Week 7 Discussion

In Oedipus the king I see many dramatic arch’s that take place today amongst family, for example holding secrets among some members of the family leading to tragedy is common. The incestuous relationship between mother and son (sadly) still goes onto these days. The escapist behavior people take on blindly to ignore what’s Infront of them.

In his book Poetics, Aristotle makes a distinction between poetry and history. There is a strong contrast between the past and present tense in this passage. For these reasons, Aristotle believes that poetry is preferable to history. To begin, he argues that poetry is superior to history and philosophy since it is the earliest form of writing. To that end, he writes, “While history informs us about what has occurred, poetry informs us about what might occur in the future.” He continues by asserting that poetry is universal, whereas history is particular. Within its own confines, poetry can reveal a great deal about history and philosophy. Poetry encompasses the abstract and the essence of enlightenment, whereas history merely imparts information through historical events. As a result, poetry consistently excels and surpasses history. The historian asserts that he is more persuasive because he uses historical examples to teach practical ideals. Poets, by virtue of their dual roles, are both philosophers and historians (Carli, 304). He employs both perception and illustration. This means that poetry can entice readers by illustrating what should occur rather than what has occurred or will occur. For instance, a poetry can assist readers in learning about values and ethics.  Aristotle asserted that poetry is universal. Aristotle defined poetry as significant because it deals with universal experiences shared by people of various races, sexes, faiths, locations, and languages. Poetry has the potential to touch the hearts and minds of people of all ages. This was not the case throughout history, when just a small number of people belonging to a certain race and geographical location were directly touched by the events depicted. Unlike history, which is primarily concerned with the events themselves, poetry is concerned with the people who lived through them, their sentiments, hopes and fears, joys […]

some timeless human experiences that I have seen the character deal with is death, people dying from left to right it’s like a domino effect. also, him being very stubborn not wanting to take any advice from anyone because he is the leader sometimes you have to put your pride aside and things could eventually work out but being hard-headed and having pride can just cause a negative impact on your life just like how this character is dealing with.

It defines history as the narrative of a particular event occurring at a particular time for a particular person or group while literature is the narrative of what is common in human experience.He believes in power, and when his father died, he went alone to seek justice with King Lai and his people, and for personal reasons. He announced the death of the man who killed King Lai. He realizes that he is the one he is looking for, and his fate is sealed.Oedipus found out that was found to kill his father and marry his mother which blinded him and made him feel a type of way.  

What behaviors do you find in your reading of Oedipus the King? In the reading of Oedipus, you can see one of the pride behaviors between Oedipus and Jocasta because both of them tries to escape the prophecy but in the end, Oedipus marrying his mother(wife having 4 kids ) accidentally kills this father without knowing it, as Oedipus Jocasta tries to escape it by telling the shepherd to abandon Oedipus and killing it. But the shepherd does what Jocata which also results in the prophecy coming true, when trying to escape from fate but resulting in happing. Also, fate if Oedipus didn’t listen to the prophecy and left Corinth, fate won’t happen that quickly or in a way that the prophecy can be false. In the end, Jocasta kills herself from knowing the truth and so did Oedipus blind himself(in a way to not see the horror in his life again).

When I think of the story of “Oedipus the King”, by Aristotle is clear to me that there is a true sense of justice against all odds being stacked against him. A person trying to outrun or avoid what they think is an ill fate is timeless. Whether it be a child being told what they will do for a living or who they will marry. Those that have fled their country of birth to another for the freedom of escaping their fate if they stayed. Another could be someone that thought they were doing the right thing like the shepherd that took Oedipus away only to find out they did a terrible wrong in doing so. Many a person has tried to do what they thought was right only to have it bite them back at the end of things. Lastly just like any good parent regardless of the bad things that they have done or that have happened to them, the only thing Oedipus cared about at the end was not himself but for his children.

