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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 3 page essay that discusses this passage from the classic Greek drama Oedipus the King by Sophocles, which hinges on the prediction of the Oracle that he will murder his father and marry his mother. The audience knows the ending, knows that Oedipus' fate is inevitable, therefore, the task before Sophocles, as a playwright, is how to introduce a sense of tension into the well-known drama that can underscore the tragic nature of the story. He achieves this through such devices as in lines 954-997, which is a passage that makes it appear to Oedipus that he has managed to thwart the dire prediction. No additional sources cited.
Page Count:
3 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_khoed954.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
mother. The audience knows the ending, knows that Oedipus fate is inevitable, therefore, the task before Sophocles, as a playwright, is how to introduce a sense of tension into the
well-known drama that can underscore the tragic nature of the story. He achieves this through such devices as in lines 954-997, which is a passage that makes it appear to
Oedipus that he has managed to thwart the dire prediction. The scene opens with Jocasta, his wife/mother, praying before Apollo for some way of "healing" the people, making them
all "free from guilt" (line 954). The next lines indicate that the ship of state is at a loss because its "good ships pilot" is "panic-struck and lost" (line 956).
First of all, there is a sense of irony to Jocastas prayer because it is, indeed, answered, as the people are washed free of guilt and healed by learning the
truth about Oedipus. It is an answer to her prayer that Jocasta would have never sought, but nevertheless, it is an answer. Also, the metaphor in these lines, which compares
Oedipus to the pilot of a ship, is very apt because it was believed that the ruler was the embodiment of the people. With Oedipus in a panic, the entire
city is in turmoil. The next several lines have a messenger enter and inquire as to Oedipus home and whereabouts. The Chorus informs the messenger that Oedipus house lies before
him and that the woman he sees is his wife and "mother of his children" (line 961). Social pleasantries are exchanged between Jocasta and the messenger and she inquires as
to his message. The messenger says that he comes from Corinth and that the news he bears will bring both joy and sorrow (lines 969-70). Jocasta inquires as to what
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