... life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The judicial branch of our government and indeed the entire legal system is the best example of how important truth and justice are to this great nation. Sophocles' Oedipus the King teaches readers something quite different, however. In Oedipus the King, ... bred and reared you-you withhold the word of god."" Oedipus criticizes the man for trying to persuade Oedipus away from the truth. "I'd rather not cause pain for you or me- Tiresias the seer tells Oedipus. Yet Oedipus, arrogantly, cannot resist solving yet another puzzle for his kingdom....

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... by saying that the opinions of the majority are not of any concern to him. The people he cares for are of the minority because they "will believe that things were done as they were done" (Plato 45). One can deduce that Socrates is not a selfish man and does not think about what's good ... for him, but rather what's good for how his actions reflect the minority. Socrates appeals more to interpersonal relationships and following the laws than ... that family comes first regardless of the consequences. Morals are something that are born within a person and stay with them throughout their l...

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... Perhaps his problem was that he separated himself from the possibility of such a crime. Maybe this is his hubris and his hubris is the cause of his suffering. How is he supposed to deal with this newfound truth? I am left wondering if the suffering each of us experiences in our own lives is ... that his own decree was wrong. Did his own suffering and his family's suffering make him have the need to cause other people to suffer? Who would have guessed that so many people would suffer and so much would occur because of this suffering. All because of the truth, Jocasta hangs herself, ... hi...

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Discuss Aristotle's Conditions Covering Greek Tragedy How Are They Illustrated In Oedipus Rex Aristotle Born: 384 BC in Stagirus, Macedonia, Greece Died: 322 BC in Chalcis, Euboea, Greece (1) Aristotle believed that in order to convince ... some what patronizing. It would be a arguable case that Oedipus isn't really arrogant if his arrogance could be passed of a mistake but When we reach his fazade to the people of Thebes he opens his speech saying :You have prayed to the gods. Now listen to me. Hubris again is seen here but escalating. Worse than his last statement he ... implies that he is...

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... life falls apart when he finds out his life story. There are a numberof characteristics described by Aristotle that identify a tragic hero. For example, a tragic hero must cause his own downfall; his fate is not deserved, and his punishment exceeds the crime; he also must be of noble stature and have greatness. Oedipus is in love with ... his idealized self, but neither the grandiose nor the depressive "Narcissus" can really love himself (Miller 67). All of the above characteristics make Oedipus a tragic hero according to Aristotle's ideas about tragedy, and a narcissist. Using Oedipus a...

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... life falls apart when he finds out his life story. There are a numberof characteristics described by Aristotle that identify a tragic hero. For example, a tragic hero must cause his own downfall; his fate is not deserved, and his punishment exceeds the crime; he also must be of noble stature and have greatness. Oedipus is in love with ... his idealized self, but neither the grandiose nor the depressive "Narcissus" can really love himself (Miller 67). All of the above characteristics make Oedipus a tragic hero according to Aristotle's ideas about tragedy, and a narcissist. Using Oedipus a...

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... should comprise of the hero's goodness and superiority, a tragic flaw in which the hero makes fatal errors in judgment which eventually lead to his downfall, a tragic realization in which the main character understands how he has unwittingly helped to bring about his own destruction and the absence of freewill in the tragic hero ... superiority of ranking. However, Oedipus was not a perfect man. His tragic flaw was that of stubbornness, impulsiveness and most of all, his grandiosity (which can be seen when a person admires himself, his qualities, such as beauty, cleverness, and talents,...

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... either dreaming of money or fame. Therefore, we always realize that the children are trying to cling to their lives alone. Several people have had the dream to correct the sins and errors of the human society. Hamlet Prince of Denmark, a Shakespearean tragedy, tells the story of a young man, by the name ... " (Fitzgerald 104). Because she is secluded, Antigone never has to take her place in society as a woman. Without a female role model to show her how a woman is supposed to act, there is no one to raise her as a woman. She spends her days taking care of her blind father and leading ......