A timeless event that can be seen in Oedipus is one’s pride leading them to their downfall. This can be seen in many leaders in the history of the world. One such leader was Napoleon. His own pride within the French army caused him to thin out his forces leading to his defeat. Another ruler this can be seen in is Hitler and his attempted invasion of Russia. He believed in himself so much that he did not take into account the different terrain and climate of said country. This led to the eventual break down of the German army and his eventual retreat out of Russia. Another event often seen is rulers trying to protect their own power. The best example of this is during campaign time when politicians slander each other in order to look more appealing to voters. They let go of their morals in order to stay in charge.  

I think that even today, many people struggle taking advice and listening to others. Whether it’s pride, mistrust, or being blinded by something want/love, I think we all struggle listening to what other people have to say about our lives and our mistakes.

When Aristotle writes that “poetry is a higher form than history.” to me means that poetry gives you a better understanding of history and explains the experiences that have happened and others have gone through. The timeless human experiences and behaviors that I notice in the reading Oediupus The King is that you notice a lot of different problems going on at once in the reading as it begins with Oedipus killing his own father then end up marrying his own mother who he has no idea is his mother till it later is revealed to him then it continues on to Oedipus accusing Creon for Laius’s death, so all at one you start to notice the amount of situations these characters deal with especially amongst each other when they do not really have true evidence on why some of them have problems with each other, for example Oedipus is just making his own claim that Creon killed Laius but he doesn’t have any true evidence to really support that Creon is the reason to the killing.

I believe that a truly universal aspect of the characters in the ancient Greek tragedy, “Oedipus the King” by Sophocles is their relationship with the gods. Obviously, in our modern society most people are not as hung up on God’s wrath but, even with the spread of atheism, people still need an outer force to blame things on and hope for things from. Whether that’s a deity, energies, forces, fate, chance or destiny, the majority believes that there is something else in charge of reality as we know it. Most people are still dependent on something else. Which in a way, understandable because after a certain amount of experience, one must admit that the way life works, the people we meet and the things we live through cannot be all for nothing.

One of the timeless behaviors that I get in the book is with regards the answer that Freudian gives to Allan Arlow and that I find excellent and completely satisfying. Jocasta informs Oedipus that a man always has a dream of having his father killed and then getting the chance of marrying his mother. What she says indeed happens on very many occasions as we see evident in the book (Grene 73). The other fascinating behavior is the issue of deep fears of the patriarchal society that calls for great attention . In such an instance, the son might has his father killed or kill him by himself and end up marrying his wife. The son is then set to enjoy the privileges that the father initially wanted, and after the father’s death, all the roles are assumed by him. Then finally, we see the mundane fear that the book claims is in every one of us.

Timeless human experiences or behaviors that I found in my reading of Oedipus the King is the fear of not being in control. I think this is a big one because multiple times does the story goes on about fate, it is deeply connected within it. Fear of not being in control, the fear of higher beings being in control of what happens and what is your destiny, your “fate”, I think this is the timeless human behavior that is being interpreted from this reading. The reading of Oedipus the King’s characters shows that everyone faces their fate regardless of what they attempt to do, worsening it if continued to try and cheat fate to attempt to change it or mold it to their liking. Even Oedipus’s fate is already predetermined by the God’s, higher beings in the reading to commit. Throughout the reading, however, Oedipus as well attempts to change his fate, but his stubborn nature pushes him more towards his downfall.

When Aristotle has written that “poetry is a higher form than history.” He qualifies that history is the story of a particular event that happens at a particular time to a particular person or group, while literature is the story of what is universal in the human experience. I agree with this because in poetry the person shows more emotion in ways of rhyme. In the reading of Oedipus the King there were signs of emotions that are still carried out to this day such as revenge and other things that are carried out in our society. In lines 119 ceron says something that relates to the only way to make the empire great is with spilling blood of the people that have done bad to us, meaning revenge. Also oedipus found out that was found to kill his father and marry his mother which that blinded him and made him feel a type of way. this happens in our society where people find crazy news and it changes them.

