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Summary:
Oedipus, King of the Greek city Thebes, has his brother Creon go and see an oracle to find out how to end the plague in the city. When Creon returns, he informs Oedipus that the killer of the former king Laius needs to be found and prosecuted to cure everyone. A prophecy stated that Laius and his wife would have a child that would kill Laius and marry the wife. Oedipus's wife, Jocasta, tells him not to worry about anything because oracles have been wrong many times. Then a blind prophet tells Oedipus that he killed Laius. Jocasta tells him not to worry about it because her and Laius's only son had been killed. After being warned not to by his wife, Oedipus then questions a messenger about his past. The messenger tells Oedipus that he is the son on Jocasta and Laius and he did murder Laius at the crossroads many years before. Come to found out, the messenger was the man who raised Oedipus. Jocasta retreats to her room, and Oedipus, terrified at was has happened, gouges his own eyes out. He is then exiled from Thebes.
My thoughts:
If you are interested in Greek plays or like reading at all, then I recommend this book for you. This book is one of the few Greek tragedies to survive and that gives it a unique feeling when you pick it up. Although the vocabulary is meant for an older audience, it does not hurt for someone to read it at any level. This book was entertaining and it was funny. The humor of the Classical Greeks is alive and well within the humor that we have today. Many times, The King would make snarky remarks to his inferiors and they would snap back with one of their own. The actions of the characters are also very comical because they are all over the top. What I mean by that is that they do not react like a normal person would, they react in an overdramatic way that just adds to the humor that Sophocles was tryin to show.
Reading a book from another part of the world broadens the scope of your thoughts. This book really delves into the culture that the Ancient Greeks had, because many times they were based loosely off of real figures. While I do not know for certain who Oedipus is based off of, I can know that a lot of Shakespeare's work was written to mock the royalty of the time and Sophocles was no different. After all, he was the William Shakespeare of Ancient Greece. Sophocles was one of the first tragedy playwrights. Why was that so popular with the Greeks? It is because they were always at war and they often blamed their kings for getting them into those wars. Much like how New Yorkers found refuge in Broadway shows after September 11th, the Greeks took to the theatres to escape reality. The best way for these writers to draw in crowds was to make a mockery of their situation. That is why is almost every Greek tragedy, something bad happens with the king. Had I not read Oedipus, then I would have never looked into that and found out the reason the tragedy was invented. Therefore, reading books and plays from different areas of the world give you new found knowledge that would not be gotten by reading only from your own area.
I think that many people today can relate to this play because of the fact that we like seeing people that are better than us fail. Even if you do not think you think it, then why are there all these tabloids about celebrities getting divorced or gaining weight. The Greeks were no different, they cheered for their leaders to fail also. Another similarity is the sense of humor that the Greeks had. It is almost the same as our own today, and this book reminded me of that. Oedipus, while not meant to be funny, really is funny in how he handles his life day to day. Whilst there is a sad end, the way in which it was written would be popular even today.
This play was a brilliant story on the struggles of a king who does not know his past. Is there a hidden message in the story, maybe but it is up to you to read it and figure it out on your own. This story entertains and it helps you learn about a time very different from our own. This story is the classic story of a scandal ruining someone's life really. This is something that even happens today, and it could be the basis of an argument on why the presidential election turned out the way it did but that is not for me to decide. This play is one which truly has stood the test of time and remained popular for centuries.
Personal Rating:
5/5
Why:
It was funny and educational, and it was a play that I could not put down as I read it in three nights.
There were really no negatives except that it took a while to develop.
Recommendations:
I would recommend Oedipus to anyone who is interested in Greece, Greek culture, Greek life, Greek tragedies, the classics of Rome and Greece, or someone who is just looking for any entertaining read.
Leaving Thought:
My exiting remark on Oedipus the King is that it is truly one of the great works of any playwrights from not only antiquity, but from the world. This play really made you want to keep reading, and it transformed you into the amphitheaters of the Peloponnesian Peninsula. This play, I can say, is truly the first play that I enjoyed ready and quite honestly I cannot wait to read more by the brilliant Sophocles. Also, if you have read this far and are not my English teacher, Mrs. Harrison, I thank you for taking the time to read what I have to say.
