Rating: 
Summary: GREAT BUT A LIL CONFUSING
Review:
When I read Oedipus it appealed to me for a few reasons. One of these reasons is the fact that it was an ancient play. I never really realized that there were plays that long ago. It's amazing that even in those days people could come up with great play ideas. I really like this play because its plot is great. But the language is little difficult to understand
I think Sophocles' main point in writing this play is to bring across the ideas of fate or freewill. The Greeks often battled between the ideas of the gods (fate) and man (freewill). This is shown in Oedipus Rex by the fact that even when Jocasta "got rid of" Oedipus, it came back to haunt her.
This was also shown when Oedipus ran from Corinth. He heard of the prophecy and he assumed that the King and Queen of Corinth were his real parents. But we all know what happens when you assume........ You're sometimes wrong. This showed fate by him running from Corinth and killing his real father and marrying his mother. But it also showed freewill in the fact that he made the choice to leave Corinth. He decided to run from his problems.
Which brings me to my next point. I think Sophocles, maybe not on purpose but none the less brought out the lesson of running from your problems. It was first shown when Jocasta "got rid of" Oedipus. It was then shown again when the old man made the choice (or maybe it was fate...) to give Oedipus to the King and Queen of Corinth. And finally it was shown Oedipus ran from Corinth. He heard the prophecy and ran his butt off.
A few things I've learned from Oedipus Rex are these. One thing I've learned is that life has a kooky way of tricking you. Things can change in the blink of an eye. Oedipus' life shattered in a matter of hours. His whole life was a lie. His parents didn't want him. He killed his own father. And worst of all he married his mother.
Another thing I learned is to not run from my problems. If we run from the things we've said and done they will come back and get us. But when they come back it will be a thousand times worse. We may think we're doing the right thing by running but it's probably not what's right. When Oedipus ran he dug himself in a really deep hole.
Well over all Oedipus Rex is a good play. I love the plot, the twists, turns and irony of the whole play. But a downside to it is the scripting. It is awfully hard to understand. Another small fault is the fact that the beginning is a little slow. But if you enjoy a good Greek tragedy then you will love Oedipus Rex.
Rating:
Summary: My thoughts of Oedipus
Review: I actually liked the book/video Oedipus; it had a lot of weird and twisted ideas and situations. I wont say that it was the best book in the world but it kept my attention through out the story. One thing I can't understand is why someone would have a thought in there head to write about incest the way that this book had but once again I'm not saying that this is a "Bad Book". I would recommend it to English classes for a reading assignment as like my class did. So over all I guess I had fun reading this book and wouldn't mind picking it up again to get the story in my head
Rating:
Summary: The choices we chose not to have.
Review: I found that this reading was extremely entertaining. As the plot was uncovering I found myself actually wanting to read more and more. This story has everything one could ask for in a book. It has action, drama, romance, and even a little horror when your mind starts to wonder. The one thing that attracted me to this book was the irony, and how Sophocles for-shadows it throughout the play.
Sophocles was the head honcho of his time. The things that he wrote were probably valued extremely high, maybe to the point of how Christians value the Bible. His reasons for writing the things he did are probably beyond my point of logic, but as ignorant as I am, I can still apply the lessons of ancient Greece to modern day United States. I feel that the main reason of him writing Oedipus Rex was to show how fate from the gods and choices from the humans work together. For example, in the reading Oedipus is told his fate. At an early age Oedipus leaves his homeland to make sure that his fate will not come true. So Oedipus makes a few choices. These choices ironically lead to his original fate. So it seems like Sophocles is trying to show that the gods were completely in control, even if you tried to take it from them.
While reading the play thoughts filled my head. Thoughts such as if I were Oedipus would I have done anything differently. After examining that scenario I decided that I would have probably done some of the same things as Oedipus did to try and run from his fate. In no way am I sold out on the fact that we are all just little ants and God is making everything happen. No matter what we do he has a preset ending for all of us. I believe that God is in complete control but allows us to have the freedom of choice. You can find this in the story. The gods told Oedipus he would kill his father. They knew it would happen so they gave Oedipus some freedom in the way he went about doing it. The only difference is that I believe we can change our destiny.