Aristotle has written that “poetry is a higher form than history.” He qualifies that history is the story of a particular event that happens at a particular time to a particular person or group, while literature is the story of what is universal in the human experience. After reading Oedipus the king, its clear to see he couldn’t escape his own destiny. During this time, they believed that everyone’s fates were determined from birth and fates were unalterable. Oedipus is the protagonist and his fate, the antagonist. When Oedipus learned of his fate, he left Corinth after he heard what the prophecy directed to Polybus, the man he thought was his biological father. It was said that one day he would kill his father and marry his mother. Oedipus eager to know the truth was unable to control what was given at birth for him. He believed he was powerful and when his father died, he set out with his own free will to find justice for King Laius, for the people of his land and his own personal reasons. He proclaimed death upon the man that killed King Laius. His fate was defined when he realized the man, he was searching for was himself.

In the reading of “Oedipus the King”, timeless human experiences or behaviors I found was since birth Oedipus didn’t know about his real parents and he ended up killing his father and marrying his mother (Jocasta) who he didn’t know about it till it was revealed after. This led to Oedipus accusing Creon of Laius’s death and planning his exile or death, to Jocasta killing herself after finding out the truth that she’s Oedipus mother and wife on her own, and lastly, Oedipus dying from all the misfortune he’s had and from my take of the Chorus saying “he has passed the final limit of his life secure from pain.” (1728). Oedipus’s real father Laius and Jocasta sent their kid to be killed after a prophet told them that their baby will kill him and marry his mother, even after trying to change destiny, it still happening, proceeding to show that you can’t always force a change on an incident because it’ll end up happening again. Changing the outcome also caused plenty of people to get hurt in the process.

Throughout the story of “Oedipus the King” the king suffers from his timeless human experience as he impulsively blinds himself. Oedipus learns of the truths behind his parents and of his children and in his shame he cannot bare to look at what he has done. With his impulsive decision he found a permanent solution for his shame and in turn later regretted it as he wanted his children back in his arms. As a consequence, he is forced to let go of his children after all, in order to live outside of Thebes away from the horrors bestowed upon him. Creon also demonstrates a timeless behavior as he is gracious towards Oedipus and tries to show him that he was a decent man before the recent events and will continue to be a decent man after them. Creon says to Oedipus “I gave you this because I knew from old days how you loved them as I see now.” Crean feels for Oedipus and his act of pity will not be forgotten.

                   It is an incontestable fact that, despite years of human history and societies, some behaviors and experiences patterns are still intrinsic in our lifestyles and still are a huge part of who we are as individuals, or as a community. Several of these timeless patterns can be encountered in the reading “Oedipus the King”, such as the community’s respect towards its social hierarchy, and the feeling of revenge.                     In the lines 254 to 260, Oedipus says: “But if you shall keep silence, if perhaps some one of you, to shield a guilty friend, some one of you, to shield reject my words – hear what I shall do then: I forbid that man, whoever he be, my land, my land where I hold sovereignty and throne; and I forbid any to welcome him or cry him greeting or make him a sharer in sacrifice or offering to the Gods, or give him water for his hands to wash.” Here, Oedipus symbolizes not only his power towards his country and community, but also an allusion about how much his loyal followers are expected to respect his words, and fear his attitudes. Today, despite the almost complete extinction of monarchy countries, we as individuals and as a country or society in a democracy, still respect the State and its authority figures.                    Further, in the lines 119-120, Creon says: “By banishing a man, or expiation of blood by blood, since it is murder guilt which holds our city in this destroying storm.” As a way to symbolize that, the only way to make that empire prosper again is to find revenge against those who hurt them […]

In “Oedipus the King” by Sophocles, many things make this story timeless and always relatable to the human condition. One such behavior is the inability to admit when one is wrong. It is common, and most of us would like to think we are immune to such a thing. Still, when confronted with a situation like that, most of us turn defensive and dig in our heels instead of examining the case presented to us and seeing if we are genuinely wrong about something. In the story, Teiresias tells Oedipus that he is the murderer of the king. Oedipus can’t believe his misfortune and gets mad at being told that he is the person who is the one behind the former king Laius’s death. So instead of determining if what the prophet says is true, he gets outraged and sends him away. This situation is an excellent example of literature. We can see in the characters’ behaviors that are relatable to us to this day, even with such a vast gulf of time between us.