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Theatre is a form of art created to express the ideals or feelings of various groups of people. Widely held beliefs state that it began as a ritual, and through the performers' repetition of a certain event in front of an audience, the ... Antigone hangs herself in her cell, Haimon stabs himself in his own misery, and King Kreon is left alone. By further examining the character of Antigone, one can conclude that she in fact fits the pattern of a tragic heroine as outlined by Aristotle. Aristotle believes that the chief character in a tragic play should be ... a person of great consequence and...

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... but kept it to herself. He makes the decision because he thinks that anyone that withholds information like she does, should be punished equally. Creon automatically misjudges people who he thinks are involved in it. He charges her with the crime even though she wasn't a participant in it. She couldn't stop her sister from ... he does it will make him look weak. He tells Teirsias that he doesn't believe him, that he just wants money. These are all examples of how Creon's pride affects the decisions he makes. Earlier in the play, Creon says that if he saw that his country was going to ru...

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... or conditional, or in other words some claim that even though it might be accepted that they existed for purposes of mythology, they do not cause the issues that happen, humans do.  In his essay "On Misunderstanding the Oedipus Rex", E.R. Dodds draws a comparison with Jesus' prophecy at the ... was as stubborn in continuing the investigation just as Othello was stubborn in believing rumours and circumstantial evidence instead of investigating himself. One can therefore say that there was not much difference in character between the two while even with the desire for the truth being...

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... by death. After the threat, the chorus starts to rethink their actions and they decide that they should listen to the prophet and bury Polyneices and free Antigone. Before Creon can do anything to amend his previous actions, a messenger delivers the news that Antigone and Haemon have both taken their own lives. Creon finally realizes after two lives have been taken ... brothers. Creon rejects the irrational laws of gods and favors the rational laws of man. It is very ironic that something that he was praised for has now become the cause of his downfall. Creon throughout the play runs a ...

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... The social function of literature takes on many forms. Literatures main function is to inform, arrange words into a meaningful format, yet the social function has far greater implications. Mythology can be defined as the study and interpretation of myth and the body of myths of a particular culture. Myth is an extremely complex cultural phenomenon that portrays the symbolic language and ... social taboos and raising awareness of issues. As these films attest, much mythology still has some influence on the social function of literature and can be used in many mediums. Much mythology raise...

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... , and what he does, but his indiscriminate, violent and careless nature leads him to killing his own father over an incident only pride would cause. The chorus's use of metaphoric language also assists in conveying this theme of pride, "Pride breeds the Tyrant; swollen with ill-found booty, ... from castled height Pride tumbles to the pit." His language and tone when he accuses Teiresias "Do you think you can say such things with impunity?" displays his rash nature, and tendency to make quick deductions without further thinking. This worsened the tragedy, adding to his ... answer to the...

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... in his family of origin unwittingly plans his life so that as an adult he is repeatedly unseen and underappreciated. What Oedipus could teach us is how magnetic the pull is to repeat what we desperately wish to escape. Oedipus, the protagonist of the play, is the birth son of King Laius ... heard deadly words spread about me, that the king accuses me. (Sophocles Pg.1141) Oedipus's general attitude towards life includes anger a major component that can be presented as the major cause of his tragic flaw. King Oedipus anger is not deliberate; it stems from the subconscious and his anger is e...

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... of Thebes no longer are adorers of Oedipus, this line reveals that Oedipus has fulfilled his fate. Sophocles uses Oedipus to illustrate the irony of tragic discovery and fate. Many people may paint Oedipus as a great man, pointing out that he pursues the truth at whatever personal cost and has the strength to accept and endure it when found. They admire ... ...

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Sophocles'(496-406) second most famous play Antigone contains many contrasts. According to G. M. Kirkwood, "A contrast between Antigone and Creon lies at the heart of the drama can be taken for granted- (118). In the story, Antigone wants to bury her brother, who fought bravely and died on the battlefield, but to do so would be to break ... that if I saw my country headed for ruin, I should not afraid to speak out plainly; and I need hardly remind you that I would never have any dealings with an enemy of people. No one values friendship more highly than I (926). Antigone defends her brother ...