So was Sophocles right about the gods being in control, and no matter what we did it would still end up the same way? Well, look around you. Look at the world. Notice the terrible things. I do not believe God would destine such things as September 11th. So it might have worked for Sophocles but I'm not him, I do have a choice. The ironic thing is I believe Sophocles had one too, and he just chose to say no. What do you choose?
Rating: 
Summary: Oedipedal Complex
Review: I really adored the play. It to me was actually easier to read than Shakespeare and had a lot of depth to it. I loved the poetic cadence of words and the way that Sophicles had thrown you for a loop. The characters and plot, along with the chorus really would make for a good play and this would be absolutely lovely to see live. Very, very, good.
Rating: 
Summary: What I think of Oedipus....
Review: In Sophocles' play, Oedipus Rex, you are introduced to a very disturbed and confused family. Not only is the story line odd, but the way the play is written is quite confusing. For a reader who enjoys Greek tragedies, they may have a different opinion, but for a young high school reader, I'd have to say I didn't find the play enjoyable to read.
Sophocles had a good message behind his writing. He was trying to express to the people that you can't change fate. He made that very clear in his story of Oedipus with the way his life went. When Oedipus was very young, his birth mother and father were told that he was going to grow up and kill his father, then marry his mother. Since this wasn't very pleasing to his parents to hear, they tried to change fate and sent him away. Although the Greeks did not believe in the same God I do, the same principle is used. God has a specific plan mapped out for you, and nothing can change it. He is the only one in control. The Greek gods in the play had the same power. They already had planned what was going to happen to Oedipus and no matter what walls were put in the way, fate took its course.
It may be hard to pick a 'life lesson' out of this story, but after much searching I realized that Sophocles wanted people to know that the decisions you make affect the rest of your life. Oedipus made some major decisions, killing his father and marrying his mother, which led to the plucking of his own eyes and the death of his mother. This is not all Oedipus' fault though. His parents are very much to blame, because if they had just let fate happen the way it was meant to, things may have turned out differently. You need to think carefully before you do something, because it may not only effect you, but others around you as well.
Through this reading you can learn more then you might expect. God has a purpose, just as fate has a course to take. No matter what you do to change it, it will always be the same. As well, you need to be careful with the decisions you make, they can change your life drastically! I would recommend this play to readers if they don't have a hard time concentrating. If you enjoy deep stories that make you think, then Oedipus Rex is the play for you!
Rating:
Summary: A Very Good Advanced Commentary on a Great Play
Review: Just in case my review ends up in any and every edition of Oedipus Rex that is sold at Amazon.com, I should make it clear from the start that this is a review of the edition of the play presented in the original Greek, edited and with commentary by R.D. Rawe, which is to be found in the Cambridge Greek and Latin Classics. About the play itself I will say nothing other than it is the greatest play of the greatest playwright of the ancient world. Concerning the text as presented by Dawe, it was interesting to pleasurable to read and compare his own particular edition of the play with that of other editors such as Jebb and Hugh Lloyd-Jones. Unfortunately, not being a scholar of the manuscript tradition, I can say nothing about the judiciousness of his particular editorial choices. Regarding the commentary, I found it excellent, particularly in its explanations of particle combinations and its highlighting of peculiar diction on Sophocles' part. Excellent though it is, I should stress that it is clearly not aimed at students of Greek who are only beginning their study of Greek tragedy, since Dawe passes over in silence much that would be obscure and difficult to inexperienced students. That said, it would still be an interesting and illuminating commentary for a the more inexperienced student so long as he or she used it in conjunction with another commentary oriented to beginners in tragedy -- the best such commentary would be that published in the amazing Bryn Mawr Commentary series. What struck me most about Dawe's commentary was the wonderfully dry sense of humor that expresses itself from time to time. It is the only commentary on an ancient Greek text that I've read which actually had me laughing out loud on a number of occasions. All in all, then, I highly recommend it.
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Summary: Oedipus the CRAZY King !!!
