Oedipus King
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- Category: English: Shakespeare
- Date Submitted: 10/28/2012 12:48 PM
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Oedipus The King 1979
The play Oedipus the King is comprised of many immoral characters. Oedipus, the protagonist,is exceedingly more immoral than the others. Although Oedipus participates in being cursed, sleeping with his mother ,and killing his father, the reader feels much sympathy for him. The sympathy felt for him is a result of the curse that was learned by his parents before Oedipus's birth.
King Laius and Queen Jocasta send newborn Oedipus with a servant to the mountain to be left to die. The choice to leave baby Oedipus for death was a decision made to avoid the pain that the curse would cause Jocasta, Oedipus, and Laius. The readers sympathize with Oedipus because he is an innocent infant and has done nothing wrong. The readers find themselves hoping that Oedipus will live even though they realize that, if the curse does come true, Oedipus could have a life that is worse than death.
Oedipus does in fact make it off the mountain alive and lands in the care of King Polybus and Queen Merope of Corinth. One day Oedipus learns of the curse from the Delphi and decides to leave Corinth. Oedipus still believes that King Polybus and Queen Merope are his biological parents, and Oedipus would rather leave the place he has always called home than possibly kill his father and sleep with his mother. Oedipus leaves for the neighboring city of Thebes, but on his way there he is involved in a disturbance that ends with his killing Lauis. Oedipus does not realize that he has killed his blood father and that the curse has started to ruin his life.
The readers learn that Oedipus killed his father, King Laius, yet the reader still feels sympathy towards Oedipus. The reader feels that Oedipus should be forgiven for the murder because he was cursed and did not knowingly kill his own father. The curse makes the readers blind towards the immorality of Oedipus' action. The readers also do not think that Oedipus deserves to be punished. If the curse had never been...
The play Oedipus the King is comprised of many immoral characters. Oedipus, the protagonist,is exceedingly more immoral than the others. Although Oedipus participates in being cursed, sleeping with his mother ,and killing his father, the reader feels much sympathy for him. The sympathy felt for him is a result of the curse that was learned by his parents before Oedipus's birth.
King Laius and Queen Jocasta send newborn Oedipus with a servant to the mountain to be left to die. The choice to leave baby Oedipus for death was a decision made to avoid the pain that the curse would cause Jocasta, Oedipus, and Laius. The readers sympathize with Oedipus because he is an innocent infant and has done nothing wrong. The readers find themselves hoping that Oedipus will live even though they realize that, if the curse does come true, Oedipus could have a life that is worse than death.
Oedipus does in fact make it off the mountain alive and lands in the care of King Polybus and Queen Merope of Corinth. One day Oedipus learns of the curse from the Delphi and decides to leave Corinth. Oedipus still believes that King Polybus and Queen Merope are his biological parents, and Oedipus would rather leave the place he has always called home than possibly kill his father and sleep with his mother. Oedipus leaves for the neighboring city of Thebes, but on his way there he is involved in a disturbance that ends with his killing Lauis. Oedipus does not realize that he has killed his blood father and that the curse has started to ruin his life.
The readers learn that Oedipus killed his father, King Laius, yet the reader still feels sympathy towards Oedipus. The reader feels that Oedipus should be forgiven for the murder because he was cursed and did not knowingly kill his own father. The curse makes the readers blind towards the immorality of Oedipus' action. The readers also do not think that Oedipus deserves to be punished. If the curse had never been...