The Character of God in Comparison to the gods of ancient Babylon and Greece.
The gods of the Babylonians and the Greeks differ greatly from the God of the Christian faith. The gods of Babel and Greece remain for the most part out of the lives of their people. The only exception is when the person is especially great-which are the only ones we hear about. While the God of Christianity is very personally involved in the lives of his people to the extent that he laid down his life instead of letting his creation suffer eternal death and punishment.
The gods of Babylon according to the Epic of Gilgamesh are probably the least personal gods of all the ancient cultures I studied this year. They remain out of the lives of the entire common folk; communicating only with Gilgamesh who was two-thirds god and one-third man. Which means they are practically talking with another god. The only major encounter any commoner has with any of the pantheon of Babylonian gods is when the people become so numerous that they create too much noise for the gods to sleep. The gods cause a cataclysmic flood over the whole world destroying the entire human race except for Utnapishtim whom the god Ea took pity on and told him to build a boat in similar proportions to that of Noah’s ark. The gods of Babylon are very human-like in nature needing sleep and food and are capable of breaking their own laws like in the case of Enlil who raped the lesser goddess Ninlil. They were also proud, lustful and capable of great of wrath of epic proportions. The goddess Innana, patron goddess of love, fertility and war, was infuriated by Gilgamesh’s refusal of love made on reasonable grounds, sent for the symbol of the gods wrath, The Bull of Heaven (before Gilgamesh and his friend Enkidu slew the Bull of Heaven it killed three hundred men and caused famine for seven years). After the fall of Babylon the gods and goddesses of that culture made little or no difference in society.
The gods and goddesses of ancient Greece were also not very personal-taking a part in someone’s life only when they felt like it. They were also more human-like in their attributes and behavior but also seem to have more control of what they themselves looked like; changing from bull to light or other human beings all to suit their purposes. They were also less capricious than the gods of Babylon though that is not to say they were totally lacking in caprice as in the case of Oedipus on whom the gods sprung a cruel twist of fate The most powerful of the Greek gods was Zeus, he was the king of all the gods and was the creator of storms. Other gods and goddess include Athena goddess of wisdom, Pluto god of the underworld and Aphrodite goddess of love and beauty. The Greek gods were also more tolerant of the human race than the gods of Babylon reflecting the change of the cultures. The people of ancient Greece and their gods for the most part stayed out of each others’ lives unless the person wanted something or it was time for a festival, which was another name for drinking and revelry.
. There is also much more known about the gods of ancient Greece than those of Babylon thanks to the works of people such as Sophocles and Homer. Also more is known about the practices of the worshipers of their idols although the Greeks were not without secret cults and mystical practices. Even after all this is known about the gods of ancient Greece they too had no lasting effect on the face of the earth.
The God of Christianity on the other hand is the only one of the previously mentioned gods with any substantial following in this day and age. Christianity is also the only one of these religions which is monotheistic; requiring whole devotion to one God instead of halfhearted devotion to this deity over here and halfhearted devotion to that deity over there. The God of Christianity is also the only one of these gods that can be reached without sacrifice due to the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. God is all-powerful, not making compromises with peoples desires or demons pleading, following his just nature. In love He expressed mercy for his fallen creation without compromising His justice God is the most multi-faceted God of all. The character of the gods of Greece and Babylon seem very human like since they are the products of people’s imagination while God is outside of complete comprehension because he is the Producer of people’s imaginations.
When the gods of Greece and Babylon when they said love it more often than not meant lust, while when we say, “God is love”, it means something higher than our own understanding of love. While the gods and goddesses of Babylon and Greece just kept changing their minds, God is the same yesterday, today and forever. Christianity is also the only one of these three religions with only one God having created everything. The Greeks had at least one new god for each step of the creation process. The ancient Greeks also had to work for any hope of heaven. Christianity places all hope of salvation on the Creator instead of the created. The gods of Greek mythology also had no moral code regarding sexual ethics; there is a chapter in The Odyssey in which Odysseus is sent to the under-world and is confronted by spirit after spirit of women who said how this god or that god slept with her leading to the birth of many heroes and great men. God abhors sexual immorality of any sort. The children of God also have constant access to contact their heavenly father anytime anywhere unlike the ancients who had to wait to be contacted by an oracle, dream or vision. While the gods of almost all other cultures are human like in nature, God is superhuman in nature and is not physical but a spirit. God need not have any fear of death unlike the Gods of Greece and Babylon, who seem to have a fear of death, God is immortal entirely and not dependent on the imagination of other people.
