Oedipus Quotes Project free essay sample

She is a woman of pride, and ashamed of my low birth† (Sophocles41) This quote is very intriguing. Even after learning that Polybus is not his real father, he still doesn’t realize he is the son of his wife, he still believes he is of low birth. This line shows how â€Å"blind† Oedipus is to the truth, so much so that he believes he is of poor birth, instead of his true birth into royalty. This line truly captures the meaning or a tragic drama by blatantly showing how naive and unaware Oedipus is to his surroundings. I too have felt this way though, been so blind to the truth that I myself would think things the complete opposite of what they really were. I think we do this either because we are so oblivious to what’s going on that the only answer we find true is the one furthest from truth, or subconsciously we do know the truth, but we fear and despise it so much so that we convince ourselves that the truth is anything and everything but what it truly is. We will write a custom essay sample on Oedipus Quotes Project or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page 2. †Your father killed his father, sowed his seed in her where he was sown as a seed, and did beget you in the selfsame place where he was once begotten. That is how men will talk. (Sophocles54) This is by far the saddest quote. In this scene Oedipus is talking to his daughters one last time before he leaves them for good. He’s telling them how they can never be married because of his mistakes. This is sad for his daughters because they are learning of the evils his father went through, and why he has sealed their fate to be without husband and without child for the rest of their lives. It is sadder for Oedipus because he has brought this upon his own seed. He must live with guilt for something he had no control of. This shows how one prophecy, one mans fate, can seal the fate of those around him. This line shows how tragic this story truly is. This quote raises the intriguing question that is; does everyone’s fate intertwine, making one fate for all man, as opposed to the fate of each individual being separate? 3. †Oh marriage, marriage, u gave me birth, and after I was born bore children to your child, and brought to light sons, fathers, brothers in a web of incest, than which men know nothing more abominable. †(Sophocles51) This is one of the deepest lines in the book. Here Oedipus has realized what he has done and is expressing what is going through his mind in this time of disgusted shock. This is deep because of how disturbing it is. His sons are now his brothers, their mother now their grandmother. They are the product of pure abomination, incest. This thing that fate finds to be what is right also happens to be one thing that the society witch man has created frowns upon most. This gives us incite between the struggles of mans perception of right, and that of fate. This passage opened me up to this struggle, a struggle most never realize exists. 4. †Konowledge and pain; they hurt equally. I wish your path and mine had never crossed. †(Sophocles50) This is what the chorus said to Oedipus after they learned the truth. This line is interesting because it shows how people can change their views so quickly. The towns people in the beginning of the book stoop by Oedipus no mater what he said, they told him they would follow. But once they find out the evils of his life, they wish away ever even meeting him. This symbolizes how society works. We may love an idol, a position of power, but when we find out what they have done. The wrongs of their actions, we denounce everything we once thought of them. This quote is also deep because it conveys the truth that knowledge can hurt as much as pain itself. That knowing something can be as harsh as any physical punishment. 5. †But no-one blinded my eyes but myself, in my own grief. What use are eyes to me, who could never see anything pleasant again? †(Sophocles49) This quote is from Oedipus right after he cuts his own eyes out. This line is very insightful. When someone suffers something so dramatic, they lose all hope. When someone is so sad everything they see makes them sad. Oedipus felt he had to gouge his eyes out. This line made me shiver when I read it, because it shows that Oedipus knows that he has been naive and wrong, that his life’s problems are his own wrong doing. I think that people should take a note from Oedipus. Everyone needs to realize that the problems in their lives are of their own doing and no one else’s. I’m not saying we should all remove our eyes, but we should take responsibility for our actions. 6. †I have been born where I should not be born, I have married where I should not marry, I have killed whom I should not kill; now all is clear† (Sophocles47) This quote comes from Oedipus after the herdsman confirms his darkest fear, that Jocasta is his mother. This quote is the turning point of the book. It is the point of realization for Oedipus. This stands out because of how powerful it is, when reading this passage, u grasp the magnitude of this play, u feel what Oedipus feels. This passage reminds me of times when I have feared things, only to find that my suspicions were true. From that point on, I, like Oedipus, realized what was true, and had to accept it. This quote really opens the reader’s eyes to what is going on in Oedipus’s mind. 7. †People of this city, look, this man Oedipus, who guessed the famous riddle, who rose to greatness, envy of all in the city who say his good fortunes. And now what a fearful storm of disaster has struck him. † This is the perfect passage for Oedipus Rex. This is from the end of the book, where the chorus is giving an exit to the play. This line is so powerful because it truly sums up Oedipus. It shows no matter how powerful, envied, and worshiped a man may be, a turn for the worse can bring them down, and then they have nothing. It means we should not try to be great, and worry about how others see us, or about being great, but to worry about ourselves as an individual and to plan for the worse. This quote really brings the play together, and leaves the reader with a feeling of enlightenment. That’s what this tragedy is all about