The Riddle Of The Sphinx How Oedipus Was Destroyed By...

The Riddle of the Sphinx: How Oedipus was Destroyed by Knowledge Tiresias the prophet questions the value of pursuing knowledge and Oedipus angrily respond to his questions: OEDIPUS. Thou lov st to speak in riddles and dark words. TEIRESIAS. In reading riddles who so skilled as thou? OEDIPUS. Twit me with that wherein my greatness lies. TEIRESIAS. And yet this very greatness proved thy bane (Sophocles 439-442). Throughout Sophocles’s great work, Oedipus the King, Sophocles raises questions regarding of the value of knowledge and its effect on individuals. In the play, Oedipus solves the riddle of the Sphinx, frees the people of Thebes and becomes their King, but only after unknowingly having killed his own father. Oedipus’s lack of knowledge of this fact and his subsequent discovery due to his constant searching drive the play and reveal various ideas regarding the human condition. Various stages of Oedipus’s tragic journey reveal that his knowledge of his lineage and his success can be interpreted through the riddle of the sphinx and on a larger scale illustrated the need for human curiosity to be satiated, no matter the cost. The story of Oedipus was one widely known in the Greek world and thus required no introduction to the Athenians who had watched the play during the Festival of Dionysus, however Oedipus’s story begins much before the play Oedipus the King lifted the curtain. As a child Oedipus was abandoned by his father, Laius, and mother, Jocasta, the rulers ofShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Play Oedipus The King 963 Words   |  4 PagesMidterm Paper â€Å" No, man s knowledge here can go beyond his experience.† John Locke. Knowledge is definitely power. To have power over anyone or anything out †¨there you must know what you are doing. Knowledge gives you options, Knowledge enables bigger and better weapons. A sense of higher status. Very often will you find knowledge allows one to recognize opportunity. One character in the play Oedipus the King, Tiresias carries a great sense of knowledge. That he knows how to stay humble with. WhichRead MoreOedipus Rex by Sophocles Essay1829 Words   |  8 PagesOedipus Rex by Sophocles In Sophocles Oedipus the King which is a tragic play, which discusses the tragic discovery that Oedipus has killed his father and married his mother. Oedipus is the embodiment of the perfect Athenian. He is self-confident, intelligent, and strong willed. Ironically these are the very traits which bring about his tragic discovery. Oedipus gained the rule of Thebes by answering the riddle of The Sphinx. Sophocles used the riddle of The Sphinx as a metaphor forRead MoreA Comparison Between King Lear and Oedipus1649 Words   |  4 PagesAristotle defined his ideas in the Poetics, which presents Oedipus as an ultimate tragic hero. There is a obvious link between the two characters in that blindness – both literal and metaphorical – is a strong theme in the stories. Issues of self-recognition and self-knowledge are significant for Oedipus as well as King Lear. For Aristotle, Reversal, Recognition and Suffering are key elements in a complex tragedy. The human instinct to seek knowledge of and to know an individual’s character is essentialRead MoreEssay on Blindness and Sight - Lack of Vision in Oedipus The King910 Words   |  4 PagesBlindness in Oedipus The King (Rex) What is sight? Is it just the ability to recognize one’s surroundings or is there more? Is it knowledge? Is it understanding? Can a blind man see? Can the sighted be blind? And beyond, when the truth is too terrible, do we choose not to see? The phrase too see has so very many connotations. One meaning is to know or to understand and the other is based on the physical aspects of things. As humans, we are distracted by the physical world, which causes usRead MoreLael Pagano. Professor Crews. Eng 205: Literature Of The1239 Words   |  5 PagesWorld 25 February 2017 A Profile on the Blind Sinner How can one commit a life that’s dedicated to self-righteousness, incest, and murder? Scripture reveals that sinners’ â€Å"hearts† become â€Å"insensitive† to their evil deeds as â€Å"their ears† grow â€Å"dull and their eyes dim† (New American Standard Bible, Isa. 6:10). A sinner blinded by his own thinking and intellect is unaware of certain consequences and his instability until he’s convicted. Like Oedipus, his luxurious life as king of Thebes contributed toRead More Blindness and Sight - Sight Versus Insight in Oedipus the King (Oedipus Rex)1357 Words   |  6 PagesSight Versus Insight in Oedipus the King      Ã‚  Ã‚   Anyone who has common sense will remember that the bewilderments of the eye are of two kinds, and arise from two causes, either from coming out of the light or from going into the light,which is true of the minds eye, quite as much as the bodily eye; and he who remembers this when he sees anyone whose vision is perplexed and weak, will not be too ready to laugh; he will ask whether that soul of man has come out of the brighter life, and is unableRead MoreThe Tragic Hero Of Oedipus The King1528 Words   |  7 Pagesaudience and appeal to their emotions. King Oedipus demonstrates all of these qualities and exemplifies Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero. Oedipus the King was written by Sophocles, one of the most famous writers of ancient Greek tragedies. He is known for adding a third actor to the plays as well as being the first playwright to add scenery to the set. Oedipus the King is believed to have first been performed in 425 B.C. in Greece. It was one of the many plays written by Sophocles thatRead MoreFate vs Free Will in Sophocles ´ Oedipus Rex and Shakespeare ´s Macbeth1487 Words   |  6 Pagesquestion that has never been fully answered. In Sophocles Oedipus Rex and Shakespeares Macbeth, fate is determined by their own choices and free will, the character Macbeth knows of what lies ahead of him, making him alter the present to create his idealistic future, however instead he lives a life of ruins. As for Oedipus his entire actions are based on one prophecy he desperately attempts to avoid which later causes his unintentional demise. Oedipus by Sophocles and Macbeth by Shakespeare are both tragicRead MoreGreek Mythol ogy8088 Words   |  33 PagesGreek  Mythology   I   INTRODUCTION   Temple  of  Apollo  at  Didyma   The  Greeks  built  the  Temple  of  Apollo  at  Didyma,  Turkey  (about  300  bc).  The  temple  supposedly  housed  an  oracle   who  foretold  the  future  to  those  seeking  knowledge.  The  predictions  of  the  oracles,  delivered  in  the  form  of  riddles,   often  brought  unexpected  results  to  the  seeker.  With  Ionic  columns  reaching  19.5  m  (64  ft)  high,  these  ruins   suggest  the  former  grandeur  of  the  ancient  temple.   Bernard  Cox/Bridgeman  Art  Library,  London/New  York   Read MoreFate and Destiny7886 Words   |  32 Pagesown times. In Latin, the word for fate is fatum and derives from the verb meaning â€Å"to speak.† Bollas (1989) notes that a fatum is a prophecy and that a fatus is an oracle. This definition centers on the fact that most knowledge of oneà ¢â‚¬â„¢s fate came through a verbal statement or riddle. Destiny comes from the Latin word Destinare and means â€Å"to fasten down, secure or make firm† (Bollas, 1989). Rollo May (1981) states that destiny means â€Å"to ordain, to devote, to consecrate† and is connected to the word