Oedipus Rex Commentary. The excerpt taken from Oedipus Rex, written by Sophocles presents King Oedipus repercussions from discovering his past identity

by 34444 (student)

International Baccalaureate World Literature

The excerpt taken from Oedipus Rex, written by Sophocles presents King Oedipus’ repercussions from discovering his past identity. He is enveloped in the emotion of torture and horrible awareness after gauging his eyes as an act of cleansing. As the main theme of the play, the protagonist, Oedipus Rex’s nature, mainly incorporates blindness to reality. Sophocles uses his exceptional skills with figurative language to beautifully craft a detailed and imaginative perspective on the main character’s rare explosion of moods and feelings. The excerpt is the underlining summarization from the chorus to offer background information, additional dramatic suspense, and the smooth connection with the little clues scattered around in earlier scenes to perfectly blend them so it is clear to the audience, aiding them to make sense of it all. Sophocles acknowledges the emotion of human suffering from the discovery of agonizing truth and fate of oneself. Through tone, personification, analogy, and abstract language Sophocles uses, he portrays the competition between the divine and human, with an underlining idea that one cannot escape one’s fate, despite one’s blindness.

Like a eulogy, the chorus sings or rather chants the untimely realization of which Oedipus Rex has undergone in his now foreign and unfamiliar palace in the middle of Greece. They manage to give off a sense of angelic or spirit-like presence to highlight their disappointment and sadness that fate has brought upon King Oedipus and his late understanding of his self-knowledge. The scene takes place after he has acted against himself as a form of punishment, as a result of his childhood discovery, rupturing who he is now. The chorus takes their turn and centralizes back to the highlighter of themes presented in the play: human’s limits to the ability of fate. The act of incest and murder has compelled Oedipus into exile, banishing what happiness he had left. The excerpt is important as it is considered the emotional highpoint of the plot demonstrating the destructive emotion out of the protagonist. It displays the power and revelation of self-knowledge and fate. It affects all characters as well as the proceeding events to come. Oedipus bursts with self-disgust to a point where understanding is hard to comprehend, from finding out about his marriage with his birth mother, Jocaste, and the murder of his father.

The chorus takes full ownership to story tells the tale of Oedipus and his fall. Though many supporting characters are involved, the chorus only narrates Oedipus’ destiny and how the discovery has affected his present day reign. The entire excerpt is from one of the chorus’ ode; hence it acts as a monologue reconstructing the story of Oedipus in a moral significant sense. In some way, the chorus reflects of the thoughts that rumble in Oedipus’ mind, translating words into glistening abstract language for the audience to whirl in.

Though the excerpt is pronounced as a prose, Sophocles utilizes ...

This is a preview of the whole essay

Though the excerpt is pronounced as a prose, Sophocles utilizes complex language in order to incorporate a sentimental and intricate mood. Such that “What measure shall I give these generations that breathe on the void and are void and exist and do not exist?” (Strophe 1, 1-3) is hard to apprehend quite immediately, needing deep acknowledgement and analysis. Sophocles used to full advantage of visual imagery to project ideological and supernatural visualizations. “You overcame the stranger—the virgin with her hooking lion claws” refers to the cursed sphinx in which Oedipus Rex was able to outwit its riddles. The audience can capture the essence of its features and how it is negatively perceive in the Greek society. His use of imagery suffices enough imaginative depiction to build up the greatness Oedipus has lost. His choice of words reveals language that ties closely with religion and godly traits, using mythical creatures and religious symbols to encompass the atmosphere of Oedipus Rex. Sentence structures of the excerpt are compacted to an average length, enabling the power of rhythm to come to play. It follows an inconstant iambic meter yet does not rhyme. However, each verse has its own subject. “True king, giver of laws. Majestic Oedipus! No prince in Thebes had ever such renown, no prince won such grace of power” praises Oedipus of his dignity as king, nonetheless, the verse it follows expresses a sense of pity and regret as it witnesses his downfall. The general structure of this ode fixates on an elevated problem, praising the acts of Oedipus, the king.

Sophocles’ use of imagery buoys up the tone of disappointment and sadness throughout the rest of the play, which creates a mood of desolation and despair on Oedipus’ part. In contrast to the introduction of the play, the state of rule is drowns in corruption, as reflected from the King himself, who was once a crown of pride, gratitude, and pomposity and is now resorted to exile. The passage only appeals to sight because Sophocles exhibits the use of abstract language, taking symbolic and fictitious comparisons to his situation.

The effect from personification, “What measure shall I give these generations that breathe on the void and are void and exist and do no exist?” (Strophe 1, 1-4) builds a livelier and human like quality to inanimate objects, enhancing the exasperation the chorus feels towards Oedipus’ late realization. Such that minor examples of personification aids apprehension of complex ideas, “And though death sang, stood like a tower to make pale Thebes take heart.” Oedipus was at his pinnacle of praise, once rescuing his people from blighted ridicule. Metaphor captures an appropriate comparison between human mind and strong bow, “That mind was a strong bow. Deep, how deep you drew it then, hard archer, at a dim fearful range, and brought dear glory down!” Oedipus Rex as arrogant comes to his natural territory; neglects hurt and carelessly braced himself into the nightmare of his own truth and a catastrophic end.

After his personal paramount of self-cleansing and theatrical build up, the chorus expresses their sorrow for Oedipus and his poorly made decisions as well as his untimely self-discovery. The passage is significant because it offers an abridgement in literal and figurative terms, summarizing his earlier actions to result in his present ‘wrath’ and ‘tears’. It serves for the audience to dig for its deep message and profess his before and after transformation. The passage is teacher to remind society that people cannot avoid their destiny, despite thinking outmaneuver may work, and the risk of dark self-discovery is the lurker of ruin. It also stresses the common blindness people have on reality, as it is clouded by layers of fantasies and self-worth. Sophocles uses the denouement of the play to ploy the extreme development in which the character explores. Oedipus accepts the consequences of murder and incest and leaves his country as an exile. He fully regrets his past and what was once his boastful and stubborn character alters into wisdom and life of grief and heartache. The chorus foreshadows an abutting conclusion with a misfortunate ending to a setting of death, exile, and misery in Ancient Greek in the city of Thebes. As it functions to color in the clues, the chorus chants its last ode to conclude the tragic downfall of King Oedipus Rex. It completes the story with open-ended morals and creative response reflecting Oedipus’ actions that kisses the audience with lamentation.

The idea of fate can be easily thought of as a simple assurance humans need. However, as kept controversial, destiny has for people cannot be manipulated. It is beyond the control of human will and therefore the alteration of such idea is non-existent. Fate toys with human mind, at sometimes to blind them from reality, proving its prophetic and unexpected nature that humans cannot fully escape and understand. Sophocles draws a near-end with the chorus’ viewpoint on Oedipus’ timeline of greatness and downfall, prompted by his blindness to reality, using such vivid depiction.