An Analysis Of The Oedipus And Plato - 1636 Words

KAUFMANN’S OEDIPUS AND PLATO’S SOCRATES In Chapter Four of his book, Tragedy and Philosophy, Walter Kaufmann claims that Sophocles’ play Oedipus Rex is one of the greatest tragedies ever written in part because it presents so vividly five characteristics of human life which make our existence so tragic. The purpose of this paper will be, first, to present Kaufmann’s view and, second, to apply these same characteristics to Plato’s dialogues in general and to the characters in Plato’s dialogues, particularly Socrates. Unfortunately, Kaufmann would disagree with me. He argues throughout his book that Plato is anti-tragic. This paper will not address Kaufmann’s argument, although much that is said here is an attempt to refute his reading of Plato. The most striking claim Kaufmann makes about Sophocles’ play is, â€Å"Sophocles constructs his whole plot around Oedipus’ relentless quest for truth, although the old story wa s not a story about honesty at all†¦The central spring of the action of Sophocles’ tragedy is not, as it well might have been, fate, but rather Oedipus’ imperious passion for the truth†¦All the conflicts in the tragedy are generated by the king’s quest for the truth (121-123). I would add that it is not a quest for truth in any sense, but a quest for self-knowledge, which drives Oedipus and which ends when he finally comes to know who he is. Oedipus is presented as a man who follows the Delphi oracle, â€Å"Know thyself† to its bitter end. This very quality inShow MoreRelatedJustification of Creon in Antigone by Sophocles Essay994 Words   |  4 Pages Antigone is a tragic play written by Sophocles in about 441b.c. The play is a continuation of the curse put upon the household of Oedipus Rex. 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