The character of the gods of the Babylonians and the ancient Greeks differ greatly from the God of the Christian faith. The gods of Ancient Babylon and Greece are plural while the God of Christianity is the one and only God and makes room for no other.
5/4/2005 1:57:08 PM
Friday, April 29, 2005
Tuesday, April 26, 2005
Who is the tragic hero of Antigone?
Who Is the Tragic Hero of Antigone?
The Tragic Hero of a story or play is somebody who was once a great or mighty person but has been brought to a terrible end by a character flaw. That character flaw shows itself in situations where they might have done differently otherwise. The tragic story of Antigone is about the daughter of Oedipus, Antigone.
Antigone tries but fails to stop the war that kills both her brothers so then tries to bury the body of her brother Polyneices even though her uncle Creon forbade it. The importance of burial to the ancient Greeks is that after death your body can reach Hades. So, if somebody goes unburied their souls are doomed to wander about forever. Creon’s reason for not allowing Polyneices to be buried is that Polyneices attacked the city of Thebes, which was one of the greatest cities in Greece at that time containing many temples, leading Creon to believe that the gods did not want somebody like that to find rest even after death. Creon’s intentions however misguided were meant to be noble but even good intentions can lead to disastrous results. Antigone is caught giving Polyneices a decent burial and Creon sentences her to life imprisonment in a cave. Creon’s son Heamon is displeased by his father’s judgment for good reason and goes away from Creon to rescue Antigone. While Antigone is being taken to the cave she wails and whines about how she will never be married to Haemon and after reaching the cave she foolhardily hangs herself just a few hours before Haemon comes to rescue and that is only a few minutes before Creon, after being by the prophet Tireseus that what he did was wrong, comes to acquit her of all charges. Haemon in a fit of rage attacks Creon but fails at killing him so in despair kills himself. All of this news is delivered to Creon’s wife Eurydice who, blaming Creon for all of this, kills herself in heartache. The loss of his niece, son and wife all in one day drives Creon into the depths of despair.
So who is the tragic hero of Antigone? I believe that Creon is the hero of Antigone because while even though he starts off badly he ends the play with more grief and more nobility than Antigone ever had in the play. Creon wanted to do the right thing but he takes that to far when even after being reasoned with by Haemon he refuses to free Antigone. His legalizing is his downfall refusing to let his own nephew to be buried when he let his other nephew, who died in the same battle, be buried with honors. Creon’s legalizing is only broken when the old, blind prophet Tireseus, the same who prophesied concerning Oedipus, predicts the destruction of Creon’s household if he does not do something very quickly. Even though Creon changes his mind right away and buries Polyneices he is to late to prevent what happens to his niece, son and wife.
The reason I believe the tragic hero is Creon and not Antigone is because even though she tried to honor her dead brother’s request to be buried she pulled her innocent sister Ismene into the fray. And instead of waiting to be possibly rescued by Haemon or acquitted by Creon, she commits suicide and ends it right there instead of hoping for something better.
All tragic heroes have a tragic character flaw that will lead them to their demise and Creon has the flaw of legalism that could almost be thought of as pride. Creon’s legalism clouds his judgment when deciding what to do with Polyneices’ body. Legalism blinds Creon’s eyes when talking to Antigone and Ismene, after Antigone is caught in the act of burying Polyneices, about why he should release them and let them bury their brother. Creon lets his flaw get the better of him in the argument with Haemon when Haemon wanted to free Antigone from Creon’s harsh ruling. Creon full of pride, even talked back to the prophet Tireseus when he Prophesied Creon’s fate, but when Creon is able to finally see through his legalism at the end of the conversation with Tireseus he is to late to save Antigone from he pig-headed suicide, which lead to all the destruction that followed. Although Creon started the play badly he is a humble broken man come the end. Creon’s frantic rush to try to save Antigone was a far more heroic act than Antigone trying to bury Plyneices because of the fact that even though she was trying to follow through on her brother’s request, she committed an act that endangered her poor innocent sister Ismene. An act of such blatant disregard for the safety of her sister nullifies all nobility in that act.
