Quotations for Oedipus Rex (Critics)

Oedipus  (Character)

1.  Bernard Knox describes Oedipus as "the model of the good ruler: a man who loves his city and his people, and who will go to any lengths to save them". (Oedipus at Thebes).

2.  According to critic Cedric Whitman, "Oedipus is not merely a tragic figure but also a heroic one, whose courage and commitment to justice and truth set him apart". (Sophocles: A Study of Heroic Humanism).

3.  A. J. A. Waldock : "He was in fault for not perceiving the truth; now he is in fault because he is too urgent to see it". (Sophocles the Dramatist).

4. W. B. Stanford : "The essential greatness of Oedipus lies in his relentless determination to discover the truth about himself, regardless of the consequences". (Sophocles and His Theatre).

5.  E. R. Dodds : "He trusts his intellect too much and must learn how fallible it is". (On Misunderstanding the Oedipus Rex)

6. W. P. Winnington-Ingram: "The paradox of sight and blindness is central to the tragedy of Oedipus".(Sophocles: An Interpretation).

7.  Bernard Knox argues that Oedipus "is a man of action, a man of quick decisions, but not of cruelty or treachery" (Oedipus at Thebes).

8.  A. C. Bradley : "The essence of tragedy in Oedipus lies in the conflict between man’s effort to control his fate and the inexorable power of destiny" (Greek Tragedy and Its Influence).

7.  R. P. Winnington-Ingram : "Oedipus, in his final act, accepts his suffering with a tragic dignity that transforms him from a proud king to a humbled man" (Sophocles: An Interpretation).

8.  Richard Jebb : "Oedipus embodies the perennial human conflict: the desire for autonomy against the limits imposed by the universe" (The Growth and Influence of Classical Greek Tragedy).

Themes:

1.  A. C. Bradley comments : "The essence of tragedy in Oedipus lies in the conflict between man’s effort to control his fate and the inexorable power of destiny" (Greek Tragedy and Its Influence).

2.  W. B. Stanford : "The essential greatness of Oedipus lies in his relentless determination to discover the truth about himself, regardless of the consequences". (Sophocles and His Theatre).

3.  W. P. Winnington-Ingram :  "The paradox of sight and blindness is central to the tragedy of Oedipus," as Oedipus’s journey is marked by his transition from ignorance to knowledge. (Sophocles: An Interpretation).

4.  E. R. Dodds: "He trusts his intellect too much and must learn how fallible it is". (On Misunderstanding the Oedipus Rex).

5.  Richard Jebb discusses : "Oedipus embodies the perennial human conflict: the desire for autonomy against the limits imposed by the universe". (The Growth and Influence of Classical Greek Tragedy).

6.  Bernard Knox  "Oedipus is a man of action, a man of quick decisions, but not of cruelty or treachery". (Oedipus at Thebes).

7.  Cedric Whitman : "Oedipus is not merely a tragic figure but also a heroic one, whose courage and commitment to justice and truth set him apart". (Sophocles: A Study of Heroic Humanism).

8. R. P. Winnington-Ingram remarks, "Oedipus, in his final act, accepts his suffering with a tragic dignity that transforms him from a proud king to a humbled man". (Sophocles: An Interpretation).

Tragedy:

1.       A. J. A. Waldock : "Oedipus was in fault for not perceiving the truth; now he is in fault because he is too urgent to see it". (Sophocles the Dramatist).

2.      Bernard Knox : "The tragic irony of Oedipus Rex is that Oedipus’ efforts to escape his fate merely bring him closer to it". (Oedipus at Thebes). 

3.      W. B. Stanford : "The essential greatness of Oedipus lies in his relentless determination to discover the truth about himself, regardless of the consequences". (Sophocles and His Theatre).

4.      W. P. Winnington-Ingram: "The paradox of sight and blindness is central to the tragedy of Oedipus," as Oedipus’s journey is marked by his transition from ignorance to knowledge. (Sophocles: An Interpretation).

5.      Richard Jebb : "Oedipus embodies the perennial human conflict: the desire for autonomy against the limits imposed by the universe". (The Growth and Influence of Classical Greek Tragedy).

6.     E. R. Dodds : "He trusts his intellect too much and must learn how fallible it is". (On Misunderstanding the Oedipus Rex).

Role of Chorus

1.  H. D. F. Kitto : "The Chorus... comments on the action in a manner which both heightens and interprets it" (Greek Tragedy).

2.  Bernard Knox : "The Chorus represents the voice of traditional wisdom and morality, often providing a counterpoint to Oedipus's impulsive behavior" (Oedipus at Thebes).

3.  A. C. Bradley : "The Chorus deepens the emotional atmosphere of the tragedy, amplifying the audience's sense of loss, suffering, and the inescapable nature of fate" (Greek Tragedy and Its Influence).

Jocasta

1. Charles Segal: "Jocasta embodies a common-sense skepticism that seeks to reduce the inexplicable and mysterious to the comprehensible and human" (Tragedy and Civilization). 

2.  Critic W. B. Stanford : "Jocasta’s attempt to dismiss oracles as mere fables reflects a human tendency to defy divine warnings, which ultimately brings her downfall" (Sophocles and His Theatre).

   3.  E. R. Dodds : "Jocasta’s tragedy lies not in a failure of will or character, but in her helplessness against the inexorable workings of fate" (On Misunderstanding the Oedipus Rex).