Oedipus the King - Tone Lauren dizon - PowerPoint Presentation

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Oedipus the King - Tone

Lauren dizon

Ben yusuf 

Haley paluszak

Zach ressler 

Alec lebiga

Period 4

Group 5Slide2

Prompt Tone – Grammar, behavior, character's reactions, what they are thinking, how should they react? There is no description on behavior but the grammar is a good indication of what should be occurring at any given moment.Lines 1420 - 1650Slide3

Literal Meaning of the PromptWe need analyze the authors tone when describing the characters so we can better understand what is going on at a given time through the characters actions and thought processes. Since characters do not specifically say how they are feeling, we must use tone to infer.

 The tone can also be used to understand how the author feels about the character.Slide4

Past Prompt1988: In “Oedipus Rex” some of the significant events are mental or psychological; for example, awakenings, discoveries, changes in consciousness. Describe how Sophocles manages to give these internal events the sense of excitement suspense, and climax usually associated with external action.Sophocles primarily utilizes tone in establishing how characters feel at pivotal moments, such as when Oedipus’s humiliation culminates when he learns he is the child of Laius, his agony expressed in him expressing he was “born in shame, married in shame, an unnatural murderer.” (Page 89).

The emphasis that Oedipus's actions until that point were now marred by shame emphasizes the climaxing of the humiliation that had started with Tiresias.Although we are not able to witness the play in action, Sophocles' use of tone contributes heavily to how an audience that can't see the play can still feel the action. He constantly overexaggerates the feelings of his character's, through both their actions and words,  such as Tiresias disparaging the whole town as "all ignorant", calling his secrets "dreadful". In creating the priest as such a sardonic character, Slide5

Past Prompt2011: In a novel by William Styron, a father tells his son that life “is a search for justice.” Choose a character from “Oedipus Rex” who responds in some significant way to justice or injustice. Then analyze the character’s understanding of justice, the degree to which the character’s search for justice is successful, and the significance of this search for the work as a whole.

In the novel “Oedipus the King”, Sophocles use of tone effectively illustrates Oedipus’ intense passion towards uncovering and confronting the murderer of Laius, and through Oedipus’ revelation that he is his own father’s murderer, becomes encapsulated in despair from the shame of being the murderer depicted in Apollo’s curse. However Oedipus finds freedom through his ability to pursuit the truth, and is liberated not from the answer in his pursuit for justice, but rather the pursuit for justice itself.This is exemplified in Sophocles use of tone in page 16, when Oedipus explains that he “shall fight for him, as if he were my own father.” The vindictiveness in his manner of speech displays that the search for the truth and his own identity provides him with more liberation than actual concluding revelation. Slide6

Archetype - Tragic HeroOedipus portrays the archetype of a tragic hero because of his unwillingness to accept fate and pride get the best of him, ultimately leading to his fall at the end of the play. He refused to believe in his personal prophecy, and when he finally accepted it, it was too late for him, as he already killed his father and married his mother unknowingly. Unable to cope with fate catching up to him, he stabs his eyes out. Slide7

Literary Devices- Cosmic Irony"It was Apollo, friends, Apollo who brought to fulfillment all my sufferings."

(page 96)Oedipus did everything in his power to stop the prophecy coming true with who he believed were his parents, when really he had already fulfilled the prophecy the entire time. After realizing who his parents really were Oedipus blamed Apollo, a god, for everything.This contributes to the tone and behiavor

of Oedipus at the end of the play, because despite of everything he went through to evade the prophecy he still ended up fulfilling it, and suffering because of that.Slide8

Literary Devices- ThemeThe theme of fate verses free will is present throughout the entire story. "I would never have become my father's killer, never have been known to all me as my own mother's husband. Now I am godforsaken, the son of an accursed marriage, my own father's successor in the marriage bed."

 (page 98)Laius and Jocasta thought that by casting Oedipus out to die of their own free will they would be safe from the prophecy, just as Oedipus thought that by leaving his home kingdom and staying in Thebes he would be safe from the threat of the prophecy. However, both the actions of his parents and of Oedipus himself brought him to the same end that was prophesized at his birth.This theme of fate verse free will is what brings Oedipus to give up towards the end of the play because despite everything he did to avoid the prophecy it still came true.Slide9

Literary Device- Situational IronyIn the beginning of the story Oedipus demanded that anyone who knew Laius' killer should expel him from their homes and from Thebes, yet Oedipus himself was the killer."It was I who proclaimed that everyone should expel the impious man—the man the gods have now revealed as unholy—and the son of Laius. After I exposed my own guilt—and what a guilt!"

 (page 99)When Oedipus realized that he was the one who killed his father after he announced that the killer will be forced to live in exile he feels the guilt and shame that goes along with killing his father and marrying his mother..This tone of shame is seen throughout the end of the play when Oedipus blinds himself and demands to be exiled away so he never has to face the guilt of what he did. Slide10

Significant Moment 1  - Tiresias arrives/ Oedipus heavily frustrated"What do you say? You know something? And will not speak? You intend to betray us, do you, and wreck the state?" (Pg. 21)"I will say no more. Do what you like- rage at me in the wildest anger you can muster. / I will." (Pg. 22)

This is a significant turning point, because, up until this point Oedipus is known to the audience as the "noblest of men" (Pg. 3), but here he is acting in a very "un-noble" way. This moment is marked by Oedipus's tone shift from the aforementioned noble king to impatient and rude. This reveal also acts as foreshadowing to the constant reveals of Oedipus's character. If Oedipus had instead still been noble like he acted in the first scene with the priests, then he would have the counsel of both Tiresias and Creon. He would also have agreed with his mother/wife Jocasta, which would have led to her not suiciding and him not finding out the truth of his origins.Slide11

Significant Moment 2  - Oedipus Stabs His Eyes Out"He tore the brooches— the gold chased brooches fastening her robe— away from her and lifting them up high dashed them on his own eyeballs, shrieking out such things as: they will never see the crime I have committed or had done upon me!" (Pg. 93)

The significance of Oedipus stabbing his eye out is a metaphor for the blind eye he has turned to the prophecy he has chosen to shun within his lifetime. While he is now physically blind, he is now able to see what he has done wrong due to his pride and temper. This is his final fall as a tragic hero, as it is the literal end of him. Slide12

Significant Moment 3 – Oedipus Declares his Commitment to Searching for the Truth“Laius and I would be closely connected by children from the same wife, if his line had not met with disaster. But chance swooped down on his life. So I shall fight for him, as if he were my own father.” (Pg. 16)This is significant because it illustrates that Oedipus, unknowing to the fact that Laius truly is his father, displays the passion and vindictiveness to seek justice and bring forth his murderer. This exemplifies the idea of pursuing the truth and seeking justice without being certain of what such truly is. This depicts the novels underlying theme that one’s freedom may not be found in the answers they seek, but rather found through the ability to search for such truths.Slide13

Citations Sophocles. Oedipus the King. Pocket Books, 1994. Drake. “Shut It Down.” Thank Me Later, Cash Money Records, 2010, Spotify

, https://open.spotify.com/track/3d8PDk3B4am5c6TsUCznUW.