Discussion Topic
Key moments leading to the climax of Oedipus Rex
Summary:
Key moments leading to the climax of Oedipus Rex include Oedipus's investigation into the murder of King Laius, the prophecy revealing that he will kill his father and marry his mother, and the gradual realization of his true identity. The tension builds as Oedipus uncovers his own role in the tragic events, culminating in his discovery of the horrific truth.
When is the climax of Oedipus Rex?
The climax occurs when Oedipus realizes he has married his mother and killed his father. The oracle tells him this earlier, but only when the shepherd verifies the information does Oedipus know with certainty the truth. It is at this moment that his suffering is the most intense for he knows he could not avoid his fate. The rest of the play consists of the resolution, which involves Jocasta's death, him blinding himself, reunion with his children, leaving Thebes, and the final words of the chorus.
Climax functions in a plot as the point of highest tension and is the point at which a character changes his point of view.
In Sophocles's play, filled with hubris, Oedipus the king of Thebes, is, as the sightless seer Teiresias tells him, blinder than he,
But I say that you, with your both eyes, are blind:
You cannot see...
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the wretchedness of your life
For, Oedipus accuses Teiresias of being a madman and Creon of desiring the throne. However, because he is of noble nature, Oedipus yet pursues the truth until, after speaking with Jocaste in Antistrophe 2, he says, "I am not sure that the blind man can not see." This, then, is the point at which Oedipus changes his point of view; from this point he begins to put things together and declares that he has reached a "pitch of wild foreboding."
Oedipus Rex is a play that revolves around the king's search for knowledge. Thus, the climax comes at the point in which Oedipus recognizes the truth. And, because of his noble nature, Oedipus keeps his promise to the people of Thebes and pursues the truth.
What is the turning point of the plot in Oedipus Rex?
The tragedy has several turning points, but the major one is when Oedipus murders a stranger on the highway. He doesn't realize that the stranger is his father. Oedupus then marries the wife of the man he killed, not realizing that she is his mother. Another major turning point is when Oedipus insists on sending a messenger to find out from a wise prophet who his parents are. When he learns that he has murdered hois own father and married his own mother, he gouges out his eyes and calls down a curse on himself. That is also a turning point.
Since everything that happens to Oedipus and everything he does comes about because of a curse leveled against his family, everything is fated. It's all destined to happen and in that sense there is no turning point. There's no way to escape the curse and everything unfolds as predicted.
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