Oedipus Research Paper

Words: 1422
Pages: 6
Open Document
Zhuoran Ying
Mazalit Haim
Recitation on Friday, 2pm-3:15pm
October 14, 2014
Define a Good Leader: Oedipus and Moses
Our deep worship of God has been vanished long since science shed light on our life. The religious power seems no longer deeply rooted in modern times, but it has transformed commonly to our understanding of fate. Countless times, we hear success stories from Bill Gates to Steve Jobs, advocating that our rationality and individuality can change our destiny. Can human use the scientific knowledge, their rationality, to transform and take control their destiny? We seldom stop to think about this question, which is fully stressed in the following figures, Oedipus and Moses.
Oedipus, as the king of Thebes and leader of Israelites, …show more content…
Essential to Moses’ leadership is partnership, in which Moses serves as a messenger and mediator to realize God’s will. The first job of a good messenger is his faith to the content of messages and the belief of God. Moses recognizes God’s mighty power by listening to God’s instructions patiently, transmitting the divine messages persistently and building the magnificent Tabernacle. In Exodus, not only Egyptians but also most Israelites didn’t believe in Moses. They are depicted as traitor, intermittently rebel the only God and trying to form their own God. On contrary, Moses rules his people with strictness, remaining faithful to his God. Moses takes responsibilities as a leader, suppresses the revolt with a determined sight and strengthens Israelites’ belief of God. His pious devotion makes him “like God to Pharaoh”(Exodus 7:1). Apart from the power that Moses acquired from his loyalty, his foresight and prudence make God’s will become true. Before heading to persuade Pharaoh, Moses foresees possible outcomes and asks God to give solutions. His inquisitiveness of God’s mission enables him to understand better about God’s plan and well-prepared to face possible outcomes. Understanding, rather than blindly translating, defines him as a good …show more content…
Apparently, Moses is not physically good at speaking, but technically efficient in mediating. In his process of mediation, Moses successfully delegates his trustworthy men to help him complete God’s mission. Unlike Oedipus, Moses does not reserve himself as an honorable figure but a modest one, who is good at delegating his men. Aaron talks for him, Joshua fights for him and Jethro gives suggestion to him. He likes his men and love to hear their suggestions. Moreover, Moses’ good nature makes him feel sympathetic to his people. He begged God to “turn from your fierce wrath” (Exodus 32:12). In addition to Moses’ mercy and love of his people as Oedipus does to his men, he is good natured for he hates the evil, sticks to his cooperation with God and punishes his people for their rebellion. He asks them “why do you test the Lord?”(Exodus 17:2) and confesses to God that “ this people has sinned a great sin”( Exodus 33:31). As a messenger, he represents human to receive divine messages directly from God. As a mediator between God and human, Moses justifies God’s instructions under his own moral
Show More

Related Documents: Oedipus Research Paper

Oedipus Research Paper

One prominent literary example would be “Oedipus the King”. In this play, Oedipus fulfils his prophecy that Teiresias said “This day will bring your birth and your destruction”, foreshadowing Oedipus’ birth revelations, marriage of his mother, and killing of his father. No matter how persistent Oedipus was in attempting to avoid his fate, it would be of no use. In fact, Oedipus moved to Thebes solely to avoid his prophecy, but instead met his father, Laius…

Words 1435 - Pages 6

Oedipus Rex Research Paper

When someone reads Oedipus Rex by Sophocles one wonders how someone so wise and intelligent can be so stupid and ignorant when it comes to family. In the town of Thebes, Oedipus is the town hero due to the fact he solves the riddle of the Sphinx. He is then promoted to king and marries the queen. As time goes on, Oedipus and his town are still in the middle of a plague. Oedipus is a hero, but can he save himself and the town he loves? In Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, Oedipus is a tragic hero because…

