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What are readers saying about Oedipus Rex (Dover Thrift)?
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Ted posted a review at 2009-11-19 01:55:27.
(Language: English)
   
OEDIPUS THE KING is Sophocles' most famous play about a king who tries to cheat an oracle's prediction that his own son will murder him by first having his infant son killed. That son escapes death and is raised in a far-away land where he is called Oedipus. There he meets another oracle who predicts that he will return to his former land, slay his father, lie with his mother and become king of that land. On the way to meet his destiny, Oedipus hears and then he solves the famous Riddle Of The Sphinx: "What walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon, and three in the evening?"Although the play is highly contrived by modern standards, OEDIPUS THE KING is filled with rich dramatic points and illustrates well the concept of the "tragic flaw" that lead to a character's eventual downfall. This is also where I learned of the unities of time, place and action. I enjoyed the work more for how it was put together than for the words or the actions themselves. But the ending is great. Something very similar happens to Keanu Reeve's character in THE ADVOCATE. 
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Rebecca posted a review at 2009-10-17 21:49:36.
(Language: English)
I'm actually kind of glad that I had to read this one for English class. This play is tragic fate at its height, and is perhaps one of the most surprising things I have ever read.
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A reader posted a review at 2009-10-04 21:01:19.
(Language: English)
english -bah! lol a very weird story
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Doreen posted a review at 2009-07-06 17:49:21.
(Language: English)
I totally agree with the fact that oneself can be good or bad by choice. we have a complete control of our actions.
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Nicholas posted a review at 2009-05-27 14:54:47.
(Language: English)
It's really good. This is a play dating from about 430 BC, and we all know the story in advance, so I wondered how fresh it could possibly seem, but I really enjoyed reading it and would love to see it on stage. The interest is the interplay between the three main characters, Oedipus himself, Jocasta and her brother Cleon, as the story is unfolded to them by a succession of walk-ons (Tiresias, the messenger, the shepherd, etc) - although the plot covers the whole of Oedipus' life, the setting of the play respects the unities and takes place over a few hours or possibly days. Sophocles uses the plot as a framework to meditate on fate and predestination (where his argument if largely of historical interest) and also to speculate on different kinds of sight and blindness (and here I think his thoughts are timeless; we can substitute all kinds of dogmas about planning and professionalism for the way he writes about prophecy). I was reading the 1909 translation by Sir George Young, which is decent enough, though I can imagine it being done more fluently in today's idiom.
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Wendy Freemole posted a review at 2009-05-21 12:55:56.
(Language: English)
The ending will knock your socks off.
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A reader posted a review at 2009-05-09 20:37:44.
(Language: French)
j'adore sophocle. c'est un très bon écrivain.
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Brooksie posted a review at 2009-03-27 23:47:41.
(Language: English)
I read this whenever I want to feel a little less f-ed up.
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Phil posted a review at 2009-03-07 06:52:02.
(Language: English)
Excellent. I think I like Antigone better, but a classic for a reason.
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Ashli posted a review at 2009-02-25 20:46:16.
(Language: English)
Very interesting concept of fate explored. However, I don't believe in fate. An interesting thought: is Oedipus a hero? A good Greek play, no less, some interesting literature for an English class. My question: relevancy??? Hmm.. I liked it though.
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