chosen text displays a different title, but still deals with the exile of
Oedipus and the death of Jocasta, you are reading the right work. Remember that even though
audience members knew the whole story, they enjoyed watching the play. This conflict in the drama
“ oedipus rex ” constitutes of the conflict between various facets of Oedipus. Therefore the result of
hubris led him to a tragic fate. What are some benefits of having these “live studio audiences”. It
also incorporates anagnorisis and peripeteia, particularly evident with Oedipus seeking to identify the
person who murdered Laius and discovering that it was himself. Note particularly the character,
Tiresias, who clearly knows more than he's letting on. Once learning his fate, he then runs away from
“”home. No Yes Your fate has been decided, but you try to change it. Prophets or seers, like blind
Tiresias, saw visions of things to come. In this regard therefore, Oedipus hamartia is his belief that he
can outsmart his oracle, which is literary impossible no matter the situation. Next, provide an account
of their childhood up to adolescence. At first, it may seem bizarre, but when you understand that you
are being transported 2000 years into the past and watching drama being born out of religious ritual,
you can sense the raw power of watching arrogant Oedipus fall into ruin. The story, however, reveals
that Oedipus himself alone killed Laius. Interestingly, the theme of blindness occurs to Oedipus both
metaphorically and physically.
That I shall never look upon thee more, Never have relish in the faery power Of unreflecting
love;—then on the shore Of the wide world I stand alone, and think, Till Love and Fame to
nothingness do sink. It is Oedipus’ actions that bring things into motion, but it is his fate, pride and
his hamartia, as he relentlessly wants the truth, that lead him to his downfall. The play's interesting
plot, along with the incredible way it is written are only two of the many reasons why two thousand
years later, it is still being read and viewed. Even though we are sickened by the tragic life of
oedipus and the other characters we are still able to appreciate the ironic characteristics of the play
itself. The character follows all rules, including an anagnorisis, a hamartia, and a peripeteia. After she
found out that Oedipus discovered the truth, she locked herself in the bedroom alone and hung
herself, “for whom it was impossible to watch, the ending of her misery (Sophocles 45)”. Parts of
Literature Essay How to Write Literature Essay. One may correctly argue that all the episodes in the
story are relevant and essential. Introduction The book Oedipus Rex by Sophocles is an epitome of
the Aristotelian tragedy. After rising to power and marrying the queen of his new home, Thebes, he
learns that he has done exactly what he had hoped to avoid. Topic sentences 4. Organization 5.
Support 6. Introduction 7. Conclusion. Pre-Write: Table of Contents. The situations encompass
scenes of suffering and of painful actions. Early in the play, when the cause of the plague is
identified, Oedipus gives a passionate speech praying to the gods that the murderer may suffer a fate
worse than death. In Oedipus’ case, his downfall is where he finally realizes that his prophecy of
“self-slain” (Sophocles 44) was predestined to occur. Writing for a variety of purposes, audiences,
and forms.. On-Demand Assessment. K-PREP. The legend was well-known to all who attended the
play. The Greeks believed that this sin was grave and one of the most dangerous because people with
such pride thought that they were above the Gods. In fear of killing Polybus, Oedipus left Corinth
and never returned. Shadows on the hills,Sketch the trees and the daffodils,Catch the breeze and the
winter chills,In colors on the snowy linen land. How does each narrator view native African culture.
This means giving specific, quoted citations as evidence for an event. He would go on to win
eighteen first prizes, and he would never fail to take at least second. Throughout the development of
the plot, the audience clearly sees how Oedipus perceives himself and his actions, first with
confidence, then uncertainty and finally horror. That way, Oedipus fulfilled the first part of the
prophecy. Therefore, his actions are blind and he does not foresee the pursuit of the identity of his
mother as a potential cause of misery. Grandiosity essentially refers to the condition when a person
admires his qualities and himself, including qualities such as talents, cleverness, beauty,
achievements, and success (Hall, 2009). As Oedipus prophesied, the two brothers killed each other
fighting for the throne. And this Sphinx was apparently not the one at Giza, in Egypt. Assess with
respect to TWO of the following: Relief Recovery Reform. After reading or viewing this play, it is
apparent that there are a few different themes, though the one which will be discussed in this essay
is the theme of blindness.