Chapter One

Introduction

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Introduction
Sophocles, a great Greek dramatist, produced his famous work, Oedipus Rex about in

450 B.C. It is based on the Greek concept of fate in which a pre-destined child suffers

hardships during his whole life, generated by his tragic fate. In the eyes of Aristotle this

play is complete tragic story of a hero who everytime tries to deceive his fate but fails

again and again. There are two concepts which are given in this play. On the first place it

gives the message of the uncontrollable fate and on the second place it points out the

tragic flaw. It will be described throughout our research paper that how fate plays a great

role in the life of a man as a predetermined tool. Actually this play shows that how man is

powerless in front of his fate. Here the fate of a child is proved to be right on the basis of

his own free-will. As like man cannot live without breath, in such a way Greek drama

appears no more without the role of fate. Fate has remained the chief theme of Greek

drama from its point of beginning i.e. climax to its ending point i.e. conclusion.

Sophocles was a native of Colonus on the outskirts of Athens. He was born in 496 B.C.

and died in 406 B.C. Living through most of the fifth century B.C., he was a witness to

such important events as the Persian invasions of Greece and their defeat, the growth of

Athens as an imperial power and a centre of culture under the rule of Pericles, and the

long and ruinous war with Sparta and her allies.

His father Sophillus was the owner of an arms factory. Sophocles took no active part in

politics and had no special military gifts. In spite of that he was twice elected Strategus

(a sort of military commander), and after the Sicilian disaster of 413 B.C., he was made

one of the Probouloi (or special commissioners), no doubt by reason of his general

fame and popularity.

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Background of the topic:

In Greek society there is a great influence of myths on the literature and traditions.

People believe that gods have a great role in the making of their fate. People and

significant heroes try to escape from destiny but they are generally surrounded by

the fate, in order to make them tragic. This can be seen in many Greek dramas like

Oedipus Rex by Sophocles. He was a religious person and he was inspired by

belief of people in gods that they are most powerful and cruel to the mankind. In

Greek mythology, human life was in the hands of gods. Fate was pre-decided and

could not be escaped at any cost. Oedipus and so many others, who tried very hard

to deceive the destiny, but the cage of tragic and cruel fate was very much tricky

so in spite of all preventions taken by them, were led to the final destiny which

was pre-decided.

Objectives:

Every-work is done for some objectives. The topic of my research is Fate as an

Antagonist in Oedipus Rex

1. To learn about the concept of fate in Greeks

2. Throughout the play you see Oedipus get broken from fate and trying to

escape.

3. To-know about regarding the role of fate in Oedipus Rex.

4. The eyes of Aristotle this play is complete tragic story of a hero who every

time tries to deceive his fate but fails again and again

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Significance of the Research:

This paper discusses Oedipus grew up never knowing he wasnt the son of
Polybos. He heard someone say that he wasnt his fathers son one day and that
bothered him greatly. He decided to take a trip to Delphi to see if he could learn of
his true origins. The Oracle told him what his fate was, but wouldnt answer the
question of his true parents. Believing that his fate involved killing Polybos and
marrying Merope, he left the city vowing not to return until his father was dead.
This is where Oedipus seals his fate, essentially. If he didnt believe in the power
of the Oracle, or believed the man that said he wasnt his fathers son, then he
might have stayed with his adoptive parents and lived a happier life. Oedipus tried
to avoid his fate, but instead, he makes it more possible for the prophecy to be
fulfilled. You could say that if it wasnt for the Oracle, then Oedipus, Jocasta, and
Laios may have lived happily ever after. The Oracle led these three to their ruin.
Having seen the Oracle about another matter, Oedipus heard his fate, then
proceeded to try and prevent it. Laios and Jocasta believed the Oracle, but they
also believed they could control their fate. The play makes it seem as though fate
cant be controlled because when you try and control fate, the decisions you make
cause your fate to be sealed. It is interesting to try and figure out how these events
would have been able to take place if no one tried to control their own fate. In all
likelihood, the fate of Oedipus would have been much different if his parents
decided to accept fate, rather than control it. It can be said that fate is only
uncontrollable when you try to control it. Fate and prophecy arent limited to just
the prophecy the Oracle gave in this play. There is also foreshadowing as to what
will happen to Oedipus as he tries to discover the killer of Laios to save his city.
The priest of Apollo is blind and old and knows the real truth behind the identity of
Oedipus. Oedipus mocks him and states that he will never be like him, but in the
end hes blinded as the old man is and had discovered that you cant escape your

