Oedipus Essay - Examples of Research Papers Topics & Thesis Statement

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Writing an essay on Oedipus the King is not an easy task. It will require extensive knowledge of Ancient Greece and an understanding of how works by Sophocles are written. With essay examples on Oedipus Rex, you can get some great starting tips to use in an introduction or develop a classic essay about ... tragic hero and argue whether he was a king or a tyrant. Essay topics revolving around this Greek play are expansive and samples of research papers on Greek history and the powers of the sphinx can help one find the right topic to expand upon. Whether argumentative essays about Oedipus for students are needed or you are writing a thesis statement, you will find the fate of this play to provide some imaginative and unique ideas. Use essay examples on Oedipus Rex to come up with character analysis facts, focus on why Oedipus Rex opted to kill his father, or just refer to them as a summary of the play.

Oedipus has Unwittingly Murdered the King of Thebes, Laiu

As it is known, and has been confirmed by the guilty party himself, Oedipus has unwittingly murdered the king of Thebes, Laius. Most people who bother with this matter would admit that Oedipus committed the crime at his own volition because he had a choice to avoid murder, and thus he must assume the consequences of his actions. Even though his actions are considered to be his said fate, Oedipus is found guilty of slaughtering others, and not just the […]

Political Power in the Three Theban Plays

Throughout all of the Theban Plays, there is an elemental connection that plays a role of politics in Ancient Greece. In the Theban Plays, there is an emphasis on how a democracy is important, rather than a dictatorship. The idea is brought up that one person does not have the authority to rule a country or nation individually. It is seen throughout the plays that two minds are better than one, which means that a democracy can make better decisions […]

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Oedipus the King: the Truth

In the play Oedipus The King, Oedipus is to find the truth of what happened to King Laius. He is told from Creon that the Gods want him to punish those who killed King Laius. “Creon: Laius was killed. And now the God is clear: those murderers, he tells us, must be punished, whoever they may be.” (Sophocles, 420 BCE). While trying to figure out the truth of what happened to King Laius, who killed him and to banish them […]

Second Episode of Oedipus Rex

In the second episode of Oedipus Rex, I thought the dialogue but significantly impacted the development of the scene or play was when Oedipus had asked Tiresias to help him find the killer of Laius in order to end the plague. Although Oedipus asked kindly Tiresias does not want to answer and asks if he could go home. “Just send me home. You bear your burdens. I’ll bear mines. It’s better that way” I feel like this significant because Tiresias […]

Comparison between “Death of a Salesman”, “Oedipus Rex”, and “A Streetcar Named Desire”

The most remarkable association between the Death of a Salesman and Street Car Named Desire is hallucination. In the Death of a Salesman, Willy, the hero, is lost in the figment that the American dream is just feasible through shallow characteristics of affability and engaging quality. He mistakes the fantasy for philistinism and he winds up harming his family because of his inability to accomplish his fantasies. In Willy’s translation, the slippery American dream calls men to be alluring and […]

Oedipus Rex by Sophocles and the Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare

For my culture report I chose the plays Oedipus Rex by Sophocles and The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare. Oedipus and Caesar have some very striking similarities as well as some other minor characters. However, even though they are similar, these two controversial characters have some stark differences as well. Oedipus and Caesar were very beloved political figures but also very complicated and frustrating individuals. These two major plays have some remarkable similarities. In both plays Oedipus and […]

Have you Ever been Blinded to the Truth

Have you ever been blinded to the truth? Sometimes there is more to reality then meets the eye and our own ignorance can lead us down a path that can lead to tragedy. Physical blindness is considered a disability, although blindness to the truth can be much worse. The demise of a person can be as simple as a lack of insight and the blindness to the truth. In both tragedies, King Lear and Oedipus Rex, blindness is symbolic throughout […]

Famous People Avoid Punishment because of their Social Status

If you step back and look at our society today as a whole, it is not hard to see what power can do to people. Famous people avoid punishment because of their social status, big corporations are paying people to keep quiet about important issues and it all just goes to show that our entire society is full of corrupt people with too much power. It is simple really, people who have a lot of power believe they can pretty […]

Compare and Contrast Written and Movie Version of Oedipus the King

I choose the written version of Oedipus the King translated by Francis Storr who was the editor of the Journal of Education in London Storr wrote articles for the Dictionary of National Biography and for the 1911 British Encyclopedia. The translation of the original play written by Sophocles, was published for the first time in 1912 and the second time 1919. To compare and contrast with this version, I choose the movie version of Oedipus the King released in 1967, […]

