俄狄浦斯王文学分析

TheInevitabilityofOedipus’sTragedyinOedipustheKingAbstract:OedipustheKing,oneofthemostfamousmasterpiecesofSophocles,isanindisputablyclassicaltragedyinliteraturehistory,andOedipus’tragicfate,murderinghisfatherandmarringhismother,alsohasbeendiscussedfrequentlybymanyscholars.ThispapermainlyexplainstheinevitabilityofOedipus’stragedyfromthreeaspects:thedominantroleofGodinancientGreektragedy,thetragedytheoryandthetragicflawofOedipus.Keywords:tragedy;fate;inevitability;OedipusOedipustheKing,writtenbySophocles,whowasoneofAthens’sthreegreattragicdramatists,isthemostinfluentialplayinwestculture.Manyapeoplehasdiscussedandanalyzeditsinceitscreating,andthemostcontroversialpointaboutitisthefateofOedipus--whetheritisdecidedbyApolloortragicflawinOedipus’scharacter.AsfarasIcansee,thetragicfateofOedipusisinevitable,whichcanbeillustratedinthefollowing.GodisanindispensibleanddominantroleinancientGreektragedy.Itisknownthattheword“tragedy”means“thesongofgoats”inancientGreek,whichcomesfromthesacrificialriteofDionysus.Butwhytragedyhassocloserelationtothesacrificialratewhichisaskingforrichandfertile.SimonnotedthatonlytheprotagonistofthetragedytoexpiatethesinsofhumankindasascapegoatcouldmakesuretheGodfeelpeople’sprayerandgivegoodweatherforcorpsandhealthforpeople(2000).ZhualsoclaimedthatancientGreektragedyismainlyabouttherelationbetweenGodandmankind,andifwearetryingtoappreciateitrationallywithoutthebackgroundofprimitivemythsandtheviewoflifeoffatalismwewillfailtograsptheessenceofit(1989).Therefore,thedestinyviewisreflectedbyGod’s oracle,whichiscomplexandpowerful.InOedipustheKing,Oedipus’ssparentsgotanoraclefromGodthattheirsonwouldkillhisfatherandmarryhismother.ThisoracledecidedOedipus’sandhisfamily’sfate,whichisunavoidable.WhenLaius,Oedipusnaturalfather,gottheoracle,heorderedhisservanttokillhisson,butOedipusdidnotdie,andwasadoptedbykingPolybusironically.Moredramatically,OedipuskilledhisnaturalfatherLaiusandmarriedhisnaturalmotherJocastawhenheleftCorinthafterknowingtheoracle.AlltheseaccidentsarenotaccidentalatallbutarecontrolledbyGod.Oedipushasthecourageandrebellionbutheischosetobethescapegoatforhumankind.YoucanrebelagainstGod,butyouwillnotwinforever.Oedipus’sfateispredetermined.Asatragedy,Oedipusisboundtobeatragichero.FreudsaidinTotemandTaboo,“theherointragedymustsufferpains,whichalsoconstitutesthecenterofthetragedy.Hehastoundertakethosetragicevils”(1992,p.191).KantpointedoutthatthegreatnessofancientGreektragedyliesinitstruthfulrevealofthedarkestthingsinlife(1982).AsthecreatorofOedipustheKing,apparentlySophocleswillnotgiveOedipusahappyending.JustasAristotle(1979)said,“theplotisthemostimportant”,OedipustheKingmusthaveacompleteplot.Healsosaidthat“thepoetmakeuphisstoryproperlyinsteadofdependingonhisowninteresttomakeastartandanending”.So,atragedyneedstoreflecttheconflictcompletelyandtruthfullyinordertogettheeffectoftragicart.OedipustheKingstartsfromaquestion—whomurderedkingLaius?Forthisquestion,Oedipussaid,“FormyownsakeIwillridusofthiscorruption.Whoeverkilledthekingmaydecidetokillmetoo,withthesame