| Summary: | 碩士 === 中國文化大學 === 英國語文學研究所 === 92 === Generally, readers with traditional perspectives will analyze the persona Oedipus with the themes of “Destiny,” “Oracle,” and “Tragic Flaw,” as portrayed in Sophocles’ three Theban plays (Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonus, and Antigone). Oedipus’ tragic life resulted from his character and fate, consistent with the statement, “Man is unable to resist Destiny.”
No matter how much effort Oedipus exerted, he could not escape from his destiny, and avoid the shackles of the oracle. Thus, Oedipus is regarded as an archetype tragic hero in Western Drama.
However, other readers may have differing responses and interpretations of these dramatic works. In this thesis, the current writer will present the tragic hero, Oedipus, from three aspects. First, the reader-response theories of Hans Robert Jauss and Wolfgang Iser will be explained and discussed. Second, these theoretical concepts will be the basis for considering this question, “Should Oedipus be held responsible for his unwitting mistake of murdering his father and coupling with his mother? Or perhaps, there are other persons or factors that could have contributed to these acts as well?”
Furthermore, there are some unclear or suspicious segments in these plays. If these blanks can be filled in with reasonable explanations, perhaps Oedipus’ tragic life was caused by intentional manipulation and false incrimination, rather than Fate. Thirdly, the respected opinions, contained in the Chinese classics, will be used to evaluate the speech and conduct of Oedipus. The determination of the actual cause of Oedipus’ destiny can be better understood, if one takes into consideration the manipulative behavior of his brother-in-law, Creon, which may have led to Oedipus’ downfall.
This thesis employs some reader-response interpretations in order to give readers a different perspective. While “Character” and “Fate” may play a part in achieving self-serving objectives at the expense of others, the person, who is the target of this animosity, may control his own destiny through rationality, rather than self-abandonment and self-destruction.
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