Oedipus Rex

by | Mar 8, 2018 | Uncategorized

To the ancients, Oedipus was the model of nobility in his innate sense of justice, selfless concern for the well-being of his people, and ultimate embrace of his destiny. What then, is the nature of Oedipus’s responsibility for his fate and the fate of Thebes? Write an essay in which you discuss the role of the “tragic hero” in Oedipus Rex. What is the play’s intended lesson?
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40 Point Rubric

CATEGORY SUPERIOR (5) SUFFICIENT (4) MINIMAL (3) UNACCEPTABLE (2)
THESIS 2x Thesis is strong and explicitly stated. The student provided a clear "essay map," author and work (if necessary) Thesis is general and clearly stated. The student provided a general "essay map," author and work (if necessary) Thesis too vague or unidentifiable. Author and work may or may not be given. Thesis unidentifiable and intent of essay unclear. Author and work may or may not be given.
ORGANIZATION 2x Organizational structure is clear and makes sense. Each sentence flows into the next one. Each paragraph logically moves into the next paragraph. Clear and well written introduction and conclusion. Paper meets required length. All required elements present. Organizational structure is clear for the most part. Majority of sentences flow and the order of the paper makes sense. Clear introduction/ conclusion but could be better written. Paper meets required length. Most required elements present. Organization, sentences or paragraphs disjointed. Stronger introduction or conclusion needed. Paper falls short of required length. Some of the required elements are present. Organization does not make sense. Hard to follow/read. No clear introduction or conclusion. Paper is not required length. None of the required elements are present.
SUPPORT/ CONTENT 3x All claims are supported by the text or explained thoroughly so the reader is not left with questions. Content is relevant to the question asked. Most claims are supported by the text or explained thoroughly so the reader is left with few questions. Most of the content is relevant to the question asked. Few claims are supported by the text or explained thoroughly. The reader is left with some questions. Some of the content is irrelevant to the question asked. Very few claims are supported by the text or explained thoroughly. The reader is left with a lot of questions. Content is irrelevant to the question asked.
WORDING/ GRAMMAR/ SPELLING 1x All sentences are easy to read and follow. Writer varies sentence structure effectively. The paper is proofread thoroughly and free of grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors. Most sentences are easy to read and follow. Writer varies sentence structure and this is usually effective. The paper has very few grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors. Most sentences are awkward or hard to follow. The paper has many grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors. Very hard for the reader to follow. The paper has not been effectively proofread and is full of grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors.

 

Sample Solution

Sample solution

Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell. 

In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.


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God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.

Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.

To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.

 

References

Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.

Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.

Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.

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