Oedipus the King has many timeless human experiences or behaviors. For example, the power of fate. Fate is something that people find very debatable. People being in control of their lives makes them feel superior over others as they are free to make decisions as they wish to. In the case of Oedipus, fate already had a plan for him, even though he found it difficult to accept his reality of no longer being in charge. Another timeless human experience is the concept of family and the troubles that they face. Also, we are taught to be ourselves and in order to do that we must find ourselves. This is shown when Oedipus goes on a journey to make an effort to know the truth about his upbringing. Oedipus is met with his original fate that he tries to get away from, which is a curse that he will one day kill his father and marry his mother.   

Whereas history is particular, literature is universal. We see universal themes in Oedipus, most infamous of all the Oedipal complex. While Freud developed this millennia later, its base themes of an incestuous relationship are heavily inspired by Oedipus, but are far from singular in literature. For example, one can also reference the Electra complex in literature as well. There is also the social concept of men being “mama’s boys,” or more recently the concept of being a “boy mom.” Part of this is pushed by the age-old patriarchal expectation that a man can only be vulnerable around his mother, caregiver that she is. Another prevalent trope is “ignorance is bliss.” While remaining unknowing of the sins he had committed, Oedipus is revered as the savior and ruler. He is able to make such proclamations of driving the scourge from the land due to his pride in his identity as king. There is also the inevitability of fate, in that one can run and hide as much as one may like, but they cannot escape the machinations of fate and the gods.

In reading, “Oedipus the King,” I was able to find many timeless human experiences or behaviors. Oedipus wife Jocasta tells him that Laius was killed at a three-way crossroads, just before Oedipus arrived in Thebes. Oedipus, stunned, tells his wife that he may be the one who murdered Laius. He tells Jocasta that, long ago, when he was the prince of Corinth, he heard at a banquet that he was not really the son of the king and queen, and so went to the oracle of Delphi, which did not answer him but did tell him he would murder his father and sleep with his mother. Hearing this, Oedipus fled from home, never to return. It was then, on the journey that would take him to Thebes, that Oedipus was confronted and harassed by a group of travelers, whom he killed in self-defense, at the very crossroads where Laius was killed. Oedipus shows that he truly believes he killed Laius and is willing to accept not only the responsibility but the punishment for the act.

In “Oedipus the King” by Sophocles, I noticed the timeless human experience of shame and self-punishment. When Jocasta realizes that she has had children with her own child, the shame of what she has done, albeit unknowingly, is too much to bear and she commits suicide. When Oedipus realizes that he has had children with his own mother, he blinds himself because he cannot bear to look at those children. Shame is a universal feeling and this story, being a tragedy, is an extreme situation of the terrible extent of the shameful deed coupled with the public setting of Oedipus and Jocasta being King and Queen. Everyone can relate to feeling regret over a past act or event and subsequently the need to try to right the wrong somehow in order to cope with the inner turmoil. Sophocles creates a scenario where these feelings are so overwhelming that the audience not only sympathizes with the characters, but pities them.

Oedipus the King has many timeless human experiences. One is the mother and son relationship between Oedipus and his mother. Oedipus killed his father Laios to marry his mother Jocasta. Oedipus had a sexual relationship with his mother who created this unconscious love for her him. Jocasta accepted the fact that they both created this sexual desire for each other. This shows the love of a mother and son relationship and incest that occurs between family members today. Some people across the world have created this normality to have sexual relations and marry relatives. Another example is when Oedipus realizes he killed his father which causes him to change by accepting it and owning up to what he did by blinding himself. In today’s society, this shows people could change over time by owning up to what they have done. 

