Oedipus the king lines. The Oedipus Plays: Oedipus Quotes 2022-10-28
Oedipus the king lines Rating:
9,6/10
1861
reviews
Oedipus the King, also known as Oedipus Rex, is a Greek tragedy written by the ancient playwright Sophocles. The play tells the story of Oedipus, a king of Thebes, who unknowingly kills his father and marries his mother, fulfilling a prophecy that he had been trying to avoid his entire life.
One of the most memorable lines in Oedipus the King comes near the beginning of the play, when Oedipus declares, "I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul." This line, spoken by Oedipus in response to the prophecy that he will kill his father and marry his mother, demonstrates his determination to control his own destiny and not be a victim of fate.
However, as the play progresses, it becomes clear that Oedipus is not as in control of his fate as he thinks. Despite his efforts to avoid the prophecy, he ends up fulfilling it anyway, leading to his tragic downfall. This serves as a powerful reminder that, no matter how hard we try, we are ultimately at the mercy of the forces that shape our lives.
Another notable line in Oedipus the King comes near the end of the play, when Oedipus realizes the truth about his past. "I was the murderer," he exclaims, "I, the one I sought." This line underscores the irony of Oedipus's situation, as he has spent his entire life trying to avoid the prophecy, only to discover that he is the one who fulfilled it.
Overall, the lines in Oedipus the King are an integral part of the play's themes and help to convey the story's tragic nature. The lines also serve as a commentary on the human condition, reminding us of the limits of our control over our own lives and the power of fate.
The Oedipus Plays: Oedipus Quotes
OEDIPUS O argue not that thou art not a rogue. . King Phoebus bids us straitly extirpate A fell pollution that infests the land, And no more harbor an inveterate sore. Thy happy star ascendant brought us luck, O let it not decline! Wouldst thou betray us and destroy the State? This principle existed in many ancient cultures. TEIRESIAS And yet this very greatness proved thy bane. At first the shepherd refuses to speak, but under threat of death he tells what he knows — Oedipus is actually the son of Laius and Jocasta. But lo, he comes to answer for himself.
Golden child of Zeus, O hear Let thine angel face appear! CREON Suppose thou lackest sense. OEDIPUS He is too cunning to commit himself, And makes a mouthpiece of a knavish seer. But as it turned out, fate swooped down onto his head. OEDIPUS Ah, why remind me of that ancient sore? Tiresias matches Oedipus insult for insult, mocking Oedipus for his eyesight and for the brilliance that once allowed him to solve the riddle of the Sphinx—neither quality is now helping Oedipus to see the truth. The city is beset with a plague and many of Oedipus's citizens are sick and dying.
OEDIPUS Much, but my fear is touching her who lives. OEDIPUS Elders, if I, who never yet before Have met the man, may make a guess, methinks I see the herdsman who we long have sought; His time-worn aspect matches with the years Of yonder aged messenger; besides I seem to recognize the men who bring him As servants of my own. TEIRESIAS Yea, I am free, strong in the strength of truth. The Chorus seems terrified and helpless in this section, and its speech at lines 526—572 is fraught with uncertainty and anxiety. OEDIPUS Is this a plot of Creon, or thine own? As Oedipus curses the murderer, he curses himself.
And on the murderer this curse I lay On him and all the partners in his guilt :— Wretch, may he pine in utter wretchedness! Throughout this mythic story of patricide and incest, Sophocles emphasizes the irony of a man determined to track down, expose, and punish an assassin, who turns out to be himself. MESSENGER And what of her can cause you any fear? At the Festival of Dionysus — the god of wine — such a telling detail would be regarded as a tribute. JOCASTA He comes from Corinth and his message this: Thy father Polybus hath passed away. Then she bewailed the marriage bed whereon Poor wretch, she had conceived a double brood, Husband by husband, children by her child. And now, O Oedipus, our peerless king, All we thy votaries beseech thee, find Some succor, whether by a voice from heaven Whispered, or haply known by human wit. Now Laius—so at least report affirmed— Was murdered on a day by highwaymen, No natives, at a spot where three roads meet. A city noted for its luxury, here, it is the home of Oedipus after his adoption.
Oedipus denounces the crime of which he is unaware, and undertakes to track out the criminal. MESSENGER I know not. But his overly eager insistence that Creon announce the oracle's words publicly betrays a certain arrogance about his abilities. JOCASTA That will I straightway. Step by step it is brought home to him that he is the man. What in Thebes could go wrong!? CHORUS But here is one to arraign him. Dance and song shall hymn thy praises, lover of our royal race.
Not for some far-off kinsman, but myself, Shall I expel this poison in the blood; For whoso slew that king might have a mind To strike me too with his assassin hand. OEDIPUS What sayest thou—"parents"? Whoever he is, a long man unknown in his crime or one among many, let that man drag out his life in agony, step by pain-full step. OEDIPUS What ails thee? A blight is on our harvest in the ear, A blight upon the grazing flocks and herds, A blight on wives in travail; and withal Armed with his blazing torch the God of Plague Hath swooped upon our city emptying The house of Cadmus, and the murky realm Of Pluto is full fed with groans and tears. OEDIPUS A vagrant shepherd journeying for hire? OEDIPUS Thou art glib of tongue, but I am slow to learn Of thee; I know too well thy venomous hate. Phocis ancient region in central Greece. Polybus and Merope are not Oedipus' real parents. JOCASTA A serf, the sole survivor who returned.
JOCASTA Suppose him here, what wouldst thou learn of him? CREON My royal sister, Oedipus, thy lord, Hath bid me choose O dread alternative! JOCASTA I quail; but ask, and I will answer all. But, ye pure and awful gods, Forbid, forbid that I should see that day! He is unable to cope with the truth after he has been blind to it for so long, and so symbolically blinds himself physically. Can you tell me who he was? God is my help and hope, on him I wait. TEIRESIAS Not Creon, thou thyself art thine own bane. HERDSMAN Through pity, master, for the babe.
Here, the monster who plagued Thebes by devouring anyone who could not answer her riddle. Now truly worried, Oedipus asks Jocasta to send for the lone survivor of the murder of Laius and his men to come to Thebes and tell them what he saw that day. OEDIPUS Then there Thou must have known yon man, at least by fame? He also makes it clear that the stabbing dagger of memory is threatening his sanity. Am I not utterly unclean, a wretch Doomed to be banished, and in banishment Forgo the sight of all my dearest ones, And never tread again my native earth; Or else to wed my mother and slay my sire, Polybus, who begat me and upreared? Cithaeron the mountain range between Thebes and Corinth. This old lore I had forgotten; else I were not here.
MESSENGER Since I begat thee not, no more did he. CHORUS But hath he still no respite from his pain? JOCASTA Believe him, I adjure thee, Oedipus, First for his solemn oath's sake, then for mine, And for thine elders' sake who wait on thee. Quarrel of ancient date or in days still near know I none Twixt the Labdacidan house and our ruler, Polybus' son. O children mine, Where are ye? OEDIPUS Say, friends, can any look or voice Or touch of love henceforth my heart rejoice? As the play unfolds, then, both Oedipus' virtues and his weaknesses will lead to his ultimate downfall. Note that the drunken man's railings complement and confirm the oracle's message about Oedipus' fate. OEDIPUS And who could stay his choler when he heard How insolently thou dost flout the State? OEDIPUS How so, old man? Kennedy and others render "Since to men of experience I see that also comparisons of their counsels are in most lively use.