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fate. Oedipus believes that fate can be controlled throughout the play, until the end.
He yearns for the truth, but will not believe it when it is spelled out for him
because hes already convinced himself that he beat his fate by moving out of the
city of his father. Jocasta believes shes beaten fate, too. She didnt believe what
the Oracle had to say because Laios and she pierced their sons ankles and left him
for dead. A dead baby cant kill his father, or marry his mother. Jocasta believes
that killing her son was a mistake because if the son died, their fate couldnt be
fulfilled and if their fate couldnt be fulfilled, then it isnt really fate after all.
Sophocles is making a point with Oedipus Rex. His point is that the more you try
and control fate, the more it controls you. What does this mean exactly? Do you
control your fate by accepting it? Or do you just live your life without trying to
learn what your fate will be? Or is he just saying that no matter what you do, your
fate will fulfill itself with or without your help? It seems likely that the point
would be to just live your life and do not worry what fate will bring you because
when you try to control the uncontrollable, you end up virtually painting yourself
into a corner. Throughout the play you see Oedipus get broken from fate and
trying to escape it. It would seem that he would lose all hope because no matter
what he does, the prophecies laid out for him keep coming true. Sophocles was
probably trying to say to just live your life. You cant change your fate, so why not
just keep it a surprise? Dont waste your time with oracles and dont try and
control your fate.

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Chapter Two
Literature Review

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Literature Review:
The play Oedipus Rex was written about 450 BC, which means about 2500 years

ago from today it was produced by Sophocles that is why it has been critically

analyzed by so many critics. The majority of these critics fall into two different

categories. Some scholars say that due to tragic flaw and free will Oedipus became

victim of misfortune and some of them believe that Oedipus was pre-destined by

the Oracles, so fate was not escapable at any condition. According to Aristotle

Oedipus Rex is an ideal tragedy of Greek time which shows that a tragic hero

should possess fatal flaws which finally lead him to his destruction (Dodds, 1966).

Sometimes the ignorance of facts and figures lead to judgement error which is also

main flaw of the character and this element can be seen in the plays of tragedy like

Oedipus Rex of Sophocles, Othello, Hamlet and Macbeth of Shakespeare (Draper,

1965). But according to Alireza (2013) the theory of tragic flaw of Aristotle works

only when tragic hero possesses fatal flaws and element of over pride. This

element is very much clear in the character of Oedipus. Another critic, Marjorie

(2012) suggests that the thematic message of the play is that it seems to be more

tragic than fatalistic. On the other hand, some of the critics have point of view that

the whole play revolves around the concept of fate. Man is just only a mannequin

which dances according to the wish of his fate. His all actions and decisions are

predecided. And beside all these characters Oedipus Rex play shows religious

reflection of the mind of Sophocles (Guo, 2006). Zachrisson (2012) believes that

whole play spins around the concept of self-knowledge. He says that thematic

conclusion can be collected that his desire for his own self-knowledge and the

curiosity of the discovery of his reality lead Oedipus toward his own destruction.

But being a human we think that why Oedipus was cursed polluted thing for

Thebes? The writer of the play does not give any idea that why he was cursed by

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the oracles but it is well known that once upon a time Laius visited the King of

Pisa named as Pelops, where Laius raped Pelops son, Chryssipus. Due to this

reason Chryssipus slaughtered himself. So Laius was cursed by Pelops that his own

son would kill him (Parray, 2013).

A Concise Literary Analysis for Oedipus the King

The Narration of Oedipus the King

This article is about a literary criticism for Oedipus the King. Oedipus the King is

a narration depicting how we take our lifetime journeys depending on our choices.

Our decisions are always based on our choices which form our destinies in a long

run.

Moreover, our choices related to our beliefs, views and general knowledge about

things as what is right or what is wrong are all important to form decisions. Same

occurs in Oedipus the King which is a narration about Oedipus fate, his journey

for self identification and his determination for a change.

Literary Criticism Oedipus Rex

Oedipus the King was introduced by Sophocles in which the writer introduced the

triumphs of Oedipus. Oedipus was the king of Thebes. He was not only powerful

but very famous for his intelligence. In 1300, the inhabitants of Thebes were

falling the prey to plague. They made prayers in the royal house to protect their

cities.

Oedipus Rex heard the cries of the people while offering his prayers in the royal

house. He became so depressed because of the distressful condition in Thebes. He

was worried as cattle and crops were being damaged. Women and infant mortality

rate was increasing because of the widespread disease.

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The most devastating condition happened when people of Thebes started dying

with plague. So, there was nothing left behind for him to rule. He viewed all the

suffering of his people and asked Creon to beg Apollo to restore the peace of his

countrymen. Apollo was the goddess of peace.

The Message of Creon in Oedipus the King

When Creon returned, he gave the message of Apollo that the present king must

drive out corruption from land of Thebes. Crean further mentioned that the

murderer of past king, Laius, was still residing in Thebes.

