Monday, January 30, 2017
Oedipus Rex: Blog 4
Choose six very powerful lines from the play, one for each category: plot, character, thought, diction, melody. Note where they appear in the play, so that you can refer to them later: lines that foreshadow later events, lines that reveal a conflict, lines that reveal a character’s personality, lines that explain why a character behaves that way, lives that refer to past events, lines that seem like sage advice. Prepare a brief explication of each of the lines chosen, relating them to the category, to the specific scene in which they appear, and to the work at large. You cannot have the same quotes.
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ReplyDeleteOedipus is a truth seeker. His character wants to discover truth even if it may not be pretty. In scene three Oedipus discovers that Polybus is not his father. He starts to think he was not of noble birth; he thinks he is the son of a slave. Iocaste does no want him to pursue the truth. He says,
"However base my birth, I must know about it(line 157)."
He thought she did not want him to discover the truth, because he might be the son of a slave. Oedipus wants to find out the truth no matter the status of his parents. I think this is a good side to Oedipus, and I think the audience can relate to him. I think there are many people who want to know the truth about things. His search for truth also seems tragic, because the truth is so awful. The story can't have a happy ending.
“Too long been blind to those for whom I was searching!”
ReplyDeleteDiction: A major concept repeated throughout the play is sight and blindness. This is not only in a physical sense as we find out later, but also figuratively as well. This quote from Oedipus refers to his search for the man who killed Laois, which ended up being him. This also intertwines with the fact that he was constantly taking caution to stay away from making the prophecy to come true, but ultimately was unfolding right in front of him the entire time. Later on in the play, after finding his wife/mother dead, Oedipus gouges his eyes out so he no longer has to look upon what he was finally "un-blinded" from. Additionally, Oedipus felt as though he deserved to not die, but live blind and be outcast.
Character Lines 293-295 pg. 1185
ReplyDelete"I must be shunned by all. And I myself pronounced this malediction upon myself!"
Oedipus is ashamed of what he did. He knows now that he killed his father. He doesn't know what else to do except to harm himself and put the whole blame on himself. He doesn't want anyone to interact with him because he did such a bad thing. This quote ties into the plot because it is Oedipus's reaction to killing the king. They have been trying to figure out the killer of the King. Once they finally figure out that Oedipus was the killer, Jocasta kills herself and Oedipus gouges his eyes out because he thinks that he should suffer in pain instead of dying because of what he did. The insight helps us understand the meaning of the plot.
Plot “He shall be proved father and brother both to his own children in his own house; to her that gave him birth, a son and husband both” This is when Teiresias is brought forth to Oedipus in order to give some insight into what Oedipus can do to save his people. He tells him the prophecy that Oedipus has been told before, however, he still refuses to believe it since he is blind to his true origin at this point in time. And the whole play is revolved around this concept of the prophecy that Oedipus shall kill his father and marry his mother. Thus, foreshadowing the turn of events where we learn who Oedipus’ father and mother really are: his current wife and the late king.
ReplyDeleteCharacter Exodos Lines 140-141
ReplyDelete"Do not counsel me any more. This punishment/That I have laid upon myself is just."
Lines such as these reveal the kind of man Oedipus was. Here is a man whose very existence seems cursed. A man who has not intentionally done anything wrong. A man who was once regarded as a hero in this city. Yet, he willingly punishes himself. He blinds and then exiles himself without any prompting or resistance. He does not whine or plead the gods. He simply accepts punishment and leaves to live out the rest of his days.
Diction:
ReplyDeleteCREON: "In this land, said the god; 'who seeks shall find;
Who sits with folded hands or sleeps is blind.'" (109-110)
Essentially, what Creon is saying here is that if Oedipus were to search for more knowledge on why the crime happened, he would find it. On a deeper level, he also includes a reference to sight, meaning that whoever sits idly has no hope of learning the truth. The diction here is powerful, as the play repeatedly references sight and blindness as a way to mean not just physically being able to see, but rather the ability to actually understand the events around them.