A Long Way Gone Begins with Ishmael Beah

A Long Way Gone begins with Ishmael Beah, a 12-year-old boy living in the African country of Sierra Leone. Ishmael and some of his friends are traveling to a nearby town, while they are gone, their village is overtaken by rebels that are resisting against the government of Sierra Leone and are brutally attacking anyone they encounter that does not submit to their orders. The rebels use a grotesque manner of initiating the children they have captured. The young boys […]

Hamlet, Prince of Denmark

Both main characters in William Shakespeare’s play, “Hamlet, Prince of Denmark,” and Sophocles’ play, “Oedipus the King,” share the same title of being a tragic hero. Shakespeare’s main character, Hamlet, and Sophocles main character, Oedipus, distribute many of the same characteristics of a tragic hero yet both still having their differences. Although, Hamlet and Oedipus are successful with their mission, Hamlet is more successful than Oedipus because he has the knowledge of greater truth and patience. Hamlet’s knowledge of greater […]

Feminism in Hamlet and Oedipus the King

Gender roles are an essential role in society. These roles have been placed in society since the beginning of time. The term gender is socially created and divides society to categorize men and women. For centuries, women have fought to get equal rights, and today, they are still fighting for equal civil rights. From the right to vote for birth control, women have always been trying to show their own independence in order to gain their freedom of rights. As […]

Norman Bates

Norman Bates is a character in both the Psycho and Bates Motel films, who was raised solely by his mother after murdering his father for abusing her. It quickly came to be noticed how strange the dynamic of the two play out in scenes. Norman Bates suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder. His upbringing was in a dysfunctional household. When as a child his mother would purposefully sexually arouse him and then afterward embarrass him for indulging into the newly discovered […]

The Movie the Reader

The movie The Reader is an adaptation of a book by Stephen Daldry. Michael Berg was a sixteen-year-old boy who was traveling home from school when he starts to feel sick. He gets off the tram in order to get fresh air. He only makes it a short way down the street when nausea overtakes him and he needs to vomit. He turns into an alley which happens to lead to residences. Hana, a tram conductor in her late 30’s […]

Oedipus: Free Man or Destinies Puppet?

Ancient Greek theater can be considered the mother to many plays and even influences literature to this day. Some of the most prominent plays came from a festival held in Greece that pitted playwright against playwright. One of the authors of the plays that would happen is called Sophocles. He is considered by some to be the best playwright of his time. Many make that assumption due to the fact that he was extremely successful in these competitions. In fact, […]

Oedipus Rex and Antigone

Of all the plays we have reviewed Oedipus Rex and Antigone are the only ones with a continuing story with repeating characters and in both stories. This allows characters to grow and change through the stories. For example, Creon plays an important role in both stories. However, due to the passing of time in between the plays, Creon becomes a different type of character at the end of Antigone. At the start of Oedipus Rex, Creon seems like a good […]

A Tragic Comparison

Throughout the history of the educated world, one thing has always been consistent: Literature. Literature is the most effective way to express one’s thoughts, feelings and ideas. Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Sophocles’ Oedipus the King are no exception. Each work develops the idea of the tragic hero. Although some aspects of the tragic hero must be present with every tragedy, some things can be altered (i.e. how the hero reaches his downfall). Shakespeare and Sophocles develop Hamlet and Oedipus, respectively, to […]

Oedipus the King by Sophocles Story

Oedipus the King by Sophocles is the story of a man who was destined to kill his father and marry his mother. The story continues in the tradition of classic Greek plays, which were based upon the Greeks’ beliefs at the time. The ancient Greeks believed that their gods decided what would ultimately happen to each and every person. Since those gods destined Oedipus to kill his father and marry his mother, Oedipus’ life was definitely fated. However, the gods […]

Hunting Season

Sophocles’ Oedipus the King is a tragic play representing a change from the idea of destiny to the liberty of option. Furthermore, Oedipus the King displays as a metaphorical symbol of personal progress. In the play, Sophocles focuses on the protagonist, Oedipus, who discovers the real murderer of King Laius moreover the outcomes that develop. Sophocles carefully adjusts the human attributes to Oedipus, giving a twist to the stereotypical supreme divine features of plays composed previously. He is very proficient […]

Oedipus the King by Sophocles

Oedipus the King by Sophocles is a Greek play that tells of the tragedy of King Oedipus. The king obliviously killed his father and married his mother. The play is the second of three works of literature by Sophocles from around 428 BCE. Oedipus was the king of Thebes. The play recounts the life of Oedipus and how fate controlled his actions until the death of his mother and his ultimate self-inflicted blindness. King Laius, Oedipus’s father, learned from an […]