He further disclosed the fact that a close person of the past king was involved in

the murder that later put on the burden on a band of thieves. Oedipus the king

clearly questioned for the reasons behind lack of investigation that had happened

in the inquiry process of the royal death.

As things revealed, Oedipus called the citizens to come forward with any valuable

information regarding the murder. However, there was complete silence to his

appeal for revealing the truth. Oedipus resulted in anger. He asked Creaon to leave

the country as he became unsuccessful bringing forward the final investigation.

He terminated the top brass who was not truly interested carrying out

investigation. Finally, with devotion and his personal will, he became successful in

solving that puzzle of Laius murder. The son of the past king was involved in that

royal murder.

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 Chapter Three
Sophocles Life and Works

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Witness to Great Events

Sophocles was a native of Colonus on the outskirts of Athens. He was born in 496

B.C. and died in 406 B.C. Living through most of the fifth century B.C., he was a

witness to such important events as the Persian invasions of Greece and their

defeat, the growth of Athens as an imperial power and a centre of culture under the

rule of Pericles, and the long and ruinous war with Sparta and her allies.

His father Sophillus was the owner of an arms factory. Sophocles took no active

part in politics and had no special military gifts. In spite of that he was twice

elected Strategus (a sort of military commander), and after the Sicilian disaster

of 413 B.C., he was made one of the Probouloi (or special commissioners), no

doubt by reason of his general fame and popularity.

A Lovable Person

Sophocles was a man of great charm, handsome, and well-to-do. Herodotus

was one of his friends. Sophocles is regarded as having been a figure of ideal

serenity and success. His life lay through the period of his countrys highest

prosperity. He was loved by everybody wherever he went. After his death he was

worshipped as a hero. Aristophanes sums up his character in the words: contented

among the living, contented among the dead. He left two sons, one legitimate,

and the other born of an illicit union. He was always comfortable in Athens and

had no temptation to seek his fortune at foreign courts as some of his colleagues

did.

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Winner of Many Contests

Sophocles was an artist of the faultless type, showing few traces of the divine

discontentment. He learned music early in his life and at the age of sixteen he

led a choir as harper in the thanksgiving for Salamis. He wrote some 120 plays and

won many victories in dramatic contests. His first victory occurred in 468 B.C.,

when he defeated Aeschylus, being then only twenty-eight years old. The first

defeat of a veteran like Aeschylus by a member of the younger generation gave

rise to a lot of bitterness. Thereafter Sophocles won the first position in as many as

twenty-four contests. He contributed a good deal to the expression of that culture

in the theatre which was its prime temple, performing also public duties which

were as much the province of the artist as of the man of action. A biographer

describes the life of Sophocles as a picture of a childhood spent under the best

influences of a prosperous and enlightened home, a youth educated in a

harmonious physical and intellectual discipline and endowed with grace and

accomplishment, a manhood devoted to the service of the State in art and public

affairs, and in old age regarded with affectionate respect.

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Family Difficulties

According to an anecdote, Sophocles had some family difficulties at the end of

his life. These difficulties were due to his illicit connection with a woman named

Theoris. His legitimate son Iophon tried to get a warrant for administering the

family estate, on the ground of his fathers mental incapacity. Sophocles read out

to the Court an ode from his play Oedipus at Colonus which he was then writing,

and was declared as having proved thereby his general sanity! He died a few

months after his great colleague, Euripides, in whose honour he introduced his last

chorus in mourning.

His Development as a Dramatist

Sophocles wrote pretty continuously for sixty years and he is believed to have

given his own account of his development. He began by having some relation with

the magniloquence of Aeschylus; next came his own stern and artificial period

of style; thirdly he reached more ease and simplicity and seems to have satisfied

himself. Perhaps, the most important change due to Sophocles took place in what

the Greeks called the economy of the drama. Sophocles worked as a conscious

artist improving details, demanding more and smoother tools, and making up by

skilful construction, tactful scenic arrangement, and entire avoidance of

exaggeration or grotesqueness, for his inability to walk quite so near the heavens

as his great predecessor, Aeschylus. The stern and artificial period is best

represented by the play, Electra. This play is artificial in a good sense through skill

of plot, its clear characterisation, and its uniform good writing. It is also artificial

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in a bad sense. For instance, in the messengers speech where all that is wanted is a

false report of the death of Orestes, the dramatist has inserted a brilliant, lengthy,

and quite undramatic description of the Pythian Games. This play is also stern

because of some coldness and a natural taste for severity and dislike of sentiment.