Oedipus, King of the Greek city Thebes, has his brother Creon go and see an oracle to find out how to end the plague in the city. When Creon returns, he informs Oedipus that the killer of the former king Laius needs to be found and prosecuted to cure everyone. A prophecy stated that Laius and his wife would have a child that would kill Laius and marry the wife. Oedipus's wife, Jocasta, tells him not to worry about anything because oracles have been wrong many times. Then a blind prophet tells Oedipus that he killed Laius. Jocasta tells him not to worry about it because her and Laius's only son had been killed. After being warned not to by his wife, Oedipus then questions a messenger about his past. The messenger tells Oedipus that he is the son on Jocasta and Laius and he did murder Laius at the crossroads many years before. Come to found out, the messenger was the man who raised Oedipus. Jocasta retreats to her room, and Oedipus, terrified at was has happened, gouges his own eyes out. He is then exiled from Thebes.
My thoughts:
If you are interested in Greek plays or like reading at all, then I recommend this book for you. This book is one of the few Greek tragedies to survive and that gives it a unique feeling when you pick it up. Although the vocabulary is meant for an older audience, it does not hurt for someone to read it at any level. This book was entertaining and it was funny. The humor of the Classical Greeks is alive and well within the humor that we have today. Many times, The King would make snarky remarks to his inferiors and they would snap back with one of their own. The actions of the characters are also very comical because they are all over the top. What I mean by that is that they do not react like a normal person would, they react in an overdramatic way that just adds to the humor that Sophocles was tryin to show.
Reading a book from another part of the world broadens the scope of your thoughts. This book really delves into the culture that the Ancient Greeks had, because many times they were based loosely off of real figures. While I do not know for certain who Oedipus is based off of, I can know that a lot of Shakespeare's work was written to mock the royalty of the time and Sophocles was no different. After all, he was the William Shakespeare of Ancient Greece. Sophocles was one of the first tragedy playwrights. Why was that so popular with the Greeks? It is because they were always at war and they often blamed their kings for getting them into those wars. Much like how New Yorkers found refuge in Broadway shows after September 11th, the Greeks took to the theatres to escape reality. The best way for these writers to draw in crowds was to make a mockery of their situation. That is why is almost every Greek tragedy, something bad happens with the king. Had I not read Oedipus, then I would have never looked into that and found out the reason the tragedy was invented. Therefore, reading books and plays from different areas of the world give you new found knowledge that would not be gotten by reading only from your own area.
I think that many people today can relate to this play because of the fact that we like seeing people that are better than us fail. Even if you do not think you think it, then why are there all these tabloids about celebrities getting divorced or gaining weight. The Greeks were no different, they cheered for their leaders to fail also. Another similarity is the sense of humor that the Greeks had. It is almost the same as our own today, and this book reminded me of that. Oedipus, while not meant to be funny, really is funny in how he handles his life day to day. Whilst there is a sad end, the way in which it was written would be popular even today.
This play was a brilliant story on the struggles of a king who does not know his past. Is there a hidden message in the story, maybe but it is up to you to read it and figure it out on your own. This story entertains and it helps you learn about a time very different from our own. This story is the classic story of a scandal ruining someone's life really. This is something that even happens today, and it could be the basis of an argument on why the presidential election turned out the way it did but that is not for me to decide. This play is one which truly has stood the test of time and remained popular for centuries.
Personal Rating:
5/5
Why:
It was funny and educational, and it was a play that I could not put down as I read it in three nights.
There were really no negatives except that it took a while to develop.
Recommendations:
I would recommend Oedipus to anyone who is interested in Greece, Greek culture, Greek life, Greek tragedies, the classics of Rome and Greece, or someone who is just looking for any entertaining read.
Leaving Thought:
My exiting remark on Oedipus the King is that it is truly one of the great works of any playwrights from not only antiquity, but from the world. This play really made you want to keep reading, and it transformed you into the amphitheaters of the Peloponnesian Peninsula. This play, I can say, is truly the first play that I enjoyed ready and quite honestly I cannot wait to read more by the brilliant Sophocles. Also, if you have read this far and are not my English teacher, Mrs. Harrison, I thank you for taking the time to read what I have to say.
