ROLE OF GODS IN OEDIPUS REX

Yula Costa

Ancient Greek Beliefs

Gods were linked to religion (polytheistic); the Greeks worshipped many gods.

Many times they are seen as rulers and protectors of a place; Sophocles shows the other side

The Greeks did not love their gods, but respected their power  

The 4 Steps

Step 1: Blinding of mind. This means by either selfishness or another kind of "strong" feeling, someone thinks of doing something that the Gods are against or protective over that action.

Step 2. Going over the limit. This means that somebody would act according to what they thought of in Step 1 which exceeds the limits that the Gods have set. In other words:

Step 3: The Gods are angry with what you've done because it was over the limitations.

Step 4: The Gods punish you for your actions.

Apollo

Apollo was associated with law, philosophy, and the arts. He sometimes gave the gift of prophecy to mortals whom he loved

He is considered the ideal of manly beauty; The arrows of Apollo and Artemis invariably killed and the Greeks explained epidemics of diseases by supposing that they were shooting their arrows at people; by praying to Apollo, the epidemic might stop.

Apollo’s oracle tells the Thebans to either kill or drive out the guilty man, which will remove the source of pollution from Thebes.

Chorus

Sophocles uses the chorus to act as moral ground for the community being represented

In Oedipus, he has the chorus declare that religion is dying, since prophecies were not being fulfilled

The Main Reason

Show the skeptic idea of Sophocles Represent the main theme of Fate & Free

Will “The Machine of the Gods“ - means that

the gods are actually causing the play to happen

The Shepard who was ordered to leave Oedipus on the mountain to die became an instrument of the gods' plan. He and the other Shepard, both tempted fate, but in a way that was pleasing to the gods. Because of their actions, the oracle was able to come true.The Shepard who witnessed Laius's death,exiled himself out of guilt.