A Certain Bluntness of Moral Imagination

There is in Sophocles a lack of speculative freedom. There is also in him a

certain bluntness of moral imagination which leads, for instance, to one structural

defect inOedipus Rex. That piece is a marvel of construction; every detail follows

naturally, and yet every detail depends on the characters being exactly what they

were, and makes us understand them. The one flaw, perhaps, is in Teiresias. That

aged prophet comes to the King absolutely determined not to tell the secret which

he has kept for sixteen years, and then tells it. Why? He tells it because of his

uncontrollable anger at having been insulted by the King. An aged prophet, who

does that, is a disgrace to his profession; but Sophocles does not seem to feel it.

Worthy of Admiration

Sophocles is subject to a certain conventional idealism. He lacks the elemental

fire of Aeschylus, the speculative courage and subtle sympathy of Euripides.

Otherwise there can be nothing but admiration for him. Plot, characters, and

atmosphere are dignified and Homeric; his analysis, as far as it goes, is

wonderfully sure and true; his language is a marvel of subtle power; his lyrics are

uniformly skilful and fine. Sophocles also shows at times one high power which

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only a few of the worlds poets share with him. He feels, as Wordsworth does, the

majesty of order and well-being; he sees the greatness of God, as it were, in the

untroubled things of life. Few poets, besides him, could have shaped the great ode

in Antigone upon the rise of man or the description in Ajax of the Give and Take

in Nature. And even in the famous verdict of despair which he pronounces upon

life in Oedipus at Colonus, there is a certain depth of calm feeling, unfretted by

any movement of mere intellect.

Conclusion

A critic writes: Sophocles was a prolific writer and one highly acclaimed

during his own life-time. Several technical innovations in theatrical arts are

attributed to him, including the introduction of scene-painting and the use of

scenes involving three speaking parts; and he is said to have written a treatise on

his art. He found time as well to hold several high public offices and to serve as a

priest of a minor healing-god. He was honoured by those who knew him for his

charm and his good temper.

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Works

Of the more than 120 plays of Sophocles known to antiquity only seven

tragedies have survived intact into modern times. These seven are:

(1) Antigone

(2) Oedipus Rex, also known as Oedipus Tyrannus

(3) Electra

(4) Ajax

(5) Trachiniae

(6) Philoctetes

(7) Oedipus at Colonus.

Not all of these can be dated with confidence. An ancient anecdote would

dateAntigone to about 442 B.C., and Ajax is generally placed somewhat earlier, for

reasons of style. Philoctetes is known to have been produced in 409 B.C.

andOedipus at Colonus in 401 B.C., the latter after Sophocless death. The dates of

the remaining plays are uncertain but there are some grounds for dating Oedipus

Rex to the years immediately following 430 B.C. Three of his extant plays deal

with the legend of the Theban royal house. (They are the two Oedipus plays

and Antigone). The main outlines of this legend he inherited. The Iliad and

the Odyssey allude briefly to Oedipus. In the fifth century B.C. both Aeschylus and

Euripides wrote Oedipus plays neither of which survives. In later ages the theme

attracted numerous dramatists, among them Seneca, Corncille, Voltaire, and Gide.

But in most minds the name of Oedipus is linked with the dramatist Sophocles.

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Antigone
Antigone is a tragedy by the ancient Greek playwright Sophocles, written around

442 BCE. Although it was written before Sophocles other two Theban plays,

chronologically it comes after the stories in Oedipus the King and Oedipus at

Colonus, and it picks up where Aeschylus' playSeven Against Thebes ends. It deals

with Antigones burial of her brother Polynices (Polyneices), in defiance of the laws

of Creon and the state, and the tragic repercussions of her act of civil disobedience.

Synopsis
The action of Antigone follows on from the Theban civil war, in which the two

brothers, Eteocles and Polynices, died fighting each other for the throne of Thebes after

Eteocles had refused to give up the crown to his brother as their father Oedipus had

prescribed. Creon, the new ruler of Thebes, has declared that Eteocles is to be honoured

and Polynices is to be disgraced by leaving his body unburied on the battlefield (a harsh

and shameful punishment at the time).

As the play begins, Antigone vows to bury her brother Polynices' body in defiance

of Creon's edict, although her sister Ismene refuses to help her, fearing the death

penalty. Creon, with the support of the Chorus of elders, repeats his edict regarding the

disposal of Polynices' body, but a fearful sentry enters to report that Antigone has in fact

buried her brother's body.

Creon, furious at this wilful disobedience, questions Antigone over her actions, but she

does not deny what she has done and argues unflinchingly with Creon about the morality

of his edict and the morality of her deeds. Despite her innocence, Ismene is also

summoned and interrogated and tries to confess falsely to the crime, wishing to die

alongside her sister, but Antigone insists on shouldering full responsibility.

Creon's son, Haemon, who is betrothed to Antigone, pledges allegiance to his fathers will

but then gently tries to persuade his father to spare Antigone. The two men are soon

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bitterly insulting each other and eventually Haemon storms out, vowing never to

see Creon again.