The Tragic Hero of a story or play is somebody who was once a great or mighty person but has been brought to a terrible end by a character flaw. That character flaw shows itself in situations where they might have done differently otherwise. The tragic hero of Antigone is Creon who after being blinded by his pride and legalism is unable to prevent the tragedy that occurs because of those tragic character flaws.
This is again before the rough draft so pardon the grammar.
The Tragic Hero of a story or play is somebody who was once a great or mighty person but has been brought to a terrible end by a character flaw. That character flaw shows itself in situations where they might have done differently otherwise. The tragic story of Antigone is about the daughter of Oedipus, Antigone.
Antigone tries but fails to stop the war that kills both her brothers so then tries to bury the body of her brother Polyneices even though her uncle Creon forbade it. The importance of burial to the ancient Greeks is that after death your body can reach Hades. So, if somebody goes unburied their souls are doomed to wander about forever. Creon’s reason for not allowing Polyneices to be buried is that Polyneices attacked the city of Thebes, which was one of the greatest cities in Greece at that time containing many temples, leading Creon to believe that the gods did not want somebody like that to find rest even after death. Creon’s intentions however misguided were meant to be noble but even good intentions can lead to disastrous results. Antigone is caught giving Polyneices a decent burial and Creon sentences her to life imprisonment in a cave. Creon’s son Heamon is displeased by his father’s judgment for good reason and goes away from Creon to rescue Antigone. While Antigone is being taken to the cave she wails and whines about how she will never be married to Haemon and after reaching the cave she foolhardily hangs herself just a few hours before Haemon comes to rescue and that is only a few minutes before Creon, after being by the prophet Tireseus that what he did was wrong, comes to acquit her of all charges. Haemon in a fit of rage attacks Creon but fails at killing him so in despair kills himself. All of this news is delivered to Creon’s wife Eurydice who, blaming Creon for all of this, kills herself in heartache. The loss of his niece, son and wife all in one day drives Creon into the depths of despair.
So who is the tragic hero of Antigone? I believe that Creon is the hero of Antigone because while even though he starts off badly he ends the play with more grief and more nobility than Antigone ever had in the play. Creon wanted to do the right thing but he takes that to far when even after being reasoned with by Haemon he refuses to free Antigone. His legalizing is his downfall refusing to let his own nephew to be buried when he let his other nephew, who died in the same battle, be buried with honors. Creon’s legalizing is only broken when the old, blind prophet Tireseus, the same who prophesied concerning Oedipus, predicts the destruction of Creon’s household if he does not do something very quickly. Even though Creon changes his mind right away and buries Polyneices he is to late to prevent what happens to his niece, son and wife.
The reason I believe the tragic hero is Creon and not Antigone is because even though she tried to honor her dead brother’s request to be buried she pulled her innocent sister Ismene into the fray. And instead of waiting to be possibly rescued by Haemon or acquitted by Creon, she commits suicide and ends it right there instead of hoping for something better.
All tragic heroes have a tragic character flaw that will lead them to their demise and Creon has the flaw of legalism that could almost be thought of as pride. Creon’s legalism clouds his judgment when deciding what to do with Polyneices’ body. Legalism blinds Creon’s eyes when talking to Antigone and Ismene, after Antigone is caught in the act of burying Polyneices, about why he should release them and let them bury their brother. Creon lets his flaw get the better of him in the argument with Haemon when Haemon wanted to free Antigone from Creon’s harsh ruling. Creon full of pride, even talked back to the prophet Tireseus when he Prophesied Creon’s fate, but when Creon is able to finally see through his legalism at the end of the conversation with Tireseus he is to late to save Antigone from he pig-headed suicide, which lead to all the destruction that followed. Although Creon started the play badly he is a humble broken man come the end. Creon’s frantic rush to try to save Antigone was a far more heroic act than Antigone trying to bury Plyneices because of the fact that even though she was trying to follow through on her brother’s request, she committed an act that endangered her poor innocent sister Ismene. An act of such blatant disregard for the safety of her sister nullifies all nobility in that act.
