Oedipus is a piece of literature that perfectly displayed the interplay of religion science and aesthetics of ancient Greek society. Throughout the play, the citizens and Oedipus rely on guidance of the gods. For example, Oedipus constantly asking Apollo what should be done through the prophets. In Oedipus, there is the belief that people can, in a way, converse with the Gods, also known as prophecies. Because the Gods can be contacted through prophecies, there is a heavy reliance on prophecies. This connection built the foundation for the God and human relationships. In Oedipus, Oedipus switches from his faith in the Gods to faith in his own reasoning and logic, which lead to his downfall. Through his logic and reasoning, Oedipus brought to relevance human ignorance. Oedipus is punishes himself by relying on his own logic, rather than relying on the Gods. His own intelligence is what pushed him away from believing in the Gods. He was also punished by his mother’s ignorance to the Gods because she believed that she could stop the prophecy from coming true. Throughout the story, Oedipus did not realize the truth in the situation until he denounced himself from his kingly aesthetics, which was too late and he life headed for the worse. When Oedipus loses his physical sight, he gains insight of the truth of his situation. In addition, when Oedipus loses physical aesthetics he in turn gains philosophical and intellectual aesthetics. Through the faith and logic, it shows the religion, science, and aesthetics of the society in which Oedipus was created.
I have to agree with Oedipus being used as a great example to show the roles of religion, science, and aesthetics in ancient Greek society. The story about how his rise in life turned into a downfall due to following his own knowledge and logic displays the power that the Gods held on the people. I think you did an excellent job in pointing out the beliefs that the ancient Greek people lived according to.
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