An essay on Oedipus: a famous play by Sophocles. It is a Greek tragedy of a man who is destined to kill his father and marry his mother.This was written ages ago, so the writing is pretty c-grade.
Oedipus the King By Sophocles is a play that can be seen as a representation of the people in the society of that time. Sophocles, being an Athenian himself, represented the good Athenian qualities through the main character of the play, Oedipus - the King of Thebes. Oedipus is constructed through a mix of dramatic techniques and inherent values, both good and bad. He is the tragic hero of the play, being a saviour, respectful ruler and king of Thebes, but has his many flaws show he is human - like everyone else, and these flaws emphasizes his good qualities. These qualities can be reflected upon throughout the Athenian society of that time through Sophocles' use of dramatic techniques such as dramatic irony, characterisation, setting and the use of the chorus. Through these dramatic elements, the Athenians are portrayed as noble, loyal and respectful human beings.
The use of dramatic irony in Oedipus helps to show the reader Oedipus good qualities and even his flaws. Dramatic irony is a technique where the audience knows more than the characters. Dramatic irony is useful to portray Oedipus’ good qualities as the audience can anticipate him being the smart one and answering the sphinx’s riddle, and be the saviour of Thebes. The audience knows Oedipus is going to become king and marry his mother, and kill his father, but they also know he was smart enough, and intelligent enough to rule as king and save the people of Thebes. Although he was destined to fulfil his destiny, Oedipus also contains inherent values such as loyalty to his kingdom and respect for his people. He is also smart and intelligent and obviously is fit to rule as king after ruling for fifteen years. These good qualities are emphasized by his flaws – his arrogance and his blindness to his fate. Although he has his flaws, he also has good qualities which make him respectable and noble. These qualities can be seen as a reflection of the Athenians of that time, because Sophocles was an Athenian himself. Oedipus represents the Athenians – he was clever, smart and loyal to his kingdom and a just ruler of Thebes. He saved Thebes from the Sphinx and this reinforces his role as king. “Oedipus great and glorious…we seek your help again…your diligence saved us once…” is a quote from the chorus, reinstating Oedipus as the rightful and deserving king. The audience knows Oedipus becomes king of Thebes, and saves the people from the sphinx, and knows he is only human. He contains qualities true Athenians have, through the use of the technique, dramatic irony.
Characterisation was used throughout this play to portray Oedipus as a noble, loyal, deserving king with qualities and values like that of the Athenians of that time. Oedipus is constructed as a clever and intelligent man who saved Thebes and becomes the king. “But as we truly believe, with the help of God, You gave us back our life,” shows the audience Oedipus was the one the people all depended on and he was the one who could help them and save them. Although he had a torturous destiny he still managed to be a decent, respectful person. Oedipus is constructed as a respectable, noble character, but with a flaw like every other human. His flaws prove he is only human and reinforce his good qualities. Although his downside is his destiny, he proves he is dependable and reliable when people need him. His qualities are inherent and can be seen in the Athenian society of that time. Sophocles uses characterisation to construct Oedipus as Athenian as possible, and show that even though he is human he has good qualities that Athenians have. Oedipus was constructed as a loyal, respectable king who deserved his place in the kingdom. His good qualities can be seen represented in the Athenians in the society of that time. His flaw shows he is still human but it emphasizes his good qualities that are in Athenians.
The use of the technique setting in this paly helps to portray Oedipus a good person with qualities that can be seen in the Athenian society. Oedipus is from a royal heritage, and was always surrounded by royalty. Although he ran away from Corinth from his supposed parents who were king and queen, he became the ruler of Thebes after defeating the sphinx. Oedipus’ royal heritage makes him seem royal and deserving of the kingship at Thebes. His qualities are portrayed as that of royalty and so most of the play is set in the royal courts at Thebes. The setting makes Oedipus seem commanding and the ultimate ruler – no one can question him because he was the king and he was the saviour of Thebes. The setting makes him seem for kingly, and Sophocles constructs the setting to emphasize this so Oedipus good qualities can be seen. The start of the play doesn’t dwell on Oedipus past but rather focuses on the happenings inside the courts of Thebes. His kingship shows his leadership and command he has over Thebes and it reinforces his good qualities such as leadership and concern for his kingdom. These qualities can be reflected on the Athenians of that time and can show that the people are all embodied with royal qualities like leadership and dependability. Sophocles uses the technique of setting effectively to encourage Oedipus good qualities to emphasize his good qualities and represent the Athenian society.
The use of the chorus in Oedipus is a technique Sophocles uses to show the audience Oedipus’s good qualities. The chorus is used to tell the audience what is going on in the play and helps the audience to understand what is happening. They are essential in the play to be the peacemaker and be the one that is on neither side. They give their thoughts on the events and help the audience to form a judgement of Oedipus. “He faced the winged enchantress, And stood to the test, winning golden opinions. Never therefore, will I consent to think him other than good,” is a quote in Oedipus that shows he deserves his kingship and that although his destiny is bad, he is still a good person at heart. They are often the peacemakers in the play that tell the audience to think about Oedipus’ good qualities and that his destiny was entirely the fault of the gods. They often come to the defence of Oedipus, and help to even the accusations upon him. He saved the kingdom once, and he will do it again – is what the chorus says. The chorus helps to show Oedipus in a good light rather than a bad one, and emphasize his good qualities. They show the audience he is human and that even he has flaws. His good qualities can be seen portrayed in Oedipus through to the Athenian society and the use of the chorus emphasizes that he couldn’t help his destiny from coming true and that he is human like everyone else. The use of the chorus positions the audience to feel Oedipus is a good king and that although his destiny could not be helped he was intelligent and that even he could be a good person. The good qualities inherent to him can be reflected upon Athenian society through Sophocles use of the chorus.
Through the use of these techniques, Sophocles manages to represent Athenian society through Oedipus good characteristics. Although he is burdened with a destiny he cannot escape, he was still a good person and these good qualities can be seen through the use of various dramatic techniques. The qualities can be reflected upon the Athenian society of that time. Oedipus was only human and the techniques show although he was royalty and king, he still had his flaws and his ultimate destiny. He was made out to be a bad person but Sophocles uses dramatic techniques to show that he was a good person at heart and that humans always have their flaws.