The Tragic Hero of a story or play is somebody who was once a great or mighty person but has been brought to a terrible end by a character flaw. That character flaw shows itself in situations where they might have done differently otherwise. The tragic hero of Antigone is Creon who after being blinded by his pride and legalism is unable to prevent the tragedy that occurs because of those tragic character flaws.
This is again before the rough draft so pardon the grammar.
Monday, April 25, 2005
Saturday, April 23, 2005
This has to be the worst song I have heard in my life.
You might wonder "What is that song that it is so bad?"
I will tell you.
It is William Hung's "I believe I can fly" it was so bad I do not know how to put into words. It wasn't the content that was bad, it was his vocals, so bad they are an unspeakable horror to the humans vocal cords.
For anybody who might recognize the name he was on "American Idol" sometime in the recent past. He is also on iTunes for anybody with program who wishes to scar himself that badly for life.
I will tell you.
It is William Hung's "I believe I can fly" it was so bad I do not know how to put into words. It wasn't the content that was bad, it was his vocals, so bad they are an unspeakable horror to the humans vocal cords.
For anybody who might recognize the name he was on "American Idol" sometime in the recent past. He is also on iTunes for anybody with program who wishes to scar himself that badly for life.
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
It's Narnia time!
Welcome to the land of Narnia
The land or Narnia is now open for extensive viewing by the public.
You can find downloads information on characters bios of the children who play the four children and much more!
To say I am looking forward to this movie is a severe understatement.
But which am I looking forward to more, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe or Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith?
It looks like both will be good movies and will be competing with each other for makeup and special effects Oscars.
The land or Narnia is now open for extensive viewing by the public.
You can find downloads information on characters bios of the children who play the four children and much more!
To say I am looking forward to this movie is a severe understatement.
But which am I looking forward to more, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe or Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith?
It looks like both will be good movies and will be competing with each other for makeup and special effects Oscars.
Sunday, April 17, 2005
I would like to say I am sorry.
Sorry my friends in the world of the web that I did not post at all last week...At all...Like zilch nada, nothing, no post at all last week I just didn't have a good post last week but I was thinking that for a name like "Tell me Why" I am not asking many questions so maybe you can say things on my most recent posts to make statements that might somebody out there think then they can comment and then it just goes on like a message board maybe...maybe.
But to revive the post I will provide a linkhttp://www.christianitytoday.com/movies/commentaries/top10movierobotsofalltime.html.
Saturday, April 02, 2005
I'm going link happy now.
I am now going to place a link to somewhere you don't know and have to find.
A hint is that this conversation reminds me of the one in Alfred Hitchcock's Rope.
A hint is that this conversation reminds me of the one in Alfred Hitchcock's Rope.
This is a test.
This is a test, I am going to try to provide a link to Foolish Knight and Silent Shrouds.
Wednesday, March 30, 2005
All is well that ends well.
All is well now I have found out how to change template that is very evident and also I have found out from Joel that the user stats are down for the time being. I have now annulled the post “To the people who have been blogging longer than me.” All is well in the world now. There is now no need to panic.
Tuesday, March 29, 2005
This is so embarrassing.
This is so embarrassing I created a post just a few moments ago proclaiming it as my eleventh post, well I could not have been more wrong. It was in fact my thirteenth post thankfully I was able to delete it in time. Whew, that was a close one I am sure glad that post did not last very long or else it would have been far more embarrassing than it is now. I am very sorry about that even though I do not see how that would have bothered anybody to much I am still very, very sorry.
Monday, March 28, 2005
The Easter Egg Question(Happy Easter.)