Creon decides to spare Ismene but rules that Antigone should be buried alive in a cave as

punishment for her transgressions. She is brought out of the house, bewailing her fate but

still vigorously defending her actions, and is taken away to her living tomb, to

expressions of great sorrow by the Chorus.

The blind prophet Tiresias warns Creon that the gods side with Antigone, and

that Creon will lose a child for his crimes of leaving Polynices unburied and for

punishing Antigone so harshly. Tiresiaswarns that all of Greece will despise him, and that

the sacrificial offerings of Thebes will not be accepted by the gods, but Creon merely

dismisses him as a corrupt old fool.

However, the terrified Chorus beg Creon to reconsider, and eventually he consents to

follow their advice and to free Antigone and to bury Polynices. Creon, shaken now by the

prophet's warnings and by the implications of his own actions, is contrite and looks to

right his previous mistakes.

But, a messenger then enters to report that, in their desperation, both Haemon

and Antigone have taken their own lives. Creons wife, Eurydice, is distraught with grief

over the loss of her son, and flees the scene. Creon himself begins to understand that his

own actions have caused these events. A second messenger then brings the news that

Eurydice has also killed herself and, with her last breath, had cursed her husband and his

intransigence.

Creon now blames himself for everything that has happened and he staggers away, a

broken man. The order and rule of law he values so much has been protected, but he has

acted against the gods and has lost his child and his wife as a result. The Chorus closes

the play with an attempt at consolation, by saying that although the gods punish the

proud, punishment also brings wisdom.

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Analysis
Although set in the city-state of Thebes about a generation before the Trojan War (many

centuries before Sophocles time), the play was actually written in Athens during the rule

of Pericles. It was a time of great national fervor, and Sophocles himself was appointed as

one of the ten generals to lead a military expedition against Samos Island shortly after the

plays release. Given this background, it is striking that the play contains absolutely no

political propaganda or contemporary allusions or references to Athens, and indeed

betrays no patriotic interests whatsoever.

All the scenes take place in front of the royal palace at Thebes (conforming to the

traditional dramatic principle of unity of place) and the events unfold in little more than

twenty-four hours. A mood of uncertainty prevails in Thebes in the period of uneasy calm

following the Theban civil war and, as the debate between the two central figures

advances, the elements of foreboding and impending doom predominate in the

atmosphere. The series of deaths at the end of the play, however, leaves a final impression

of catharsis and an emptying of all emotion, with all passions spent.

The idealistic character of Antigone consciously risks her life through her actions,

concerned only with obeying the laws of the gods and the dictates of familial loyalty and

social decency. Creon, on the other hand, regards only the requirement of political

expediency and physical power, although he too is unrelenting in his stance. Much of the

tragedy lies in the fact that Creons realization of his folly and rashness comes too late,

and he pays a heavy price, left alone in his wretchedness.

The plays Chorus of Theban elders generally remains within the general moral and the

immediate scene (like the earlier Chori of Aseschylus), but it does also allow itself to be

carried away at times from the occasion or the initial reason for speaking (an innovation

later developed further byEuripides). The character of the sentry is also unusual for the

time of the play, in that he speaks in more natural, lower-class language, rather than the

stylized poetry of the other characters. Interestingly, there is very little mention of the

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gods throughout the play, and the tragic events are portrayed as the result of human error,

and not divine intervention.

It explores themes such as state control (the right of the individual to reject society's

infringement on personal freedoms and obligations); natural law vs. man-made law

(Creon advocates obedience to man-made laws, while Antigone stresses the higher laws

of duty to the gods and one's family) and the related issue of civil disobedience

(Antigone believes that state law is not absolute, and that civil disobedience is justified in

extreme cases); citizenship (Creon's decree that Polynices should remain unburied

suggests that Polynices treason in attacking the city effectively revokes his citizenship

and the rights that go with it - citizenship by law rather than citizenship by nature);

and family (for Antigone, the honour of the family outweighs her duties to the state).

Much critical debate has centred on why Antigone felt such a strong need to

bury Polynices a second time in the play, when the initial pouring of dust over her

brother's body would have fulfilled her religious obligations. Some have argued that this

was merely a dramatic convenience ofSophocles, while others maintain that it was a

result of Antigones distracted state and obsessiveness.

In the mid-20th Century, the Frenchman Jean Anouilh wrote a well-regarded version of

the play, also called "Antigone", which was deliberately ambiguous regarding the

rejection or acceptance of authority, as befitted its production in occupied France under

Nazi censorship.