In reading, “Oedipus The King,” there are many common themes that resonate both in modern day arenas as well as the time it was written. First, the people looking to those in power- Oedipus- to cure the existing plight of the plague is certainly familiar when thinking about how our country looked to our government to combat COVID. In the story, this leads Oedipus to seek out the murderer, never expecting the criminal to ultimately be himself.  In his quest, he first becomes paranoid that Creon is maneuvering to unseat him and become king. It is a timeless behavior for those not in power to seek to takeover those in power.  “For only with the people at your back or money can the hunt end in the capture of the crown.” This statement by Oedipus also rings true in contemporary society, as the people at your back would represent today’s voters, and money would represent today’s campaign funds, etc. Be careful what you wish for, is a phrase that also comes to mind when reading this piece, as Oedipus goes to great lengths to discover the truth, even as the people around him try to discourage him from doing so.  Not heeding one’s inner circle’s advice is a behavior that can certainly prove to be a detriment, as we see as the story unfolds. I believe that this is deemed a timeless, classic story because it speaks to the reader’s life no matter the time in history it is read.

Oedipus the King goes through a plethora of universal human experiences. One of the most common is the tragedy that occurs amongst family members as a result of secrets. Another timeless experience is the copulation of mother and son, for whom their names, Jocasta and Oedipus, are still remembered as the Jocasta and Oedipus complexes. The Jocasta experience is when a mother has an incestuous sexual desire for her son, whereas the Oedipus complex is when the boy has an unconscious sexual yearning for the mother. Another everlasting experience is people’s blatant dread and paranoia, and the lengths to which they will go to avoid feeling them, as in Laius’ attempt to murder Oedipus. As fate would have it, Oedipus eventually fulfilled the prophecy. Oedipus would almost certainly have fulfilled his destiny regardless of whether Laius did what he did or did not hear the prophesy due to fate, which is a timeless human experience in and of itself. Even if you attempt to control the ending, as was the case with Oedipus and murdering his father, as well as all that led up to it, including Jocasta’s death and Oedipus blinding himself and leaving himself to wander.

While reading Oedipus the King, I was able to find timeless human experiences. Jocasta, Oedipus’s mother, had killed herself when finding out who the murderer was. She felt distraught about it being Oedipus, who is her husband, that made her commit suicide. She even said that the prophets were lying because she did not want to believe it. These are human experiences because when finding out something very surprising as this, the first thing you want to do is shut it down and not believe it. In this case, it ended up being true which cause a dark ending to her life. The same had happened to Oedipus the King when he realizes that he had killed his father and married his own mother. He blinded himself because he did not want to see what he caused.

My understanding about this quotation is that Aristotle discusses thought and diction and then moves on to address epic poetry. Whereas tragedy consists of actions presented in a dramatic form, epic poetry consists of verse presented in a narrative form. Tragedy and epic poetry have many common qualities, most notably the unity of plot and similar subject matter. In addition, Oedipus’s attitude is presented on multiple occasions’ combining tragic irony with verbal irony, where Oedipus speaks to both his crimes in the same breath. engenders the predicament of whether these crimes are justifiable or not. Those who are procrustean regarding Oedipus’ crimes may insularly claim that they cannot be rationalized. However, further acknowledgment of this quandary brings forth the idea that Oedipus’ crimes of patricide and incest are justified by how his lack of phronesis is inherited, his unawareness influences his actions, and his fate is ultimately under the gods’ control. One may venture that since Oedipus’ hauteur and lack of phronesis are traits passed down in the House of Labdacus, they justify Oedipus’ crimes. This assertion is derived from the argument that Oedipus’ crimes are the result of his lack of phronesis, which is, in essence, an amalgamation of the skills, character, and experience necessary for moral and sound decision-making.

