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Oedipus Rex - Online Term Papers

Oedipus Rex

If the superiority of a work of literature is based on its ability to arouse in the reader a combination of delight and anxiety, then Sophocles has succeeded in . His work provides its readers with a healthy confusion of pleasure and disquietude. These elements contribute to the effectiveness and purpose of the story. Three major sources that produce this healthy confusion are the prophecy of Teiresias, and the arrival of the messenger from Corinth, and the character of Oedipus himself.
The arrival of the town’s seer, Teiresias congers up a strong sense of anxiety. The reader, along with Oedipus, awaits the words of this blind prophet since he could very well hold the key to unlocking the ...

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help but feel disturbed and worried about the fate of Oedipus.
The news from the messenger of Corinth seems to bring with it good fortune for Oedipus as well as closure for the reader. All along the king’s fear was that “the oracle may come true.” By announcing the death of King Polybos, the messenger causes Oedipus to question the validity of the oracle. “Polybos has packed the oracles off with him underground. They are empty words (ln 923-924).” Oedipus experiences a reversal of fortune when the messenger later explains that he was not the real son of Polybos and Merope. For this reason the oracle still holds much significance and the audience’s anxiety grows even more.
Oedipus alone causes much of the reader’s healthy confusion. His complicated lineage adds to the story’s intrigue. The fact that he is uninformed to his actual guilt causes him to act without fear of consequence. For instance, he denies the words of the blind prophet and questions the importance of the oracle from ...

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Oedipus Rex. (2005, January 11). Retrieved April 18, 2024, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Oedipus-Rex/20421

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PAPER DETAILS

Added: 1/11/2005 07:55:09 PM
Category: Arts
Type: Free Paper
Words: 445
Pages: 2

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