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Oedipus the King
Oedipus the King (Gr: Oidipous Tyrannos; Lat: Oedipus Rex) is a tragedy by the

ancient Greek playwright Sophocles, first performed in about 429 BCE. It was the second

of Sophocles' three Theban plays to be produced, but it comes first in the internal

chronology (followed by Oedipus at Colonus and then Antigone). It follows the story

of King Oedipus of Thebes as he discovers that he has unwittingly killed his own father,

Laius, and married his own mother, Jocasta. Over the centuries, it has come to be

regarded by many as the Greek tragedy par excellence and certainly as the summit

of Sophocles achievements.

Synopsis
To briefly recap on the background to the play:

Shortly after Oedipus birth, his father, King Laius of Thebes, learned from an oracle that

he, Laius, was doomed to perish by the hand of his own son, and so ordered his wife

Jocasta to kill the infant. However, neither she nor her servant could bring themselves to

kill him and he was abandoned to elements. There he was found and brought up by a

shepherd, before being taken in and raised in the court of the childless King Polybus of

Corinth as if he were his own son.

Stung by rumours that he was not the biological son of the king, Oedipus consulted an

oracle which foretold that he would marry his own mother and kill his own father.

Desperate to avoid this foretold fate, and believing Polybus and Merope to be his true

parents, Oedipus left Corinth. On the road to Thebes, he met Laius, his real father, and,

unaware of each other's true identities, they quarrelled and Oedipus' pride led him to

murder Laius, fulfilling part of the oracle's prophecy. Later, he solved the riddle of the

Sphinx and his reward for freeing the kingdom of Thebes from the Sphinxs curse was the

hand of Queen Jocasta (actually his biological mother) and the crown of the city of

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Thebes. The prophecy was thus fulfilled, although none of the main characters were

aware of it at this point.

As the play opens, a priest and the Chorus of Theban elders are calling on King Oedipus

to aid them with the plague which has been sent by Apollo to ravage the city. Oedipus has

already sent Creon, his brother-in-law, to consult the oracle at Delphi on the matter, and

when Creon returns at that very moment, he reports that the plague will only end when

the murderer of their former king, Laius, is caught and brought to justice. Oedipus vows

to find the murderer and curses him for the plague that he has caused.

Oedipus also summons the blind prophet Tiresias, who claims to know the answers to

Oedipus' questions, but refuses to speak, lamenting his ability to see the truth when the

truth brings nothing but pain. He advises Oedipus to abandon his search but, when the

enraged Oedipus accuses Tiresias of complicity in the murder, Tiresias is provoked into

telling the king the truth, that he himself is the murderer. Oedipus dismisses this as

nonsense, accusing the prophet of being corrupted by the ambitious Creon in an attempt

to undermine him, and Tiresias leaves, putting forth one last riddle: that the murderer of

Laius will turn out to be both father and brother to his own children, and the son of his

own wife.

Oedipus demands that Creon be executed, convinced that he is conspiring against him,

and only the intervention of the Chorus persuades him to let Creon live. Oedipus' wife

Jocasta tells him he should take no notice of prophets and oracles anyway because, many

years ago, she and Laius received an oracle which never came true. This prophecy said

that Laius would be killed by his own son but, as everyone knows, Laius was actually

killed by bandits at a crossroads on the way to Delphi. The mention of crossroads causes

Oedipus to give pause and he suddenly becomes worried that Tiresias' accusations may

actually have been true.

When a messenger from Corinth arrives with news of the death of King Polybus, Oedipus

shocks everyone with his apparent happiness at the news, as he sees this as proof that he

can never kill his father, although he still fears that he may somehow commit incest with

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his mother. The messenger, eager to ease Oedipus' mind, tells him not to worry because

Queen Merope of Corinth was not in fact his real mother anyway.

The messenger turns out to be the very shepherd who had looked after an abandoned

child, which he later took to Corinth and gave up to King Polybus for adoption. He is also

the very same shepherd who witnessed the murder of Laius. By now, Jocasta is beginning

to realize the truth, and desperately begs Oedipus to stop asking questions. But Oedipus

presses the shepherd, threatening him with torture or execution, until it finally emerges

that the child he gave away was Laius' own son, and that Jocasta had given the baby to

the shepherd to secretly be exposed upon the mountainside, in fear of the prophecy that

Jocasta said had never come true: that the child would kill its father.

With all now finally revealed, Oedipus curses himself and his tragic destiny and stumbles

off, as the Chorus laments how even a great man can be felled by fate. A servant enters

and explains that Jocasta, when she had begun to suspect the truth, had ran to the palace

bedroom and hanged herself there. Oedipus enters, deliriously calling for a sword so that

he might kill himself and raging through the house until he comes upon Jocasta's body. In

final despair, Oedipus takes two long gold pins from her dress, and plunges them into his

own eyes.