violencehand”(Jin&Zhang,2010,p.311).Here,“hand”remindsusofthatOedipusgorgedouthiseyeswithhandlater.Inaddition,theprophetTirestas’sconfessionalsoalludestothedevelopmentofplot.Hesaid,“Blindwhonowhaseyes,beggarwhonowisrich,hewillgropehiswaytowardaforeignsoil,asticktappingbeforehimstepbystep”(Jin&Zhang,2010,p.324).Allthesedetailsimplythedevelopmentoftragedy,whichalsoshowsthecompletenessoftheplot.Thewholeplayisquiteperfectandconsistent.WecannotimaginewhetherOedipustheKingwillbecomeaclassiconceanyplotischanged.ThetragicflawofOedipusisthemainreasoncauseshistragedy.Atthebeginning,weseeOedipusisasaviorforThebes’scitizens,whoistheonlyonesolvedsphinx’sriddleandfreedpeopleinThebes.Heisahero,buttheflawinhischaractershouldnotbeignored.HewassorudeandarrogantwhenhetalkedwithTirestas,“Youscumoftheearth,you’denrageaheartofstone”(Jin&Zhang,2010,p.319).HeevenmockedTirestas’sblindness,whichironicallyrevealsOedipus’ssblindnessandignorance.HisgroundlessdoubtofCreonalsoshowshisirrationalityandarbitrariness.Besides,hisshorttemperistheblastingfuseofhismurderofhisfather.Justbecauseofaroad,hekilledLaiusandfourservants,whichisquiteirrationalandunreasonable.ThemurderofhisfatherandservantsexposestheinnerevilofOedipus.Democritusnoted,“Weerrbecauseoftheignoranceofgoodandmorality”(Terence,1995).ItisnodoubtthatOedipusiscleverbecausehesolvedsphinx’sriddle,butobviouslyhedoesnotunderstandtheessenceofmankind.Mark(2011)said,“Theessenceofhumanisrationalityandsociality,andthegoodofrationalanimalsisthe harmonyofsociety”.SophoclesalsopointedoutthatfateisnotaconcreteGodbutanabstractconcept(Zhang,2002).Unfortunately,whatOedipuslacksisrationalityandmorality.AristotlealsoclaimedthatthesufferingofOedipusistheresultofhischaracter(1979).Ifhewasrational,hewouldnothavekilledhisfatherandfourservants,andofcoursehewouldnothavemarriedhismother.AncientGreektragedygeneratedduringatransitionalperiodwhendemocraticpoliticswasgraduallyforming,thustheplayduringthatperiodalsoemphasizedorderandrationality(Saul,1995).Justlikehisname,Oedipusnotonlyhasabumponhisfeet,butalsohasaswelledcharacter(Liu,2008).IfhecanberationalandcalmlikeCreon,therewillnotbethetragicstoryofkillingfatherandmarryingmother.Oedipus’sstragicfateisinevitable,andthisisalsothekeyandsecretofOedipustheKing’seternalcharm.ReferencesAristotle,O.(1979).Poetics.Beijing,China:NewArtsPublishingHouse.Immanuel,K.(1982).Orientalism.NewYork,NY:InTageBooks.Jin,L.,&Zhang,J.(2010).Elementsofliterature.Beijing,China:ForeignLanguageStudyPress.Liu,Y.(2008).AnalysisofthefateofOedipus.JournalofMianyangNormalUniversity.Mark,O.(2011).Meditations.Wuhan,China:ChangjiangLiteratureandArtsPress.Saul,B.(1995).Herzog.NewYork,NY:PenguinBooks.Sigmund,F.(1992).Totemandtaboo.Jiangsu,China:ChinaFolkArtsPublishingHouse.Simon,G.(2000).ModerncriticalapproachestoGreektragedy.Shanghai,China:ShanghaiForeignLanguageEducationPress.Terrence,I.(1995).Plato’sethics.NewYork,NY:OxfordUniversityPress.Zhang,W.(2002).Newresearchonthedestinyformsintragedy.JournalofShandongUniversity.Zhu,G.(1989).Aesthetics.Shanghai,China:ShanghaiLiteratureandArtPublishingHouse.