With Easter come and gone we have once again celebrated the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. After coming out of church it would be safe to assume that you went over to the home of your family members to celebrate some more, in this celebrating you most likely had an Easter egg hunt which brings me to the real purpose of this post. In this hunt there would be a few Easter eggs unclaimed and last Easter myself and a few others were in this same terrible situation. You look and look yet you cannot find it. You begin to feel more strongly about that egg the longer you search and I must have been searching for over half an hour in the dark and pouring rain looking for that thing.
So you begin to wonder where in the world that person has hid it. Which leads to the big question:
WHERE IN THE WORLD DID HE HIDE THAT EGG?
That question has been plaguing me for one whole year and will most likely bug me for the rest of my life.
Again, Happy Easter to all and to all a Goodnight!
So you begin to wonder where in the world that person has hid it. Which leads to the big question:
WHERE IN THE WORLD DID HE HIDE THAT EGG?
That question has been plaguing me for one whole year and will most likely bug me for the rest of my life.
Again, Happy Easter to all and to all a Goodnight!
Saturday, March 26, 2005
The Apostles' Creed.
I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth;
And in Jesus Christ His only begotten Son our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, Born of the Virgin Mary, Suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried; He descended into hell; The third day he rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, And sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; From thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost; The holy Catholic Church, The Communion of Saints; The Forgiveness of sins; The Resurrection of the body; And the Life everlasting.
Amen.
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
Friday, March 18, 2005
The bloggers code of conduct.
This is my list, if you feel differently just tell me.
1. I will not use somebody's real name unless it is their screen name.
2. I will not commit the sin of not capitalizing my "i"s when referring to myself.
3. I will not use IM shorthand such as ppl and ;( and will try to spell all words the correct way.
4. I will use spell check on my posts before I post. Feel free to fling this in my face if I do not comply to my own code of conduct.
5. If I believe in what I stand for I shall not be shaken unless one gives me morale or reasonable grounds to change my stance on the matter.
There are my Five Pillars of blogging.
1. I will not use somebody's real name unless it is their screen name.
2. I will not commit the sin of not capitalizing my "i"s when referring to myself.
3. I will not use IM shorthand such as ppl and ;( and will try to spell all words the correct way.
4. I will use spell check on my posts before I post. Feel free to fling this in my face if I do not comply to my own code of conduct.
5. If I believe in what I stand for I shall not be shaken unless one gives me morale or reasonable grounds to change my stance on the matter.
There are my Five Pillars of blogging.
Wednesday, March 16, 2005
Okay Penny you wanted to know now you know.
Penny wanted to know my passions and hates so here it is.
1. I hate it when people say they hate history. I mean come on history is an inexhaustible resource as soon as you finish all the history books there will always be another one on what happened in the world while you were reading the other ones.
2. I am bugged severely when people say reading is boring. Boring! Boring! Reading ain't boring mister maybe you decided to read "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire" while you are only a new reader but it does not mean reading is boring.
3. Whatever. By this I mean when you say 2+2=4 and somebody says whatever it is like they don't care that there is an absolute truth in this world. And there is an absolute truth in this world we might not know it at this point in space and time there is an answer.
4. "My child is to old for legos." How can any body be to old for legos they may be "to old" for an imagination which is the key factor behind legos. That and whatever you build can always be taken down and built into something completely different.
That is all for now hope you enjoyed the trip inside my weird head.
1. I hate it when people say they hate history. I mean come on history is an inexhaustible resource as soon as you finish all the history books there will always be another one on what happened in the world while you were reading the other ones.
2. I am bugged severely when people say reading is boring. Boring! Boring! Reading ain't boring mister maybe you decided to read "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire" while you are only a new reader but it does not mean reading is boring.
3. Whatever. By this I mean when you say 2+2=4 and somebody says whatever it is like they don't care that there is an absolute truth in this world. And there is an absolute truth in this world we might not know it at this point in space and time there is an answer.
4. "My child is to old for legos." How can any body be to old for legos they may be "to old" for an imagination which is the key factor behind legos. That and whatever you build can always be taken down and built into something completely different.
That is all for now hope you enjoyed the trip inside my weird head.
Sunday, March 13, 2005
To the people who have been blogging longer than me.
Aghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
how do you get the little box on the side of your blogger profile that has the total ammounts posted and the profile views and the like help me please!(I am now going to scream now quite primevily now.)
Aghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
Another thing how do I change my blog template from what I have to something else; if I want to.
how do you get the little box on the side of your blogger profile that has the total ammounts posted and the profile views and the like help me please!(I am now going to scream now quite primevily now.)
Aghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
Another thing how do I change my blog template from what I have to something else; if I want to.
Saturday, March 12, 2005
Useless Latin phrases of the day!
Domos dulcis domus, Home sweet home
Longo intervallo, After a long gap
Sine qua non, Something/someone indispensable
This I have to remember for "Risk": Si vis pacem, para bellum-If you want peace prepare for war.
Longo intervallo, After a long gap
Sine qua non, Something/someone indispensable
This I have to remember for "Risk": Si vis pacem, para bellum-If you want peace prepare for war.
Oedipus Rex.
This is an essay written for school tell me what you think and don't spare me the gory details if it's terrible.
Is Oedipus a tragic victim of fate?
Oedipus of ancient Greek mythology was made the king of Thebes after the Theban king dies and Oedipus saves the city from the Sphinx. It was foretold that Oedipus would kill his father and marry his mother. To avoid the prophecy right after he is born the king and Queen of Thebes cast Oedipus out into the forest to die. But the person assigned the task could not complete it and gave Oedipus to the king and queen of Corinth who were unable to have children. In a few decades an oracle told Oedipus that he would kill his father and marry his mother unaware that the king and queen were not his real parents he ran from Corinth and at a crossroad he got in a fight and killed his opponents. Unknowing that this his real father he had just killed he moved on to Thebes which was being besieged by the Sphinx who would ask all passers by a riddle and if you did not answer correctly it would kill you. All had failed at this task until Oedipus came and solved the riddle. In shame the Sphinx cast itself off a cliff saving the city.
After a few happy years a famine strikes the land and disturbs the happy city. When Oedipus sends his brother in-law to discover the reason it is told the cause of the famine is because the murder of the former king has not been avenged. When a prophet tells Oedipus that Oedipus is the killer Oedipus finds that the prophecy has come true and that he has married his mother and murdered his father he is aghast. While Oedipus is making this discovery, his wife/mother has put the pieces of the puzzle together and has committed suicide in shame. Driven mad at all that has gone wrong Oedipus blinds himself and runs away from the kingdom in shame and horror.
Is Oedipus responsible for what happens in his life or is he a cruel victim of fate at the hands of the gods? Does Oedipus have a tragic flaw that contributes to his end? If so what is the flaw and how much does it contribute to his end?
I believe Oedipus is mostly a victim of fate since it was the gods that decided to wreck his life from the start even though he did no wrong. He was merely a pawn in their games of other people’s lives. Although Oedipus does bear some responsibility for what happens to him. But even in that did he really have a choice or did the gods manipulate him into situations where his god-given attributes took him down the path of destruction? Oedipus had a few flaws that brought him to the place of discovery on who he was and what he had done. These flaws include his anger issues such as when he kills Laius on the crossroads it was because he was angry that Laius told him to get off the road.
Another flaw of Oedipus is his rashness. When the prophet Tireseus accuses him of killing Laius Oedipus quickly shifts the blame to his brother in-law Creon and says he killed him and says Creon and Tireseus are in a plot to take over the throne. Another display of rashness is before the prophet comes; Oedipus has sent Creon to ask the gods why the plague has come on Thebes. When Creon says it is because the murder of Laius has not been avenged Oedipus immediately places a curse on the killer, before even suspecting it is Oedipus himself. This curse makes life miserable for Oedipus after the shepherd who saved his life all those years ago tells him he is not the son of the king of Corinth as he thought and that he is the son of Laius whom he killed and Jocasta who he later married. Oedipus would have lived on in happy obscurity had he not been so quick to run from Corinth and questioned the king and queen if they really were his mother and father. So then he is in a way responsible for what happened to him but did not the gods in the story make him that way? Did they not give him those characteristics that lead to his down fall? Did not they also fate that he would kill his father and marry his mother, so does he really have a choice in the events that follow? Nay I say nay he is a mere little puppet in the games of the gods toying with others lives callously and without care.
post script: this is before the paper has been proof read so it will be a little strange.
