Oedipus the King by Sophocles (Book Analysis) E-Book

Bright Summaries

• Herausgeber: BrightSummaries.com
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Serie: BrightSummaries.com
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2016

Seitenzahl: 17

Beschreibung

Unlock the more straightforward side of Oedipus the King with this concise and insightful summary and analysis!

This engaging summary presents an analysis of Oedipus the King by Sophocles, a world-famous tragedy in which a man discovers that he has murdered his father and married his mother, despite having tried to escape this fate. The tragic irony in the play and the pathos of the scenes leading up to its final tragic ending have made it one of the major theatrical works of Ancient Times. Sophocles wrote 120 plays during his lifetime, but Oedipus the King is one of just seven to have survived. This classic tragedy has inspired many plays and films, and was even the basis for Freud's famous theory of the Oedipus Complex. 

Find out everything you need to know about Oedipus the King in a fraction of the time!

This in-depth and informative reading guide brings you:
• A complete plot summary
• Character studies
• Key themes and symbols
• Questions for further reflection

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Leseprobe

Sophocles

Greek playwright

Born c. 496 B.C. in AthensDied c. 406 B.C. in the same cityNotable works:Antigone (c. 442 B.C.), tragedyPhiloctetes (409 B.C.), tragedyOedipus at Colonnus (401 B.C., posthumous), tragedy

Sophocles is the best-known tragic poet in Ancient Greece, along with Aeschylus and Euripides. He was born c. 496 B.C. and died c. 406 B.C. He is the author of more than a hundred tragedies, only seven of which have come down to us, including Oedipus the King and Antigone. In Sophocles’ plays, as opposed to those by his predecessor Aeschylus, the chorus (troop of people commenting the action through song or recitation) takes less place and the hero becomes psychologically deeper. Sophocles is often quoted as the leading figure of tragedy in Aristotle’s Poetics.

Oedipus the King

Oedipus the King: a model of tragedy

Genre: play (tragedy)Reference edition: Sophocles (Unknown) Oedipus the King. [Online]. Trans. Grene, D. [Accessed 7 December 2015]. Available from: <http://abs.kafkas.edu.tr/upload/225/Oedipus_the_King_Full_Text.pdf>First edition: before 425 B.C.Themes: fate, transgression, incest, parricide, investigation, Thebes, mythology, Ancient Times

Oedipus the King is probably the archetype of tragedy, as this play stages a hero burdened with a destiny he cannot escape and he cannot accept. It is believed that the play was written some time before 425 B.C. It tells how Oedipus, King of Thebes, discovers that he has fulfilled the prophecy he was desperately trying to avoid and that, without knowing, he has murdered his father and married his mother. Learning the truth, Jocasta, his mother, commits suicide, while Oedipus gouges his own eyes out and asks to be sent into exile. Consequently, the play is a series of revelations, beginning with that of Teiresias, the blind yet clear-sighted seer.

Summary