... than one occasion throughout his lifetime, all the while not accepting his inevitable doom and rejecting his own identity. By accusing Oedipus of such sins, Teiresias creates a sense of humanity about the exalted king, bringing in an outside perspective of his role in the world. By rejecting Teiresias ... significance of his tragic life. Oedipus at Colonus shows a humbler, more retrospective Oedipus that no longer speaks of his greatness but rather addresses his past sins. He is no longer the powerful king he once was, but a mere beggar led by his daughter, wandering the world to realiz...

• Word Count: 1741
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... not sin!" (114). This shows that he has begun to accept that much of his life is out of his control. This makes him seem less willing to accept his past sins. Antigone, Oedipus" daughter, has much of the same decisiveness as her father did. As soon as her play begins, she is planning to defy Creon's order and bury ... Polynices. Unlike her father, however, Antigone has the ability to remember the past. Whereas Oedipus defies Tiresias, the prophet who has helped him so many times, and whereas he seems almost to have forgotten his encounter with Laius at the three-way ... about the many ...

• Word Count: 588
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... Aeschylus is trying to communicate is the conflict between following the laws of man or those of god. B "THE SEVEN AGAINST THEBES The sons should not pay for the sins of their fathers. In our modern world we tend to take this for granted, we would never dream of executing someone for a murder committed by his ancestor. However this is ... a fairly modern concept and for centuries in the past countless minds questioned the thought. In Aeschylus' The Seven Against Thebes the Greek tragedian questions the idea through the curse of the house of Thebes. The tale takes off after ... buries t...

• Word Count: 2308
• Approx Pages: 9

... that Oedipus actually killed Laius, he doesn't want to tell Oedipus in fear of his life. Tiresias tells Oedipus that he isn't going to speak of the past, and that it is for Oedipus" own good. Oedipus" temper explodes, much the same as it does when he dealt with his uncle/brother-in-law ... refuses to give Oedipus the prophecy about who killed Laius, Oedipus won't take no for an answer. He keeps on asking more and more questions about the past. To try to get Oedipus to stop questioning for his own good, Tiresias even gives hints to drop the subject: "The rotting canker in the city ... is...

• Word Count: 1090
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... prophecy, as warned by the oracle of Apollo at Delphi, was unconditional and inevitably would come to pass, no matter what Oedipus could have done to avoid these circumstances. Oedipus" past actions were determined by fate, but the situation in Thebes, is a result of his own freewill. At the beginning of this tragedy, Oedipus took many actions leading to his downfall ... judged, causing a reversal of fortune in his prosperous life. By gouging out his eyes, Oedipus accepts the full burden of his acts and knew he must be punished for his sins. Therefore the last act of destruction is caus...

• Word Count: 852
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... by it. Oedipus was destined from birth to marry his mother and murder his father. This prophecy was inevitable no matter what Oedipus may have done to avoid it. His past actions were determined by fate, but his decisions to flee from Corinth, murder an older man (which so happened to be his father and the King of Thebes), and to ... a reversal of fortune in his prosperous life. When Oedipus tore at his eyes he accepted the full burden of his acts and knew that he must be punished for his sins. Therefore the last act of destruction was caused by Oedipus" free will, but his tragic fate ca...

• Word Count: 725
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... Oedipus chooses to badger him until the prophet loses his nerve and tells Oedipus that he is the one polluting Thebes. After being warned not to dig further into the past, Oedipus" curiosity and stubbornness drives him to find out more. A messenger is sent from his home city stating that his "father" has passed away. Oedipus is momentarily relieved to find ... manipulated it to get what they wanted. Oedipus did not bring his fate upon himself. It was enormously misfortunate that he was born to a couple defying the gods. Because the sins of the father are passed onto the son, he was forc...

• Word Count: 1252
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School