Review: Oedipus Rex
Critiqued By: Evan Krenik
Oedipus Rex, which means Oedipus the King, is a strange story that really makes the reader think. The story is very much like a modern day soap opera. It gives the strange yet interesting tale of the King of Thebes and the problems that he faces. The story has much to offer including many interesting characters and settings.
It is set in ancient Greek times and tells about how the Greeks respected their gods above all things. The story also has a sick twist at the end that sends a shiver up your spine.
The story as a whole is somewhat boring due to the fact that the whole thing is talking and there is almost no action. It is also very confusing, the only way I understood it was because of my drama class at Grace Brethren Christian School. The story is hard reading and I would recommend cliff notes. This is because you can easily get lost and confused due to the way that Sophocles wrote it in ancient Greek terminology.
I would recommend this book for anyone who enjoys a mysterious plot and a rather unsuspected ending. The ancient Greek style of writing is also a depending important factor in whether or not you will like the book. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this old play and I hope you will too.
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Summary: Michael Robinson,s opinion on Oedipus Rex
Review: Oedipus rex is a great book if you are into the ancient Greek Arts. I thought the book was hard to read, because of the old greek grammer. If you think this kind of writing is like poetry or music to your ears, then you will like this book.
I think that this book has some pretty twisted characters. Oedipus, the king of thieves, is married to his mother. Creon, his brother-in-law/uncle treats Oedipus well even though Oedipus treats him like dirt. Jocasta, Oedipus' mother, is clueless that she married her son until the end of the book.
This books plot was O.K. you never knew what strange thing was going to happen next.
Rating:
Summary: Oedipus has gone CRAZY!!
Review: Oedipus Rex is an unusal story. If you like to think while you read and like to tranlate old words with modern then you will love this book. If you don't understand it, like I did, then try watching a movie or make a play in the 1920, that is what helped me. To explain the story I have to give you some background. Oedipus is a famous greek tragedy. In thier preformes the greeks wore masks and laced boots. If a character played a god then thier boots will be bigger so they will look taller than anyone els and if a character was a girl a young boy with a high voice played that part. They preformed all plays in daylight because there was no electricity back then. Since the greeks wore masks, people could not see their faces, therefore they had to show their expression with their action. Oedipus means swollon feeet. He was called Oedipus because when he was young his mother and father tied his feet together with something sharp and gave him away. They gave him away at the age of three months his parents gave Oedipus away because they found out he had a curse. The curse was, Oedipus would kill his father and marry his mother. Oedipus was far away and soon Lauis died, Oedipus' father or was king. Jocasta, Oedipus' mother or queen, married Oedipus after solving the phixes riddle. Oedipus had a strange past. They were being cursed because of someone murdered Lauis. Oedipus looked all over for the man who killed Lauis. Many people tried telling him that he killed Lauis but he blamed Creon, Jocasta brother. You have to read to find out who killed Lauis and what grossly but awsome thing happened. The lesson I learned was that fate will find you where ever you go and never kill your father and marry your mother or have sex with her!! If you ask me that is discusting!!One more thing about the greeks was that most of their plays are tragedy because that is how they explained life. Again I tell you, it is confusing at first but once you watch the movie and react it, it will make sense.
Rating:
Summary: A Tragic Hero
Review: Oedipus Rex is ancient work that still remains popular today. It is one of those works that many of us were forced to read in high school or even college. However, Oedipus Rex can simply be one of those books you can easily read for pleasure. It is a tragic tale of a man who goes through life thinking he is someone that he turns out not to be. Oedipus' life is cursed by an old prophecy that said that he would marry his mother and kill his father, if he was not himself killed as an infant. As it turns out, he is not killed but ends up fulfilling this horrible prophecy. This book has easy to follow dialogue and really gets the readers full attention. Oedipus Rex is a short book that we all can relate to when we are having a bad day or when we feel that nothing is going right for us. After reading this book, you will come to realize that life is nowhere as horrible as that of the tragic hero Oedipus. I encourage everyone who is going through trying times to read this book, and I guarantee it will make him or her feel much better.
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