Ancient Greek Philosophy and its Engagements in Oedipus Rex
Oedipus The King, often referred simply as Oedipus or Oedipus Rex, written by Sophocles in Greece during what most would now consider its main philosophical enlightenment, engages with themes of religious followings and strict communal standards to enforce these ideas to its audience. This play, being performed many times since its original dictation, has acted to entertain many different generations. In its own time it had served to emphasize the importance of their gods’ role in every aspect of life and mainly to redefine this importance in a changing society. The intense tragedy that Oedipus undergoes simply through disregarding the voice of his city’s Oracle intensifies the, then contemporary, philosophies of personal responses and explanations to outside affliction. In his general climate of discourse and discovery “philosophies… emphasized the cosmopolitan nature of humanity and sought to provide a more personal response to the troubles of the time.” (Fagan, The Oxford Companion to Archaeology). Sophocles aims to teach us the ways of Greek tradition and beliefs thus preserving it, for as the politics and philosophies changed around him this engaging tragedy aimed to encompass the chaos and dangers he believed the Greek people were to find in this transition.
To properly investigate any claims of warning to the audience it is best to…