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... joke was just made, or that the other two characters were talking about something else. Another example of flirtatious sarcasm between Hedda and Judge Brack can be found in their conversation near the end of Act III. When the conversation is looked at without considering sarcasm it appears to be a ... to Antigone, "I order you to shut up! Do you hear me?" Antigone then replies, "You order me? Cook! Do you really believe that you can give me orders?" When Antigone calls Creon a "cook" she is referred back to something they were previously talking about. Antigone is not simply calling Creo...

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... was. If he had handled the situation differently, he may have been able to avoid killing Laius. Instead, he foolishly believes that he can avoid the fate on his own. An even more obvious example of Oedipus" impetuousness can be seen in the encounter at the crossroad. Although he had just received the oracle stating that he would kill his own father ... did he stop to realize that he did not know for sure who his father was. Oedipus made the decision to kill the man. He may not have been the cause of the quarrel on the road, but he could have taken extra steps to make sure that he did no...

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... of his own sister's life and the site and companionship of Oedipus, showing no remorse for either loss. Creon's character is essential to Oedipus the King in that it shows how the apparent loyalty of Creon to Apollo and to his sister and brother-in-law lead us to believe that Creon is one worthy of approval and admiration whereas nothing ... is as it seems. His political desires cause him to be a fraudulent character and Sophocles teaches us to watch for people who could be more (or less) than they appear to be. Creon, in Antigone, opens as an apparent patriot because he sounds like a d...

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... Antigone Antigone is the daughter of Oedipus, late king of Thebes. Antigone is a static character. Her feelings throughout the drama never change. She always believed that people should be given the proper burial services. If it meant putting her life at stake, she made sure that Polynices was buried properly. In this drama Antigone is ... ground, and the ploughs go round and round, as year on year goes by. (Sophocles). This imagery helps the reader understand how long the body of Polynices has been left unburied. The people think that it is disgraceful to leave the body out, but they ar...

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... noble stance taken on her part, and throughout the course of this play she remains true to her beliefs, seeming unafraid to embrace her destiny. One can see from merely looking at the prologue the foundations being laid for a virtuous character. When analyzing Antigone's opening remarks in conversing with Ismene, her sister, ... the reader notices that this superwoman is not just going to sit around and let someone else tell her what she can and cannot do. She disagrees with Kreon's announcement, and thus decides to disobey it, despite the fact that her sister pleads with her to do ... ...

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... between the characters encloses a thematic significance essential to the plot of the play. It is called upon by individuals, when they strongly believe they can no longer achieve anything by themselves because they are afraid of the truth, themselves or something they do not even know. In the opening of ... only Estragon is dependent on Vladimir, but as the plays starts to develop, both, Vladimir and Estragon depend on either themselves or an external cause that lies beyond their control. Furthermore in the play of Waiting for Godot, The dependence of Estragon on Vladimir is once again sh...

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... ! was ultimately destined to end in the same spot. The concepts of fate and free will played an integral part in Oedipus' destruction. Ignorance of a protagonist can lead to a fall due to a mistake done by his own free will. Fate causes the fall of a protagonist without their consent or their control (Murray 61 ... beginning of this tragedy, Oedipus took many actions leading to his own downfall. He could have endured the plague, but out of compassion for his suffering people, he had Creon go to Delphi. When he learned of Apollo's word, he could have calmly investigated the murder of the ...

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... out on Creon calling him a traitor. When really it is Oedipus who fails to see the light and therefore not only betrays himself, but the people around him. He does not really want to hear Creon out. He is already ready to abandon there relationship and kill his friend. He is ... important since it emphasized that all his efforts and sacrifices were pointless. He left the people who loved him because he tried to avoid his fate and lost a good loving home. 4. How might this play reinforce the Greek people's belief in the gods? This play was written to advocate religion. Sophocles tried to...

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