Now blind, Oedipus begs to be exiled as soon as possible, and asks Creon to look after his

two daughters, Antigone and Ismene, lamenting that they should have been born into such

a cursed family. Creon counsels that Oedipus should be kept in the palace until oracles

can be consulted regarding what is best to be done, and the play ends as the Chorus wails:

Count no man happy till he dies, free of pain at last.

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Analysis
The play follows one chapter (the most dramatic one) in the life of Oedipus, King of
Thebes, who lived about a generation before the events of the Trojan War, namely his
gradual realization that he has killed his own father, Laius, and committed incest with his
own mother, Jocasta. It assumes a certain amount of background knowledge of his story,
which Greek audiences would have known well, although much of the background is also
explained as the action unfolds. The basis of the myth is recounted to some extent
in Homers The Odyssey, and more detailed accounts would have appeared in the
chronicles of Thebes known as the Theban Cycle, although these have since been lost to
us.
Oedipus the King is structured as a prologue and five episodes, each introduced by a
choral ode. Each of the incidents in the play is part of a tightly constructed cause-and-
effect chain, assembled together as an investigation of the past, and the play is considered
a marvel of plot structure. Part of the tremendous sense of inevitability and fate in the
play stems from the fact that all the irrational things have already occurred and are
therefore unalterable.
The main themes of the play are: fate and free will (the inevitability of oracular
predictions is a theme that often occurs in Greek tragedies); the conflict between the
individual and the state (similar to that in Sophocles Antigone); peoples willingness
to ignore painful truths (both Oedipus and Jocastaclutch at unlikely details in order to
avoiding facing up to the inceasingly apparent truth); and sight and blindness (the irony
that the blind seer Tiresius can actually see more clearly than the supposedly clear-
eyed Oedipus, who is in reality blind to the truth about his origins and his inadvertent
crimes).
Sophocles makes good use of dramatic irony in Oedipus the King. For example: the
people of Thebes come to Oedipus at the start of the play, asking him to rid the city of the
plague, when in reality, it is he who is the cause; Oedipus curses the murderer of Laius
out of a deep anger at not being able to find him, actually cursing himself in he process;
he insults Tiresius blindness when he is the one who actually lacks vision, and will soon
himself be blind; and he rejoices in the news of the death of King Polybus of Corinth,
when this new information is what actually brings the tragic prophecy to light.

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Chapter Four
Antagonist

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The Antagonist
The antagonist is the person or thing whose relationship with the

protagonist creates the conflict.

Some examples of traditional antagonists, individual characters who actively

try to cause the protagonist harm:

In The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, the antagonist is

Jadis, the White Witch. Jadis acts in direct opposition to the protagonist, Lucy

Pevensie, and her siblings.

In the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, the antagonist is Lord Voldemort.

Voldemort and his Death Eaters act in direct opposition to the protagonist,

Harry Potter, and his friends.

In Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley, the antagonist is

the Creature that Victor Frankenstein, the protagonist, creates and subsequently

rejects, which then seeks revenge upon him and all he holds dear.

In a disaster story, the antagonist is usually nature itself (which acts as a

symbol for some big theme, or whatever):

In Jaws by Peter Benchley, the antagonist is the big shark thats eating people.

In The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton, the antagonist is an

extraterrestrial virus.

In Hatchet by Gary Paulsen, the antagonist is the inhospitable wilderness.

Sometimes, the antagonist is more ephemeral:

In Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, the antagonist is the eponymous Rebecca,

who is long dead before the novel begins. It is her memory and lingering

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 influence that act against the protagonist, the second Mrs. de Winteras well

as the terrible secret of her demise. The sinister Mrs. Danvers works what she

sees as Rebeccas will from beyond the grave, but she is a secondary threat

rather than the true antagonist of the story.

In The Shining by Stephen King, the antagonist is the Overlook Hotel, which

has supernatural properties that drive the protagonist, Jack Torrance, insane.

Torrance himself becomes the threat to the other characters as the story

continues, but is still the protagonist. (This is a common feature of Kings

workCarrie has a similar role reversal, but Carrie White too remains the

protagonist.)

In much of Greek tragedy, most famously Oedipus the King by Sophocles, the

antagonist is Fate. Oedipus struggles against a terrible prophecy that somehow

conspires to take place no matter what measures are taken to avoid it. The

narrative is a give and take between protagonist and antagonist, with Oedipus

seemingly avoiding the prophecy and then the prophecy continually reasserting

itself.

Certain stories, by virtue of their structure, complicate the very idea of the

antagonist:

In the Romance genre, the antagonist is often the love interest. That doesnt

mean the character is evil, or hates the protagonist, or means to do her harm,

but instead that plot twists and reversals between those two characters are what

make up the central conflict. The conflict is whether or not the lovers will get

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 together, and its a battle between the two of them to reach a yes or no

conclusion. Any other opposing forces are usually secondary.

