Oedipus Rex (Dover Thrift Editions)
by Sophocles
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Book Summary Information
Author: SophoclesBrand: Dover Publications
Translator: Sir George Young
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); Greek (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1991-06-01
ISBN: 0486268772
Number of pages: 64
Publisher: Dover Publications
Book Reviews of Oedipus Rex (Dover Thrift Editions)
Book Review: When Fate Meets Free Will
Summary: 5 Stars
Oedipus Rex by Sophocles was a very good reading because of the way that the author is able to throw the reader for a curve ball. Sophocles was very good at making the reader unsure of what was going to happen. Every couple of scenes the author is able to make the reader say to himself/herself, "Wow I didn't see that one coming!" It is writing like this that makes an author like Sophocles go down in the history books for all time.
I believe that Sophocles' purpose in writing this story is to get the reader to wonder whether we as humans have free will to choose or if we are just puppets in the hands of fate. I believe that Sophocles tries to convey this question throughout the entire play not just in specific scenes and it all comes out in the end. The reason why I say that this is the theme is because if you look at what the oracle said to Laius he said that their son, Oedipus, would kill him and marry his wife. In order to try and prevent such a drastic ending they sent their son away in hopes that he would be killed. It came about however that when Oedipus was older he heard this prophecy and not wanting to kill his adopted father ran away. On his journey he met five men that looked wealthy so Oedipus needing some supplies killed all the men but one and stole their stuff. Oedipus decides that he wishes to go to Thebes and live in that land. There was a great famine in the land of Thebes however and the only way to stop it was to answer a riddle given by the great sphinx. Oedipus was the one to solve this riddle so in honor of his achievements he was to become king and marry the queen whose husband had died. It just so happens that the man that Oedipus killed was Lauis his father and the prophecy also came true that he would marry his mother. This raises the question of did Lauis and his wife really have a choice as to what Oedipus would do or was fate just giving them a chance to think that they had gotten off safe and that the prophecy would not come true.
This reading of Oedipus Rex has made an impression on me personally. One of the things that I have learned through this reading is that I should not just believe what I hear on Sunday morning about free will. I learned that these things are better to investigate on your own rather than just take it by faith in other people's beliefs. In a way that is what Lauis and Jocasta did. They took a chance and tried to alter fate by sending Oedipus away. They later found out that trying to mess with fate would not work. That is another lesson that I learned from this reading. If the gods or God is determined to have something to do then he will bring out predestination and overpass free will. That is exactly what the gods did in Oedipus Rex they said the prophecy and Laius tried to prevent his disastrous end and the gods saw that they had to do something in order for their will to be accomplished. In the end the gods had the supreme reign over what was to happen and nothing that Laius did could stop the god's will.
Though one could go on and on for a long time about the many life lessons and the main point of Sophocles' writing this play it is time to bring this entire thing to a close. A brief review of my opinion on Sophocles' purpose for writing is to get the reader to question whether he and the people around him have free will or are they just puppets in the hands of the puppeteer. The main life principal that you can get from this reading is that in the end when all hell breaks loose on earth it is not the humans will that will make a difference. The decision on life and death then rests on the hands of God and the only thing you can do is become part of his kingdom.
Summary of Oedipus Rex (Dover Thrift Editions)
One of the greatest of the classic Greek tragedies and a masterpiece of dramatic construction. Catastrophe ensues when King Oedipus discovers he has inadvertently killed his father and married his mother. Masterly use of dramatic irony greatly intensifies impact of agonizing events. Sophocles' finest play, Oedipus Rex ranks as a towering landmark of Western drama. Explanatory footnotes.
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