Analysis of Oedipus the King by Sophocles - Essay Example

Essay, Philosophy Theme The Authority of the Unrecorded Law is one of the important themes of Oedipus Rex by Sophocles. On conquering Thebes after defeating Polynices Creon orders that Polynices should not be buried so that his flesh is left to rot and eaten by dogs and birds, creating an obscene scene for everyone to view. Polynices is the traitor and the enemy of the state as such Creon strongly believes that he deserves that treatment. Security of the state is the primary requirement for humankind, religion, family life and for the proper and peaceful existence. According to Creon the good of the state is supreme, and takes precedence on all other duties and values. But as it is revealed in the concluding part of the play some duties are fundamental, and even the interest of the state and its laws are subservient to it. The duty to bury the dead concerns humanity and it has nothing to do with the existing law or ruling by any authority. It is the moral duty that derives authority from the unrecorded law. The Parameters of Free Will is another theme that is part of the play. Tiresias predicts the arrest of one who is both father and brother to his own children. Oedipus reveals to Jocasta of a prophecy he came to know as a youth, that he would kill his father and sleep with his mother, and Jocasta tells Oedipus of an identical prophecy given to Laius, that her son would grow up to kill his father. Oedipus and Jocasta enter into discussion about the extent to which prophecies should be relied upon at all, and when all of the prophecies come true, it appears that one of Sophocles’ aims is to defend the powers of the gods and prophets. In the play Oedipus has no other option but to fulfill the prophecy. Fate continuously overpowers him. Symbolism Oedipus’s Swollen Foot is an example of symbolism in the play. Oedipus was left in the mountains with his ankles trapped together and Laius had abandoned him in that state on a desolate mountain shortly after he was born. Oedipus bears with this injury for the rest of his life and the scar is the indicator for the plight undergone by him. His injury symbolised the manner in which fate dealt with him and his movements were restricted since birth. That was Apollo’s prophecy to Laius. The Junction of Three-Roads: Jocasta mentions about the place where Laius is assassinated, where three roads intersect. This crossroad is mentioned often during the course of the play and it symbolises crucial moments of the play. Symbolically, a crossroad is the place where a decision has to be made about the path to be taken for further journey, ipso facto, it means that it is the decisive phase of life when appropriate decisions have to be made that may have important consequences. At that juncture there would be choice of options. In the play cross indicates the distant past, not clearly remembered, and Oedipus is not aware at the time he is making a fateful decision. In the play crossroad symbolises destiny (fate) and the terrific power of foretelling, and not freedom and choice. The Entombment of Antigone: Creon has crude ways of dispensing justice. He condemns Antigone to an alarming fate. He gets him walled alive inside a tomb. She will die bloodless when she finally dies. Her imprisonment is the symbol of Creon’s lack of judgment and his resentment and disrespect to gods. To keep a body rotting is the greatest sin. His actions are the challenge to nature from the wrong end. It is to defy the authority of gods by asserting his control over their areas of operation. Characterisation While creating the characters of the play the author has taken into account the prevailing social and cultural beliefs and he has rendered justice to each section of the society. Right from the top level and down to the common men, all find the appropriate roles in the play. The chorus, though seemingly unimportant, connects the interactions between the different characters meaningfully and contributes to maintain the secrecy and the mysterious nature of the play. Oedipus is the titled character, obviously the most important one. He is famous for his genius and possesses ability to solve the riddles. He solves the riddle of Sphinx the mystical being that holds the city captive. The strangest element of this character is en route to Thebes he kills his biological father, without the knowledge of his relationship with him and he marries Jocasta, his biological mother. Jocasta appears only in the final scenes of Oedipus and solves the riddle of Oedipus’s identity before Oedipus does it. Antigone is born to Oedipus and Jocasta and as such her relationship to Oedipus is both as the daughter and his sister. The other important characters are Creon, Oedipus’s brother-in-law, Polynices, son of Oedipus (in effect also his brother), Tiresias, the blind soothsayer, Haemon, Creon’s son, Ismene, Oedipus’s daughter, Thesus, the king of Athens, and the most important character of the play are Chorus. Their contribution to keep the drama alive and kicking is great and they establish the linkage between the audience and the happenings on the stage as the drama unfolds and they lend the voice to the emotions of all the characters in accordance with the situations. In each characterisation the issue highlighted is often controlled by hostile forces both from outside and from within. The protagonist makes critical choices to meet the challenges and resolve the conflicts. Mystery The play is wrapped in mystery and the character of Oedipus is the sterling example of it. Things just align against him without any proper justification. He is cursed from the birth and the punishment is not in tandem with his crime. The mystery goes on deepening with every incident that happens in his life and the unseen hands of the mysterious functioning of God can be noticed in the entire life of Oedipus. The mysterious beginning to the story is depicted with the mention that the city of Thebes in the grip of a crisis as a devastating plague has converted it into a desolate land and the tragic story develops there. A Corinthian Shepherd, an old man from Corinth, and the Theban Shepherd also an old man who was confidante of King Laius, though minor characters, they play the pivotal role in unraveling the mysteries of the birth of Oedipus and the murder of Laius. The mysterious nature of the entire drama relates to wreckage, devastation and despair. Voluminous scholarly literature is available to decipher the mystery of this drama, but the central theme of the character of Oedipus remains mysterious. There is disagreement amongst the authors as for the tragic flaw of the drama and the questions of hamartia baffle the critics. His determination to find out the truth about himself is mysterious. Fearing about the curse of gods, he is trying to act in the best interest of his people. Hamartia is the error of judgment of a mistake committed inadvertently. In the present case Oedipus commits the grave mistakes due to ignorance. Though the mistakes are difficult to accept, through clever manipulations, Sophocles succeeds in introducing and sustaining this mysterious element that remains tagged on to the personality of Oedipus from the beginning of the drama till the end. Language Diction (language) is one of the important features of the tragic drama. The writing style of the drama depends much on whose translation it is and the one under review is from Francis Storr. This being an old play its language is liable for interpretation in many versions from the original Greek. Storr employs mostly iambic pentameter in his poetic creations. For example, “Explain your mood and purport. Is it dread Of ill that moves you or a boon ye crave”? (Sophocles) As would be seen from the above lines, the translator begins a new sentence in the first line and then terminates it after three words. This is done in tandem in following the system of iambic pentameter. The lines may also end up in rhythm and they are expected to reflect who is speaking them and the mood of the character in that particular situation of the story. The slang of the King will not be the same as spoken by the Minister and for that matter his royal attendants. Similarly, the language of the chorus will be entirely different, as chorus is separate from other characters; they are not inherent part of the story, but the important linkage to inform the lines on which the story is likely to develop. Sophocles is the master as for eliciting fear from the audience with his powerful and evocative language. He employs excellent word-choices to express the grief of Oedipus: “My fair winds brought me here. Oh God. Again The pain of the spikes where I had sight, The flooding pain Of memory, never to be gouged out”. (Sophocles) The wind implies the helpless situation Oedipus is placed in and how he is fated to do the things to his parents, which in the ordinary course, he would not have done. Sophocles is the master in in creating images through the power of the language, “How could I look men frankly in the eyes?”—he feels too shameful to face the public opinion. And the example of figurative language, “A tight cell of misery, blank to light and sound So I should have been safe in my dark mind Beyond external evil”. (Sophocles) He expresses his strong sentiments that he should have been blind than get exposed to the public, which indicates his sadness and deep regret. Work Cited Sophocles. Oedipus the King. Francis Storr (Trans.) Accessed on March 9, 2014 Read More