Literature is the story of what is universal in the human experience. Reading Oedipus the King I could identify several timeless human behaviors. Human beings are emotional creators; it is clear to see that in this story since it is very dramatic. The characters in this story are very impulsive, and moved by passion. The most outstanding behaviors are Oedipus’s and Jocasta’s when the truth comes to light. Jocasta hanged herself and put an end to her life while Oedipus blinded himself claiming that there is nothing for him to see. They both were frightened by the terrible discovery and that lead them to their deeds. I find these behaviors as timeless human behaviors because at the end of the day they are both human beings who reacted by their emotions. I feel like this type of story comes as a mirror for human behavior in an exaggerated way in order to make us wonder about how our mind works. How will people act when they’re suffering, where is the limit?
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3 thoughts on “Tamar Abelson Discussion 7”
Hey Tamar! I agree, completely. The reaction is very human. Being royalty doesn’t mean they don’t have emotions or that they can handle tragedy better than the people they rule over. It humanized them in a way. It was a thought that went through my head while reading the end of the play. How incredibly dramatic Oedipus was, granted after finding out the truth, it was understandable for him to have an extreme reaction and it’s not like they had someone teaching them coping skills during that time. However, he was regarded as short tempered and impulsive by his wife/mother throughout most of the story. Thank you for sharing!
Tamar, thanks for jumping in early. It’s very striking, isn’t it, how human behavior does not seem to have changed very much from thousands of years ago. We are still an impulsive and emotional species.
Hello Tamar I agree that humans are a very emotional species. I also find it interesting how you say that their reaction to what they learned is something that can happen as they are humans. I think that a lot of people put certain people on a pedestal and think that they are different from humans. This always happens to people that have some status or power like royalty back then or celebrities these days.