What is the story of Oedipus the King? Oedipus the King is a tragedy about Prince Oedipus, who rose from a higher position to a lower position owing to Fate, Destiny, and free will. He was told by an Oracle that he would kill his father and marry his mother, and when he heard that Oracle, he fled from his homeland to Corinth, where he was raised by his foster parents. In your reading of Oedipus, the King, what timeless human experiences or actions can you find? Oedipus was a nice guy who, in his attempts to do the right thing, had spectacularly tragic outcomes. He attempted not to murder his father and marry his mother, but it backfired. It also addresses the Adlerian* dread of not being in control of our own life, of being influenced by powers beyond our comprehension. Finally, it addresses a more common concern that we all have that in acting for all the right reasons, we can end up doing exactly the wrong thing.

In the reading of “Oedipus the King”, the timeless human experiences or behaviors I found was that Oedipus didn’t know his mother and ended up marrying her. (or just incest) Or to put it in similar words, the relationship between Jocasta and Oedipus. Also, another timeless human experience is running from fate. His father Laius abandon Oedipus after hearing about a prophecy of his son killing him and marrying his wife, Jocasta. Oedipus ends up surviving and being adopted by a king and queen. Oedipus finds out about the prophecy and his arrogance takes over and the prophecy comes true. Fear took over Oedipus’ life once he heard about the prophecy, he was accusing Creon of Laius’s death and started to feel uncomfortable when things started to sound familiar to him. He was scared of not having control over his life. He pretty much spent his whole life running from his fears and that prophecy, maybe he got too cocky that it wouldn’t happen when he ran away from his adoptive parents: Polybus and Merope

One timeless human experience I found is that we as humans can bravely challenge our miserable fate and try to convert it to a consequence that we desire. Although I and everyone can’t accept the fact that Oedipus married his mother Jocasta and had children with her, I admire him for spending his life trying to get away from the prophecy said by God. When he heard he would finally murder his father and marry his mother, he didn’t surrender to this so-called destiny and wait for the prediction happen. Instead he escapes his birthplace and starts a new life in a country where he becomes a king of it. That’s what made us as human beings unique in the world. Unlike the poultry whose destiny is being killed and eaten, the reason that we stand at the top of the food chain is that we have a stronger power to question our fate. We are competent to have a battle with the predicted future. However, for Oedipus, “its prophecies, ever living, flutter around his head”. In other words, our power is so small that we are not able to win over the big destiny. But I still believe that our failure in life can never use our destiny as an excuse. There are still many things we can control and change. For me, the behavior of Oedipus’s fighting against his fate prolongs the distance to reaching the tragic outcomes. Otherwise, this would have become an unremarkable story about a person who is conquered by a tragic fate. 

Here we are in this reading of the Greeks “Oedipus the King”.  Here is a man that was sent away at birth to be killed but never was. He was the child of Jocasta and Laius’s.  He was sent away because of one of these Greek prophets told his parents that he foreseen when he grew to be an adult, he would murder Laius’s and marry Jocasta.  Well as faith has it the prophecy came true.  Oedipus ends marrying Jocasta who is his mother.  Over time the truth comes out and Oedipus is driven to feeling of human shame.  Jocasta couldn’t live anymore like this, and she takes her own life. This story of incest not only hurts her but him also.  As king how can he rule his kingdom.  It seems that tragedy in his life ends up killing him years down the road.  So, we look to learn if they didn’t have this prophecy would life still happened as it did.

