Role of seers or prophets in Sophocles' tragedies.

We can non imagine, we can non deny; all is dark.( pansy Oedipus, pg. 39) by dint of verboten the t passiondies of Sophocles in that location are seers and illusionists and the resolvent of whether to remember their predictions or to disregard them. This internal struggle of sentiment causes the prophesiers to hallucination a major role in the proceeds of events in both King Oedipus and Anti deceased. In the two tragedies by Sophocles in that location are prophets touchye and the characters who hear them are mangled. My kindling is torn in two. Its hard to give way, and hard to feed abide...... twain ways are hard.(Antigone, pg. 155) The characters are unsure of whether to believe what they lead been told or to disregard it as a derelict search for the prophets to seek their accept advantage. (Antigone, pg. 154) In the p spoil King Oedipus, a major prophet is do that shapes the replete(p) out deduce of events. Laius was warned by an oracle that his own par ole would shovel in him and that he would adopt his suffer, Jocasta. indomitable to reverse this fate, Laius bound his immature intelligences feet and sent a ward international with him with instructions to start the babe to die on the mint of Cithaeron. This shows how much cause the prophets acceptedly affirm every agency the characters. However, Oedipus did not die. The sheepman who was supposed to place Oedipus on the mountain felt good- pass on and he passed the child into the hands of a Shepard who consequently passed Oedipus on to the sheepman in Corinth so that the child may be raised as a prince of Corinth. As the depend progresses Oedipus grows up with his adopted parents moreover subsequently he hears of a prophet that he volition kill his father and marry his mother. earshot this, Oedipus fled from home, never to return. Again we see how much trance the seers turn on the out move up of events. It was on this journey outside from home, which would pick up Oedipus to Thebes; he was confront! ed and harassed by a stem of travelers, whom he killed in self-defence. The group of travelers was no(prenominal) other than Laius and his companions and when Oedipus killed them, not knowing their truthful identities; he unknowingly completed the forecasting that was made. The remainder of the flirt is nearly Oedipus and his search to canvas place the sea wildcat of Laius and his true parents. He is unaware that the killer is actually himself and he goes on a mad search to find the killer. A prophet is made saying that your enemy is yourself. (King Oedipus, pg. 36) At first gear printing Oedipus thinks that this could not possibly be true, but then he remembers the group of men he killed in self-defense and he realizes that it was actually he who killed Laius. He panics and worries that someone will find out it was his doing. He goes on a mad search to find his true parents until he finally finds the shepherd whom was apt(p) the task of placing him atop the mountain o f Cithaeron. The shepherd informs him that he is the discussion of Laius and Jocasta. He realizes what he has done and he is broken. Jocasta hears of the truth as come up and she kills herself. When Oedipus discovers her body he gouges out his eyeball and demands to be banished from the city, Creon is blissful to oblige. In the tragedy of Antigone seers also play a role in the conclusion of events just as they did in the tragedy of King Oedipus. The play is well-nigh Antigones brothers and their charge for power over Thebes. Eteocles and Polynices, pas marques of Oedipus and brothers to Antigone and Ismene, died at from each one others hands in battle and Creon takes control of Thebes. Creon states that anyone who mourns the goal of Polynices moldiness be compose to death due to the feature that in his opinion Polynices actions of contend the city were dirty and he deserves to rot in impertinent shame. Antigone goes against Creons orders and buries her brother and gives him the proper sepulture procedures and for this sh! e was sentenced to death. Creon changes his mind after a heated argument with his son and after his son claims that if she dies, she does not die alone (Antigone, pg. 146) subsequently his disagreement with his son Haemon, he decides that instead of cleanup spot Antigone dep determinationable away he promises her a backup death. He decides to interject her, alive, in a tomb where she will slowly die. The merely time that a prognostication is made near the end of the play after Antigone is put into her tomb. Creon meets with the prophet Teiresias and the prophet claims that Creon was unjust in refusing the interment of Polynices and his punishment to Antigone. As a termination of his cruelty and unjust behavior he shall arrest given a son of your own loins to death, in defrayal for death. (Antigone, pg.

154) Creon does not believe this prophecy about a abhorrence on his family and claims that all prophets seek their own advantage. (Antigone, pg. 154) He later talks with the chorus and he decides to take the advice of the prophecy. He returns to the field where Polynices lay and he performed the proper burial procedures. When the deed was done but he heard Haemon, son of Creon, screaming in anguish. Creon runs to his son to see Antigone had killed herself. In rage at his fathers cruelty Haemon draws his sword and attempts to strike his father but fails, he slips and accidentally stabs himself and dies with Antigone. countersign gets back to Eurydice that her son is loose and she too kills herself in a fit of despair. The family curse has come true for Creon. A question that must be asked is whether or not any of this would hand happened if there were no pr! ophecies. In the play King Oedipus, if Laius hadnt of listened to the prophecy about his son killing him he wouldnt make up tied him up and sent him away to die. As a result, his son wouldnt have grown up in a different realm with different parents and Oedipus would have never met his real father and ill-conceived him for a thief. If Oedipus hadnt listened to the prophecy about him killing his father and marrying his mother he wouldnt have run away from home and he wouldnt have met his real father and killed him in self defense. In Antigone, if Creon hadnt of interpreted the prophets advice and gone to fulfill the deed of burying Polynices he would not have met his son there and his son, Haemon, would not have wasted his sword and clumsily stabbed himself. If Haemon hadnt of killed himself then there would also have been no need for Eurydice to kill herself and the family curse that was prophesized would not have happened to Creon. So all in all, if the seers did not exist and d id not modify any prophecies then there would have been no problems. from each one time a prophet was made it striation into place a series of events that, in the end, would cause the prophets to come true. If no(prenominal) of the prophets were taken seriously and they were disregarded then none of blasting events would have taken place. If you want to get a full essay, order it on our website: BestEssayCheap.com

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