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Murder without mayhem in "Oedipus Rex" and "Trifles"
Both the dramas "Trifles" and "Oedipus Rex" deal with murders that are committed off stage of close family members, in one case that of a husband, in the other that of a father. Although both Mrs. Wright and Oedipus are guilty of their crimes, however in the first act of "Trifles," gradually it becomes clear as small details are revealed that something was amiss in the relationship of the Wrights, and that Mrs. Wright had just grievances against the man who suppressed her soul, indeed against all men. The men do not understand this, nor of the limited nature of Mrs. Wright's life. For instance, Mrs. Peters says of Mrs. Wright, "she worried about that...
She said the fire'd go out and her jars would break. The Sheriff scoffs: "Well, can you beat the women! Held for murder and worrin' about her preserves." (Lines 78-79) This interchange shows how Mrs. Wright's contribution to the household as a cook was ignored, by her husband and now by men of his ilk.
In contrast, "Oedipus Rex" begins with an epic scene, as the tragic protagonist promises the "people of Thebes" that he will discover the cause of the plague, the murderer in their midst of the previous king Laius. He vows to punish the killer, but then the murder is revealed to be his self. He blinds himself as a result. Ironically, this murderer turns out to be Oedipus…
Works Cited
Gardner, et al. Literature: A Portable Anthology. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2004.
Oedipus Rex Sophocles' "Oedipus Rex" is the most famous of his tragedies in which Greek dramatic irony reaches an apex (Sophocles1 pp). Aristotle was a great admirer of Sophocles, and considered Oedipus Rex to be the perfect example of tragedy (Outline pp). According to Aristotle, tragedy is an imitation of action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude, in which language is embellished with each kind of artistic ornament
Thus, his thirst for knowledge prompts the tragedy to a certain degree. His wife and mother at the same time attempts to dissuade him from the further pursuit of truth, hinting in a very interesting phrase that such 'fantasies' as the wedlock to one's mother is a constant appearance in dreams and should simply be ignored: "This wedlock with thy mother fear not thou. / How oft it chances
It is this lead character's outrage that drives the plot, rather than any journey of self-discovery or some fateful intervention. This is seen when Antigone declares her defiance of the king: "I will bury him myself. / and if death comes, so be it. / There'll be glory in it. / ... The gods will be proud of me." Rather than placing the importance of the gods first, Antigone
His nephew turned against his own country and he got what he deserved. but, in king Creon's view, death is not enough. He believes in setting an example and uses the occasion as an opportunity to make a point and warn all those who dared to defy their country of the fate that was expecting them, too. In this case, King Creon is wrong, because he will eventually pay
His physical loss of sight is penance for the lack of insight he had at the start of the play. He has exchanged physical sight for mental insight into the truth. 4. Rhetorically, Oedipus uses the diction of a king at the beginning of a play. He plays the role of one in power, and of a person in full control of and with confidence in himself. When his people
Q: There is a good deal in the play about seeing and blindness. What purpose does this serve? How is Oedipus contrasted with Teiresias? How does Oedipus at the beginning of the play contrast with the Oedipus at the end? Why is his blinding himself dramatically appropriate? A: The physical conditions of sight and blindness in the play serve symbolic functions, particularly as these conditions manifest themselves in Oedipus himself. Oedipus