This can be considered timeless because the story deals with issues that today would not be viewed favorably by people. In one of these events, the play shows us about the deepest fears of patriarchal society, such as the case in which a son murders his father and marries his wife. When Jocasta, trying to calm Oedipus, tells him that many men have dreamed of killing his father and marrying his mother. This refers to and deals with the incest taboo, which is found in all cultures. It is something that today we could see as complete madness without any doubt. There has never been a taboo as powerful, as entrenched, as ancient as that of incest. Marriage between close relatives is prohibited throughout the world. In many countries, sexual relations between very close relatives are also prohibited. Many people have never even asked themselves the reason for the ban: it is seen as natural that there should be no erotic relationship between the father or the mother with the daughter or the son, or between siblings. The idea that these relatives form a sentimental and erotic couple, permanently or briefly, horrifies us, without asking ourselves the origin of that horror.

Oedipus the King has a lot of timeless human experiences. One of most, being the tragedy between family because of secrets. Another timeless experience would be the copulation of mother and son which to this day their names are remembered, Jocasta and Oedipus, as the Jocasta and Oedipus complexes. The Jocasta experience being the incestuous sexual desire of a mother towards her son and Oedipus complex being the opposite of where son has an unconscious sexual desire for the mother. Another timeless experience would be, the blatant fear and paranoia of people and what they are willing to do in order to not feel that anymore, as in Laius trying to kill Oedipus. As fate would have it, Oedipus ended up fulfilling the destiny that was prophesized in the end. Oedipus would have probably ended up fulfilling his fate either way even if Laius didn’t do what he did or didn’t hear the prophecy because of fate which in itself is a timeless human experience. Fate ends up happening even if you try to control the outcome as is with Oedipus and killing his father and all that led up to it including Jocasta’s death and Oedipus blinding himself left to wander.

Oedipus the King illustrates timeless human experiences by bringing a universal unconscious fantasy and physical relationship between mother and son to life. Human beings are compassionate and emotional irrespective of the misunderstanding among them. Jocasta illustrates the latter ideology at the end of the play when trying to soothe Oedipus against banishing Creon from the city. In addition to the latter trait,  Oedipus the King effectively reveals the deepest fears in a patriarchal society. Many societies across the globe embrace the idea of respecting one`s parents. Disrespecting parents is a taboo in many communities. The play illustrates the deepest fears of a son murdering his father and marrying his mother. Additional fear evident in the play is fear of not assuming control over one`s life. Since the creation and fall of humankind, people have been exploring their environments to gain control and learn more about them. In the attempt to control his destiny and personal condition, Oedipus embraced a personal exploration journey.

In the reading of “Oedipus the King”, timeless human experiences or behaviors I found was since birth Oedipus didn’t know about his real parents and he ended up killing his father and marrying his mother (Jocasta) who he didn’t know about it till it was revealed after. This led to Oedipus accusing Creon of Laius’s death and planning his exile or death, to Jocasta killing herself after finding out the truth that she’s Oedipus mother and wife on her own, and lastly, Oedipus dying from all the misfortune he’s had and from my take of the Chorus saying “he has passed the final limit of his life secure from pain.” (1728). Oedipus’s real father Laius and Jocasta sent their kid to be killed after a prophet told them that their baby will kill him and marry his mother, even after trying to change destiny, it still happening, proceeding to show that you can’t always force a change on an incident because it’ll end up happening again. Changing the outcome also caused plenty of people to get hurt in the process.

In (Oedipus the King) briefly outlines Aristotle’s philosophy on poetry as “higher from history.” Revealing the ideology of his thought on tragedy focuses on tragic heroes, which usually features Kings and other important figures as an example of a human experiencing tragedy.  An exemplification of this is Oedipus’s shame due to his delusion of a rumor that leads towards incest. In Aristotle’s given thoughts of poetry, the tragic hero suffers from his moral failing as a king (Hamartia). As the audience spectates Oedipus the King, gives ambivalence towards the protagonist. When we’re ambivalent, depending on an event that an individual is in, make us contradict if they deserve pity. Depending on how we can relate to those that are in a situation that they cannot leave, especially if problems are involved in one’s event, creates ambivalence of thoughts and feeling towards tragic heroes.