Words 723 - Pages 3

Oedipus Rex Research Paper

One of the world’s greatest tragedies was Oedipus Rex written by a Greek philosopher, Sophocles. It was written during the Peloponnesian War. Oedipus Rex was a hero who made himself a savior for the city of Thebes. With that great achievement and many others came an ultimate defeat. That defeat was out of anyone’s control. The various symbols throughout the Greek tragedy Oedipus Rex help illustrate the theme that fate is inevitable. Sophocles used the symbol of sight which represents how the characters…

Words 628 - Pages 3

Oedipus Rex Research Paper

Oedipus Rex is a tragedy. Oedipus was immediately doomed since the day he was born, because of his fate. But the decisions he chose to make during his lifetime is what really caused his downfall. Three of his biggest flaws were his temper, his inner-blindness, and his selfishness/ stubbornness. The first major flaw that Oedipus made known was his temper. His temper led him to kill multiple meen on his journey to Thebes, which led him to kill King Laius (his father) just like his prophecy said he…

Words 392 - Pages 2

Oedipus The King Research Paper

A theme of Oedipus the King is fate. In the end, whatever is supposed to happen will occur. Teiresias assures Oedipus that fate will play itself out. He cannot decide the future. Jocasta is told that her son will be the one who kills her husband and Oedipus is told that he will be the brother and father of his own children. This is all destined to happen. If Oedipus never goes searching for the cause of the towns plague, he would have never learned the truth. Fate had it all planned out for this…

Words 191 - Pages 1

Oedipus The King Research Paper

In the demonstration of Oedipus the King by the great playwright Sophocles the protagonist is Oedipus who is also our tragic hero. Oedipus is living the life that everyone wants to live he is royal and powerful, but his past comes back to haunt him like most heroes in history. He is a man of character, morals and honor, but he has tragic flaws that lead to a past so dark that it was locked in the deepest depth of his mind this past is his downfall. In addition the king’s nobility ranges out much…

Words 880 - Pages 4

Hamlet And Oedipus Research Paper

Messerschmidt LIT 1000 September 14, 2014 Assessment of Hamlet and Oedipus Oedipus and Hamlet are two characters that are comparable even though they have different authors. In the Elizabethan era, which Hamlet was written in, tragedy was customary in most plays. Yet Oedipus Rex was written 2000 years before Hamlet. The intrigue in these plays, keep the audience and reader engrossed till the very end. Oedipus and Hamlet brought upon their own demise by their egos and their quest for the…

Words 1076 - Pages 5

Oedipus The King Research Paper

life, and it was used abundantly in Ancient Greek stories. In Oedipus The King, written by Sophocles, Oedipus fled Corinth after finding out about his prophecy, and how he would kill his father and share a bed with his mother, who he thought was Polybus and Merope respectfully. He saved Thebes from the Sphinx and became the king of Thebes. There is much debate whether Oedipus was doomed from the beginning or he made his own fate. Oedipus had no control of his fate because of him not knowing the truth…

Words 597 - Pages 3

Oedipus The King Research Paper

In “Oedipus the King” by Sophocles, Oedipus’s reaction to Teiresias’s news displays that Oedipus would not make a very good leader for Thebes. It shows that he does not have a hard shell and that he can quickly turn on someone if he becomes offended. Evidence that supports that he does not have a thick skin is when Teiresias steers away from admitting the truth, and even warns Oedipus not to push him on it, Oedipus was very offended when Teiresias admitted that Oedipus was the murderer. Teiresias…

Words 208 - Pages 1

Oedipus The King Research Paper

in their lives. In the Greek tragedy “Oedipus of The King” by Sophocles, the author shows readers that through pride, people put themselves in a dangerous position that they can easily fall. Sophocles begins telling a story of a man whose destiny is born to kill his father and marry his mother. Realizing how dangerous it is, his father, Laius, King of the Thebes sends him away with a hope he will never go back. In contrast, the son is saved and named Oedipus. As he grows up, he kills his father on…

Words 969 - Pages 4