A King’s Downfall

The play, “Oedipus the King,” is written by Sophocles and centers on how pride leads to the demise of a king. During the opening of the play, the residents of Thebes plead for Oedipus to solve the plague that is destroying the city. Oedipus says that he sent Creon, his brother-in-law, to speak to the oracle on solving their situation. When Creon returns, he reveals that the plague will end when the killer of King Laius is found. Oedipus, the […]

Classics of Western Literature

The myth of Oedipus revolves around a man destined by the gods to suffer the most horrible fate. Oedipus’ story takes place, for the most part, in the city of Thebes in northern Greece. When he was still in his mother’s womb, Oedipus’ parents Laius and Jocasta asked the oracle of Apollo about their unborn child. The oracle’s reply was terrifying, that the boy would grow up to marry his mother and kill his father. Because of this horrifying omen, […]

Hands have a Metaphysical

Hands have a metaphysical, real quality, as well as an empowering means of keeping the text moving. In Oedipus Rex, hands are used to portray both a genuine and interpreted sense of knowledge, one you can grasp and hold, as well as one that cannot be seen. Through this interpretation, Sophocles conveys that one cannot know everything about a subject if only knowing one aspect of it. Oedipus’ quote, How can you say that, When the clues to my true […]

Declare that Oedipus

Some people might declare that Oedipus was punished worse than Creon. On the other hand, some people might believe that Creon had the worse punishment out of the two. Oedipus’ story started out as him being a prince of Thebes. The city has been struck by a plague, the citizens are dying, and no one knows how to put an end to it. Creon then tells what he has learned from the god Apollo, who said the murderer of Laius, […]

Oedipus Mayor

After watching Oedipus Mayor, I had mixed feelings. First of all, it was interesting to see how a classical Greek tragedy about Oedipus was transformed into a modern Columbian society. The movie allows one to understand that such issues that were brought up by Sophocles could be still found in contemporary society. Nevertheless, it is also possible to say that the film has made me feel quite sad and surprised to discovered at the end of the film that Luis […]

Country of Thebes is Stricken

In the play, the country of Thebes is stricken by a great plague, and king Oedipus, being a noble leader, is determined to find the solution of ending the scourge. A determined Oedipus goes on a quest of determining the truth behind his parentage and the old prophecy. After a thorough investigation, he traces the trail of the prophecy, and it falls onto him. Thomas De Quincey argues that the Oedipus was guilty right from the moment he solved the […]

About Oedipus the King

Oedipus the King, translated by Robert Fagles, is one of the famous plays among other Sophocles’ plays. In the Oedipus the king, the whole story is about who have gotten the terrible fate from God Apollo, trying to avoid the fate and finally falling into the deep frustration after realizing his own identity. Here, Chorus had the role to represent the people of Thebes. Even if Chorus is not one of the main characters in this story, he held the […]

Iago First Evil Motive

Iago first evil motive is making roderigo think that he can help him catch Desdemona’s attention and make her fall in love with him. Roderigo quickyl falls into Iago’s lies because roderigo believes anything having to do with desdemona and doesn’t doubt anythign that Iago says about her. Rodorigo’s love and obession towards Desdemona makes Iago job easier and munilpulates him quickly. Iago made Rodrigo think that he had a chance in conquoering Desdemona. Iago tricks Roderigo and takes all […]

The Audience Emotional

The main purpose of tragedy is to make the audience emotional in ways of fearfulness and sadness, and that is exactly what Oedipus has accomplished. Throughout Oedipus’ journey of finding the murder that killed his father, Laius, to lift the curse, Aristotle considers the character of Oedipus in Oedipus the King by Sophocles an archetypal and typical tragic hero. Oedipus experiences anagnorisis: an increase in self-awareness, peripeteia: a reversal in fortune that brings destruction into Oedipus’ life, and catharsis: events […]

Determined by Fate

In life it is possible for there to be a fine balance between fate and free will. Free will depends on whether one determines to do something while fate is the destiny that is pre-planned for someone, however it is up to that person to do something with it. Sophocles’ Oedipus Rexan Athenian tragedy that was performed around 429 B.C. discloses a paramount relationship of man’s free will existing within destiny, something that the Greeks believed to completely guide the […]

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About Oedipus Rex
Wife :	Jocasta
Place :	Polis-tis-Chrysokhou, tomb, Cyprus
Created :	420–400 BC
Present location :	Room 72, British Museum
Children :	Antigone, Ismene
Played by :	Yoshihiro Shimomura, Tora Shimomura, Christopher Plummer, Franco Citti

Essays on Oedipus