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Position:Home>History> I am doing an essay on Oedipus the King... help!?Question: I am doing an essay on Oedipus the King!.!.!. help!!? I have to analyse the character of Oedipus from his speech in lines 245 to 314 where Oedipus is declaring how he is going to save Thebes by exiling the man who killed Laius!. In the passage he explains how he will solve all Thebes problems and states that if he had been king when Laius died he would have solved the mystery straight away and prevented the plague!. Any help on points I could use or on the essay structure would be greatly appreciated!Www@QuestionHome@Com
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: It might be as well to say, by way of introduction, that character (though it is of course there) is not central to Greek tragedy!. Aristotle says, in 'The Poetics' (his lecture notes for a course on Greek tragedy), that the aim of tragedy is not a type of man, but a type of happening!. He is talking, of course, about the development of the plot from an initially stable situation via a trigger event, through to the final nemesis and a new stability!. The point that tragedy (and theatre in general) is about events, not personalities, was made more recently (in the 1960s) by Arnold Wesker, who said "The theatre is where you go to see things happen!." The whole point of the speech you cite is not character, but irony!. The speech has two meanings - one for those on the stage, who are ignorant of much of the situation: the other for the audience who are not so ignorant!. The audience knew when they went into the theatre that the story ends with Oedipus blind and exiled!. They know, as Oedipus cannot, that he was king (by right of inheritance) as soon as Laios died!. They know too, as he does not, who has brought the curse on his city!. The speech induces pity (for the speaker) and apprehension: his boastful words will make the catastrophe, when it comes, more painful!. Now pity and fear (Aristotle says, in my view rightly,) are the emotions characteristically aroused by a tragedy!. As for the character - well, self-confidence, carried as far as boastfulness; devotion to duty - the duty of caring for his people; openness (he is willing to be accountable to the chorus, who represent the people of Thebes); honesty; conventionality!. All this is there, but as I say the main thrust of the speech is not the character or psychology of Oedipus!. It is dramatic in the two ways I outlined above!. It marks a stage in the plot - where the tragic hero, blinded by his own feelings and experience, has lost touch with the greater reality which is going to destroy him - and it is heavily ironic, involving the audience's awareness and feelings in this remorseless process!. Hope this helps!.Www@QuestionHome@Com from what i can remember, Oedipus' proclamation in this whole passage covers the theme of irony!. You need to consider, why is irony so important in this play!? If you go back to the prophecies which were foretold to Laius and Jocasta, when their son Oedipus was born, the whole 'irony' theme will make sense!. This man that Oedipus wants to exile for killing Laius, is actually Oedipus himself (however he is unaware)!. He killed Laius the former king, unknowingly to him, thinking he was a stranger trying to rob him!. This again is where the prophecy i mentioned earlier will come handy for you, to go back on!. I hope this lil bit of info will help you in your essay writing!. Good luckWww@QuestionHome@Com |