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Sophocles' 'Oedipus Rex.' (comment on Bernhard Frank, The Explicator, vol. 51, p. 5, Fall 1992)

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From: The Explicator
Date: 19930922
Author:Green, Janet M.

Bernhard Frank points out that Oedipus, in Sophocles's 'Oedipus Rex,' blinded himself as an act of punishment for his incestuous acts with Jocasta. This Freudian interpretation is challenged in the light of Aristotle's definition of tragedy in 'The Poetics.' According to Aristotle, tragedy evokes pity and fear. Sophocles's play shows how Oedipus blinds himself out of extreme woe and confusion while gaining insight from his situation. The play's ending is a result of the actions of the gods rather than human design.

In the fall 1992 issue of The Explicator, Bernhard Frank presented an ...

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