100 lines
5.9 KiB
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100 lines
5.9 KiB
Plaintext
ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ ÜÜÜ ÜÜÜÜ
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ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛßÛßßßßßÛÛÜ ÜÜßßßßÜÜÜÜ ÜÛÜ ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜÜÜÜÜÛßß ßÛÛ
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ßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ßÛÛ ÜÛÛÛÜÛÛÜÜÜ ßÛÛÛÛÜ ßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜÛÛÜÜÜÛÛÝ Ûß
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ßßßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ÞÝ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛßßÛÜÞÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÜ ßßÛÛÛÞß
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Mo.iMP ÜÛÛÜ ßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝÛ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÞÛÛÛÛ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÝ ßÛß
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ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛ
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ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ß ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ÜÛ
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ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÞÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛß
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ÜÛßÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÜÜ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÛÛÞÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛßß
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ÜÛßÛÛÛÛÛÛÜÛÛÛÛÜÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÞÛ ßÛÛÛÛÛ Ü ÛÝÛÛÛÛÛ Ü
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ÜÛ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛß ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ßÛÜ ßÛÛÛÜÜ ÜÜÛÛÛß ÞÛ ÞÛÛÛÝ ÜÜÛÛ
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ÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛß ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ßÛÜ ßßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛß ÜÜÜß ÛÛÛÛÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÛÛÛÛÛß
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ßÛÜ ÜÛÛÛß ßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ßßÜÜ ßßÜÛÛßß ßÛÛÜ ßßßÛßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛßß
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ßßßßß ßßÛÛß ßßßßß ßßßßßßßßßßßßß
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ARRoGANT CoURiERS WiTH ESSaYS
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Grade Level: Type of Work Subject/Topic is on:
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[ ]6-8 [ ]Class Notes [Essay on Oedipus' ]
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[ ]9-10 [ ]Cliff Notes [Riddles. ]
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[x]11-12 [x]Essay/Report [ ]
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[ ]College [ ]Misc [ ]
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Dizzed: 10/94 # of Words:664 School: ? State: ?
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ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>Chop Here>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
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Oedipus: King Of Riddles?
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In Greek mythology the oracles or gods are rarely wrong in their
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predictions of the future. Yet the characters still try to fight the
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predictions. Do their personalities and traits decide their future, or does
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fate take its course no matter what? Oedipus was a shrewd man furnished
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with wit and intellect, yet his lack of insight (the ability to see and
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understand clearly the inner nature of himself) and his arrogance led to
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his demise, not fate.
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Oedipus's aret‚ (an exceptional ability or gift) was unravelling
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riddles, and solving any puzzles with ease. He had a surplus of the
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aptitude to look outward, but unfortunately he had a deficiency of the
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ability to look inward. This talent of looking outward made him renowned
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for deciphering riddles and mysteries. Yet when Tiresias appears and speaks
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in riddles, Oedipus cannot solve them because of his lack of insight.
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Tiresias's riddles are clear in what they state, but Oedipus cannot
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understand them because he doesn't know himself well enough. Tiresias
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conveys,
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All ignorant! And I refuse to link my utterance with a downfall
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such as yours.(Pg.42) At this point in the play, Oedipus still cannot
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perceive who the murderer of King Laius is, even though the riddle is
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obvious. Oliver 2 Oedipus has the ability to comprehend the riddles, but
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he won't allow himself to accept the truth. When Oedipus saved Thebes from
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The Sphinx, he answered this difficult puzzle. The Sphinx demanded, What
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creature is it that walks on four feet in the morning, on two at noon, and
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on three in the evening? With his eminent mastery of riddles and having an
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open mind, Oedipus replied, It is Man. As a child he crawls on four. When
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he grows up he walks upright on his two feet, and in old age he leans on a
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staff.1 This puzzle is far more complex than Tiresias's rudimentary
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riddles, so Oedipus has the ability to solve the riddles but cannot let
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himself do so, because of his pomposity. Oedipus is so arrogant that he
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can't believe that he could possibly have done anything wrong. He suffered
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from the sin of hubris. That is, he was very vain, and conceited. No matter
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how straightforward Tiresias's riddles were, Oedipus's pride wouldn't let
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him solve them. Finally, Tiresias came right out and said what he meant
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without a riddle, and Oedipus still couldn't accept that he did anything
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wrong. Tiresias simply stated, I say, you murdered the man whose murderer
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you require. (Pg.37) Following that remark from Tiresias, Oedipus shielded
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himself by accusing his brother in law, Creon (his uncle in reality), of
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forcing these insinuations from Tiresias. Of course, this wasn't true, it
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was just a classic example of Oedipus's arrogance trying to defend itself.
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Oedipus's expiration was caused simply because of his arrogance and his
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lack of self knowledge. He didn't understand himself well enough. He could
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unravel any mystery besides
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Oliver 3 his own existence.
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All of his life Oedipus had solved mysteries and puzzles about
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subjects other than himself. Now that he was faced with riddles accusing
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him of something, his own arrogance kept him from the truth. Oedipus would
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have solved Tiresias's riddles instantaneously if it weren't for his pride,
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and lack of insight.
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Finally, the truth is forced on Oedipus with outstanding evidence,
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presented by the messenger, and the shepherd, so he must accept his
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destiny. Was he not able to solve Tiresias's riddles because his arrogance
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wouldn't allow him to, or did he recognize the answers immediately, his
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vanity not allowing him to acknowledge the truth?
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Oliver 4
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Notes
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1Ingri And Edgar Parin D'Aulaire's , D'aulaires' Book Of Greek Myths
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(Garden City:Doubleday & Company Inc. , 1962), 158.
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Oliver 5
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Bibliography
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D'aulaire's Partin , Edgar and Ingri. Daulaire's Book Of Greek Myths. Garden City:
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Doubleday & Company Inc. , 1962.
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Sophocles. Oedipus The King in The Oedipus Plays Of Sophocles. (Trans. P. Roche.)
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New York: Mentor Books , 1986.
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