俄狄浦斯王文学分析

TheInevitabilityofOedipusesTragedyinOedipustheKingAbstract：OedipustheKing,oneofthemostfamousmasterpiecesofSophocles,isanindisputablyclassicaltragedyinliteraturehistory,andOedipus，tragicfate,murderinghisfatherandmaninghismother,alsohasbeendiscussedfrequentlybymanyscholars.ThispapermainlyexplainstheinevitabilityofOedipusestragedyfromthreeaspects:thedominantroleofGodinancientGreektragedy,thetragedytheoryandthetragicflawofOedipus.Keywords：tragedy;fate;inevitability;OedipusOedipustheKing,writtenbySophocles,whowasoneofAthens^threegreattragicdramatists,isthemostinfluentialplayinwestculture.Manyapeoplehasdiscussedandanalyzeditsinceitscreating,andthemostcontroversialpointaboutitisthefateofOedipus-whetheritisdecidedbyApolloortragicflawinOedipus^scharacte匸AsfarasIcansee,thetragicfateofOedipusisinevitable,whichcanbeillustratedinthefollowing.GodisanindispensibleanddominantroleinancientGreektragedy.Itisknownthattheword“tragedy"means“thesongofgoats'，inancientGreek,whichcomesfromthesacrificialriteofDionysus.Butwhytragedyhassocloserelationtothesacrificialratewhichisaskingforrichandfertile.SimonnotedthatonlytheprotagonistofthetragedytoexpiatethesinsofhumankindasascapegoatcouldmakesuretheGodfeelpeopledprayerandgivegoodweatherforcorpsandhealthforpeople(2000).ZhualsoclaimedthatancientGreektragedyismainlyabouttherelationbetweenGodandmankind,andifwearetryingtoappreciateitrationallywithoutthebackgroundofprimitivemythsandtheviewoflifeoffatalismwewillfailtograsptheessenceofit (1989).Therefore,thedestinyviewisreflectedbyGocTsoracle,whichiscomplexandpowerful.InOedipustheKing,Oedipus"ssparentsgotanoraclefromGodthattheirsonwouldkillhisfatherandmarryhismother.ThisoracledecidedOedipusesandhisfamily，sfate,whichisunavoidable.WhenLaius,Oedipusnaturalfather,gottheoracle,heorderedhisservanttokillhisson,butOedipusdidnotdie,andwasadoptedbykingPolybusironically.Moredramatically,OedipuskilledhisnaturalfatherLaiusandmamedhisnaturalmotherJocastawhenheleftCorinthafterknowingtheoracle.AlltheseaccidentsarenotaccidentalatallbutarecontrolledbyGod.Oedipushasthecourageandrebellionbutheischosetobethescapegoatforhumankind.YoucanrebelagainstGod,butyouwillnotwinforeve匚Oedipusesfateispredetermined.Asatragedy,Oedipusisboundtobeatragichero.FreudsaidinTotemandTaboo.“theherointragedymustsufferpains,whichalsoconstitutesthecenterofthetragedy.Hehastoundertakethosetragicevils59(1992,p.191).KantpointedoutthatthegreatnessofancientGreektragedyliesinitstruthfulrevealofthedarkestthingsinlife(1982).AsthecreatorofOedipustheKing,apparentlySophocleswillnotgiveOedipusahappyending.JustasAristotle(1979)said/'theplotisthemostmportanr.OedipustheKingmusthaveacompleteplot.Healsosaidthat“thepoetmakeuphisstoryproperlyinsteadofdependingonhisowninteresttomakeastartandanending：So,atragedyneedstoreflecttheconflictcompletelyandtruthfullyinordertogettheeffectoftragicart.OedipustheKingstartsfromaquestion一whomurderedkingLaius?Forthisquestion,Oedipussaid,"FormyownsakeIwillridusofthiscorruption.Whoeverkilledthekingmaydecidetokillmetoo,withthesame