Religious Skepticism
The ancient Greeks have often depended upon the advice of the soothsayers and oracles, which they considered as reliable sources of information, during difficult times in their lives. In the play Oedipus Rex, by Sophocles, Oedipus and Iocaste sought help from these sources in their times of need. It was their arrogance and fear that caused them to be skeptical of the oracle's prophecy. Their efforts to escape the inevitable blinded them from the truth when it began to unravel before them, which led to their disastrous downfall. By the end of the play, Sophocles reveals his belief in the oracles, but they do not prevent man from making his own choices; thus, making him responsible for his own actions. Throughout the play, Oedipus and Iocaste display an arrogant attitude. They both show an offensive sense of superiority to the people, the oracle and the soothsayer. At the opening of the play, Oedipus displays his arrogance to both the citizens of Thebes and the reader. He first characterizes himself as a father figure to the people, thus establishing a sense of superiority when he addresses the people as "My children . . ." (Prologue 3). In the opening dialogue, while the people of Thebes are
n speaks at the end of the play, it is as if Sophocles was speaking for him: "Think no longer / That you are in command here, but rather think/ How, when you were, you served your own destruction" (Exodos, 77). Here Sophocles is saying that Oedipus should think about what he has done and take full responsibility for those actions. As a result, Oedipus was a victim of fate but he was not controlled by it. Sphinx and reinforcing the fact that he saved the city when it was once in despair and that he can do it again. It could be argued that he is just a king trying to calm his worried subjects but this is not an isolated incident. He reveals his arrogance again in his conversation with the soothsayer, Teiresias. praying, for relief of the plague, he presents himself as a god. He says, "Children, I would not have you speak through messengers, /And therefore I have come myself to hear you -/ I, Oedipus, who bear the famous name" (i, 4). At a devastating moment while the people are asking for help he says, "I have come myself to hear you" implying that he is the answer to their prayers. He goes on to refer to himself as "I, Oedipus, Who bear the famous name," drawing upon his past success with the! During the time that Sophocles wrote Oedipus Rex, religious skepticism was becoming widespread in ancient Greece. Sophocles portrayed his views of religion through the characters in his play. Evidently, Sophocles believed in the oracles and their power because by the end of the play, everything that the oracles predicted came out to be true. Although he believed that the will of the gods would be done, man must still take responsibility for his own choices and actions. When the Choragos asks Oedipus what god did this to him, he exclaimed that it was Apollo: "He brought my sick, sick fate upon me. /But the blinding hand was my own! /How could I bear to see /When all my sight was horror everywhere?" (Exodos, 70). Oedipus, although he unknowingly killed his father and married his mother, still took full responsibility for his actions. Oedipus says that it was his own hand that did it so there are no excuses; therefore, he punished himself by taking his sight away. Also, when Creo! The gods will always have their way no matter what. They allow some
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1522
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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