Is Oedipus a tragic victim of fate?
Oedipus of ancient Greek mythology was made the king of Thebes after the Theban king dies and Oedipus saves the city from the Sphinx. It was foretold that Oedipus would kill his father and marry his mother. To avoid the prophecy right after he is born the king and Queen of Thebes cast Oedipus out into the forest to die. But the person assigned the task could not complete it and gave Oedipus to the king and queen of Corinth who were unable to have children. In a few decades an oracle told Oedipus that he would kill his father and marry his mother unaware that the king and queen were not his real parents he ran from Corinth and at a crossroad he got in a fight and killed his opponents. Unknowing that this his real father he had just killed he moved on to Thebes which was being besieged by the Sphinx who would ask all passers by a riddle and if you did not answer correctly it would kill you. All had failed at this task until Oedipus came and solved the riddle. In shame the Sphinx cast itself off a cliff saving the city.
After a few happy years a famine strikes the land and disturbs the happy city. When Oedipus sends his brother in-law to discover the reason it is told the cause of the famine is because the murder of the former king has not been avenged. When a prophet tells Oedipus that Oedipus is the killer Oedipus finds that the prophecy has come true and that he has married his mother and murdered his father he is aghast. While Oedipus is making this discovery, his wife/mother has put the pieces of the puzzle together and has committed suicide in shame. Driven mad at all that has gone wrong Oedipus blinds himself and runs away from the kingdom in shame and horror.
Is Oedipus responsible for what happens in his life or is he a cruel victim of fate at the hands of the gods? Does Oedipus have a tragic flaw that contributes to his end? If so what is the flaw and how much does it contribute to his end?
I believe Oedipus is mostly a victim of fate since it was the gods that decided to wreck his life from the start even though he did no wrong. He was merely a pawn in their games of other people’s lives. Although Oedipus does bear some responsibility for what happens to him. But even in that did he really have a choice or did the gods manipulate him into situations where his god-given attributes took him down the path of destruction? Oedipus had a few flaws that brought him to the place of discovery on who he was and what he had done. These flaws include his anger issues such as when he kills Laius on the crossroads it was because he was angry that Laius told him to get off the road.
Another flaw of Oedipus is his rashness. When the prophet Tireseus accuses him of killing Laius Oedipus quickly shifts the blame to his brother in-law Creon and says he killed him and says Creon and Tireseus are in a plot to take over the throne. Another display of rashness is before the prophet comes; Oedipus has sent Creon to ask the gods why the plague has come on Thebes. When Creon says it is because the murder of Laius has not been avenged Oedipus immediately places a curse on the killer, before even suspecting it is Oedipus himself. This curse makes life miserable for Oedipus after the shepherd who saved his life all those years ago tells him he is not the son of the king of Corinth as he thought and that he is the son of Laius whom he killed and Jocasta who he later married. Oedipus would have lived on in happy obscurity had he not been so quick to run from Corinth and questioned the king and queen if they really were his mother and father. So then he is in a way responsible for what happened to him but did not the gods in the story make him that way? Did they not give him those characteristics that lead to his down fall? Did not they also fate that he would kill his father and marry his mother, so does he really have a choice in the events that follow? Nay I say nay he is a mere little puppet in the games of the gods toying with others lives callously and without care.
post script: this is before the paper has been proof read so it will be a little strange.
Friday, March 11, 2005
I have an idea.
While creating my last post I had an idea. I purchased a book a few days ago called "What If". The premise of the book is what if certain things in military history did or didn't happen, such as, Alexander the Great living a few years longer than he did or died at the beginning of his campaign. Just wonder what history would be like if that had happened. Anyway what if all readers commented on what would happen if something, did or didn't happen in history that proved to be pivotal to the United States or the world. Just something to make you think. I hope I also will think on it; leave your thoughts on the comments page or your own web log.
Was it a mistake to start my own blog?
I am thinking maybe I made a mistake in staring my own blog. I am looking for ideas so all suggestions are welcome.
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