violencehand"(Jin&Zhang,2010,p.311).Here,"hancTremindsusofthatOedipusgorgedouthiseyeswithhandlate匚Inaddition,theprophetTirestas^sconfessionalsoalludestothedevelopmentofplot.Hesaid,"Blindwhonowhaseyes,beggarwhonowisrich,hewillgropehiswaytowardaforeignsoil,asticktappingbeforehimstepbystep，，(Jin&Zhang,2010,p.324).Allthesedetailsimplythedevelopmentoftragedy,whichalsoshowsthecompletenessoftheplot.Thewholeplayisquiteperfectandconsistent.WecannotimaginewhetherOedipustheKingwillbecomeaclassiconceanyplotischanged.ThetragicflawofOedipusisthemainreasoncauseshistragedy.Atthebeginning,weseeOedipusisasaviorforThebes^scitizens,whoistheonlyonesolvedsphinxesriddleandfreedpeopleinThebes.Heisahero,buttheflawinhischaractershouldnotbeignored.HewassorudeandarrogantwhenhetalkedwithTirestas,“Youscumoftheearth,yoiTdenrageaheartofstone”(Jin&Zhang,2010,p.319).HeevenmockedTirestas^sblindness,whichironicallyrevealsOedipus"ssblindnessandignorance.HisgroundlessdoubtofCreonalsoshowshisirrationalityandarbitrariness.Besides,hisshorttemperistheblastingfuseofhismurderofhisfathe匸Justbecauseofaroad,hekilledLaiusandfourservants,whichisquiteirrationalandunreasonable.ThemurderofhisfatherandservantsexposestheinnerevilofOedipus.Democritusnoted,"Weerrbecauseoftheignoranceofgoodandmoralityn(Terence,1995).ItisnodoubtthatOedipusiscleverbecausehesolvedsphinxesriddle,butobviouslyhedoesnotunderstandtheessenceofmankind.Mark(2011)said,"Theessenceofhumanisrationalityandsociality,andthegoodofrationalanimalsistheharmonyofsociety". SophoclesalsopointedoutthatfateisnotaconcreteGodbutanabstractconcept(Zhang,2002).Unfortunately,whatOedipuslacksisrationalityandmoralityAristotlealsoclaimedthatthesufferingofOedipusistheresultofhischaracter(1979).Ifhewasrational,hewouldnothavekilledhisfatherandfourservants,andofcoursehewouldnothavemarriedhismother.AncientGreektragedygeneratedduringatransitionalperiodwhendemocraticpoliticswasgraduallyforming,thustheplayduringthatperiodalsoemphasizedorderandrationality(Saul,1995).Justlikehisname,Oedipusnotonlyhasabumponhisfeet,butalsohasaswelledcharacter(Liu,2008).IfhecanberationalandcalmlikeCreon,therewillnotbethetragicstoryofkillingfatherandmarryingmother.Oedipusistragicfateisinevitable,andthisisalsothekeyandsecretofOedipustheKing'seternalcharm.ReferencesAristotle,O.(1979).Poetics.Beijing,China:NewArtsPublishingHouse・Immanuel,K.(1982).Orientalism.NewYork,NY:InTageBooks.Jin,L・,&Zhang,J.(2OlO)・E0nemsofliterature・Beijing,China:ForeignLanguageStudyPress.Liu,Y.(2008).AnalysisofthefateofOedipusJo⑷7切ofMianyangNormalUniversity.Mark,O.(201Meditations.Wuhan,China:ChangjiangLiteratureandArtsPress.Saul,B.(1995).Herzog.NewYork,NY:PenguinBooks.Sigmund,F.(1992).Totemandtaboo.Jiangsu,China:ChinaFolkArtsPublishingHouse.Simon,G・(2000)・Modw〃7criticalapproachestoGreektragedy・Shanghai,China:ShanghaiForeignLanguageEducationPress.Terrence,I.(1995).Platosethics.NewYork,NY:OxfordUniversityPress.Zhang,W.(2002).Newresearchonthedestinyformsintragedy.JournalofShandongUniversity.Zhu,G.(1989).Aesthetics.Shanghai,China:ShanghaiLiteratureandArtPublishingHouse.