Oedipus Essay Research Paper Sophocles wrote both

Oedipus Essay, Research Paper

Sophocles wrote both ” Oedipus the King, ” also known as ” Oedipus

Rex,” and “Oedipus at Colonus. ” Although ” Oedipus at Colonus ” is looked

at to be a continuation of ” Oedipus the King, ” the two do differ when dealing

with the character himself, Oedipus. The question though being is, did Oedipus

acheive redemption by the end of the play?

In ” Oedipus the King, ” Oedipus had fallen by the end of the play. His life

had made a complete 360 after the truth was revealed about the murder of the

King and his true father. However, in the continuation of the play, in ” Oedipus at

Colonus, ” Oedipus begins to make a turn for the better. It was quoted that in

the second play ” the central theme is the transformation of Oedipus into a hero.

In ” Oedipus at Colonus, ” Oedipus ” struggled to acheive death and

transformation in accordance with his oracle. ” This was seen for the most part in

the middle of the play.

Sophocles made his second edition of this play very dramatic. The play

begins in misery. This misery helped teach Oedipus resignation…..” asking little,

receiving less than little, and content with that. “Oedpus, a suppliant, is in need of

a savior, of which that being Theseus, to help save him from the pursued by his

enemy ( Creon ). However, the ” central paradox of this play is that the suppliant

is destined to be the savior. ” This was seen most clearly when dealing with the

conflicts that took place within this play. There was a plea scene in which

Oedipus ( suppliant ) commends himself to Theseus ( his savior ); an agon

between Oedipus and Creon ( enemy ) ending in violence and an agon between

Creon and Theseus, ending in Creon’s expulsion and a battle sequence, ending in

the salvation of Oedipus. All the misery and helplessness that typify a suppliant’s

condition are present in the character Oedipus, but as the drama begins to unfold

slowly, it quickly becomes apparent that he will not be confined to just that role.

Oedipus’ true redemption is seen however when dealing with his stronger

faith in his religion seen in the second play. Oedipus had heard that the land on

which he trespassed upon was sacred to the ” all-seeing Eumenides. ” So, in

hearing this to be true, Oedipus stands there calmly with the wishes that the

goddesses receive him as their suppliant and he states ” for never would I go

away from this refuge. ” Oedipus proves to others that he is no longer the

helpless beggar that was seen in the beginning of ” Oedipus at Colonus. ” When

stranger asked him ” and what help can there be from a blind man?, ” Oedipus

replied, ” what I say will be full of sight. ” With this response, the stranger, along

with many others, were quite impressed. After the stranger left, Oedipus once

again began to pray to the Eumenides. He made a promise to them that his life

would end at the seat of the Dread Goddesses, bringing benefits to those who

received him and ruin to those from whom drove him to exile.

By the end of the play, Oedipus disappears mysteriously, without pain and

suffering. Most agree that this was the best way for life to end. It was quite

obvious that Oedipus did reach redemption in ” Oedipus at Colonus. ” However,

it was stated that ” Sophocles does not bring Oedipus to Colonus to die and be

venerated as a hero, but to become a hero before our eyes. “