In a multi-protagonist structure, with many POV characters, the role of

antagonist becomes more complicated. For example, in A Game of Thrones by

George R. R. Martin, Tyrion Lannister and Catelyn Stark each serve as the

protagonist or antagonist for one another in their respective chapters.

Depending on the perspective the reader is given, each character assumes the

opposite roleTyrion as Catelyns antagonist and vice-versa. Each POV

character has a personal narrative with its own reversals, and therefore the

antagonist may be different for each storyline. (Ned Starks storyline, the

main storyline of the book, has a more traditional antagonist in Cersei

Lannister.)

Literary Fiction often has a different sort of conflict entirely. For example,

in Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, Janie Crawford is

both the protagonist and the antagonist. The narrative is about Janie deciding

what she wants from life, and fighting with her own self-doubt. In a structure

like this, it is vitally important to havesecondary antagonists who drive the

plotHurston provides the reader with Janies three husbands, who largely

fulfill this function, as well as a climactic battle with nature in the form of a

hurricane. This kind of structure, where the protagonist is her own

antagonist, is very ambitious and should be approached with caution.

Identifying the antagonist is absolutely essential to plotting your novel. The

power dynamic between protagonist and antagonist (i.e., which one is on top

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 of the conflict at any given time) is the primary driving force of the plot.

Stories without a defined antagonist are ponderous and lack urgency.

CONFLICT

Protagonist
Oedipus, the king of Thebes, is the protagonist of the play. Oedipus is born with a

terrible prophecy to kill his own father and marry his mother. To prevent this from

happening, Oedipus' father orders the baby to be killed but instead he is given to a

childless king and queen who raise him as if he were their own. In attempting to

deny his fate, Oedipus runs away from who he is and yet ironically ends up in the

homeland of his origins, ruling as king and marrying his mother. When he finally

realizes the truth of the prophecy, Oedipus must accept his punishment and his

limitations as a man.

Antagonist

The antagonist in this classical Greek tragedy is Fate. The awful fate with which

Oedipus is born is his greatest enemy. Despite attempting to flee his fate, Oedipus

ends up doing exactly what it predicts and then having to confront the

consequences of these actions.

Oedipus' destiny is engendered by Oedipus' own character defects: his temper and

impulsive nature and his pride (hubris) as well as his erroneous judgment

(hamartia) all contribute to his eventual downfall. These character defects are

governed by his fate and in turn aid his fate to take its course towards his

destruction.

Thus, Oedipus' fate as well as his hamartia work as the antagonists in this tragedy.

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Climax

The character flaws of the protagonist Oedipus work in tandem with fate to take

the tragedy to its climax. Oedipus, in his eagerness to solve the mystery of Laius'

murder and later in order to find the facts about his birth carries out an

investigation. His wife and others advise him not to do so as the results may be

unpleasant. But the stubborn Oedipus does not take their advice.

The climax occurs at the point when he realizes that fate has played itself out and

in his ignorance he has killed his father and married his mother. This realization

marks the climax of the play.

Outcome

The outcome of this climax is that Jocasta, Oedipus' mother/wife commits suicide,

as she is unable to bear the burden of her abhorrent existence. Oedipus is

devastated and blinds himself as a punishment. He only wants to be exiled from

Thebes, destroyed and vanquished. Through his pain and suffering, Oedipus is

humbled yet he also gains self-knowledge, as he knows who he is and where he is

from

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Conclusion

Fate is pre-determined and unchangeable. People cannot deny it either they agree

with it or not. As Oedipus` fate was already written so how can he deny it? If

something is written in our fate it will happen like in Oedipus Rex. When fate is

pre-dominant than all things support it consciously or unconsciously. Nature, our

conscious, incidents and man himself help fate and then whatever is written in our

fate becomes true because what will be, will be. Beside the role of fate, it seems

very clearly in the play that there is some sort of flaws in the character of Oedipus

which help him in the fulfillment of his tragic fate. He in spite of being intelligent

could not solve his own riddle as Prophet teases him that why he does not correct

his own mistake as he is very much wise in the riddle solving. So if we remove the

tragic flaw from his character, it will only show the helplessness of human kind

against the gods.

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 Work cited
Greek Tragedy, By H.D.F Kitto

The literature of Ancient Greece, By Gilbert Murray

Mark, J. J. (2009, September 02). Literature. Ancient History Encyclopedia. Retrieved

from http://www.ancient.eu/literature/

Greek version with word-by-word translation (Perseus Project):

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text.jsp?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0185

neoenglish.wordpress.com/2010/12/05/sophocleslife-and-works-life-496-406-b-c/

www.google.com

www.wikepedia.com

www.sparknotes.com

www.enote.com

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