Oedipus The King A Great Deal Of Courage - 2332 Words

Courage is defined as the â€Å"ability to do something that frightens one† or, â€Å"strength in the face of pain or grief.† Three characters that show a great deal of courage in their story’s include, Oedipus from the play Oedipus the King, Antigone from the play Antigone, and Socrates from Plato’s plays The Apology and Crito. All three characters courageously pursued what they thought was right- Oedipus in finding out who his birth parents were and who murdered Laius, Antigone in burying her brother Polynices, even if it meant her punishment or death, and Socrates in leading the examined lifestyle-even when it meant his imprisonment and death by the city. All three characters did what they thought was right. But their courage cannot only be measured by their initial beliefs and choices, but also by their responses to the consequences of the choices they made. When reading Oedipus the King, most people would conclude that Oedipus is an overall courageous character that, he belongs at the top of the list as the most courageous character. He was portrayed as a man well loved by his people. The love and respect that the people of Thebes have for Oedipus, is evident in some of the first lines of the play, in which the priest praises Oedipus as being the city’s â€Å"greatest power† (pg. 160-line 60). The chorus and the priest then go on to praise Oedipus for the noble and courageous things that he has done for the city of Thebes in the past: You freed us from the Sphinx; you came to ThebesShow MoreRelatedThe Heros Journey1704 Words   |  7 PagesHe calls this common structure â€Å"the monomyth† (Hero’s Journey). The â€Å"hero’s journey† appears in drama, storytelling, myth, religious ritual, and psychological development. It describes the typical adventure of The Hero, who goes out and achieves great deeds on behalf of the family, group, tribe, or civilization. There are twelve steps, or stages, of the typical â€Å"Hero’s Journey†. The twelve steps are: The ordinary world, the call to adventure, refusal of the call, meeting with the mentor, crossingRead MoreThe Iliad And The Odyssey1615 Words   |  7 PagesOdysseus, is the King of Ithaca and is called to serve and lead the Greeks in the Trojan War. Odysseus receives help from Athena and is told that he must serve in the Trojan War for he is destined to bring them victory, in which he does. After winning the war Odysseus is cursed to never go home, thankfully he makes amends with the gods and returns home in ten years. Correlating to Greek literature a famous tragedy, is the play â€Å"Oedipus the King† by Sophocles, where the main character, Oedipus, is destinedRead MoreThe Tragic Flaw Of Oedipus And Hamlet1829 Words   |  8 Pagestranscend. In fact, maybe nobody is more fit for indicating triumph over struggles than Sophocles and William Shakespeare. In both Oedipus and Hamlet, for example, the primary characters struggle with many obstacles and consequences and find themselves with unimaginable problems furthermore and are compelling to choose what the correct decision will be. This develops to Oedipus and Hamlet becoming motivated, courageous people and also becoming dishonest to themselves throughout the two books. ShakespeareRead MoreAntigones Character1565 Words   |  7 Pagesbetween Antigone’s family principles and religious tradition and Creon’s embodiment of state and its authority (Scodel). It is on of three tragedies written by Sophocles that chronicle the life of Oedipus. It was written before Oedipus the King, but is a culmination of the events that occurred after Oedipus’ death (Norton 610). Antigone’s brothers, Eteocles and Polynices had battled over the throne of Thebes, resulting in the death of both (Lawall). To show his disdain for the treasonous acts of PolynicesRead MoreEssay What Does Violence Mean to the Greek?1142 Words   |  5 PagesViolence was the basis of polis culture and it helped unify Hellas. In every aspect of the polis some sort of violence is involved, whether it is athletic or intellectual, violence exists everywhere. According to Homer, violence means courage, strength, power, the might of domination, the taking of human life and psychological violence. Hesiod, on the other hand, defines two different types of violence: one which is hateful and is shown in war and the other which is peaceful which is expressed inRead More The Influence of Mythology on Literature and Society Essay2666 Words   |  11 Pagespeople cared for the Earth more than today. This is true, because in today?s world not many people are caring about the Earth and its going by us fast. She also points out that these stories in Mythology and the characters are describe in such great detail that even through you cannot see them, that maybe just maybe they are real and believable. Mythology is the way the Greeks and Roman saw and understood the world around them and it is written in which a way that we may never truly understandRead MoreCreon as Tragic Hero1586 Words   |  7 PagesTragedy at its Finest In the Greek play Antigone, Creon and Antigone can both be claimed the title of Tragic Hero. Creon was made king when Oedipus Rex fled the kingship. Creon is the brother in law of Oedipus, and was giving the kingship only because Oedipus’s sons, Eteocles and Polyneices were killed trying to fight for the thrown. Antigone is Oedipus’s daughter and Creon’s niece. When it comes down to who the tragic hero is, Creon most definitely walks away with the title. A tragic heroRead MoreWomens Role in Macbeth and Antigone Essay1563 Words   |  7 Pageshappened. Antigone utilizes the character Antigone to show loyalty to her family through guilt in the play. In the play, Antigone is a strong woman who stands for what she believes in and is Creon’s Sons fiancà ©e , and uses guilt to have Creon, the king who ordered that no one can bury Polyneices, understand that it is wrong for anyone to be left un buried, especially Antigone’s brother. (Sophocles 783) â€Å"†¦ but if I had left my brother lying in death unburied, I should have suffered.† This passageRead MoreIn â€Å"Impossible Mourning: Sophocles Reversal† By Fanny Soderback,1276 Words   |  6 Pagesa â€Å"public without action is no public at all† (Soderback 167). Per contra, I disagree with this claim that primarily places Creon in the private realm because he uses his newly acquired position king as to make an unprecedented decree preventing Polynices’s proper burial, to assert his power as the king in the public realm. However, the arg ument is further emphasized when Antigone challenges Creon’s authority after burying Polynices, supposedly two times, and induces him to reverse the consequencesRead MoreAntigone And Ismene Essay1635 Words   |  7 Pagesconsistent is each, in her view? The play Antigone, written by Sophocles is the last book of his trilogy called The Oedipus Play of Sophocle. Antigone take places in the city of Thebes, the play open â€Å"some days later† there have been an edict by King Creon regarding the burials of Eteocles and Polyneices; Eteocles, will get a proper burial for defending the senate, Polyneices will not. The King Creon had declared Polyneice is a traitor and forbid anyone in the city to bury him. Here where we are being presented