Fate, Family, and Oedipus Rex: Crash Course Literature 202

Video

by CrashCourse
published on 22 March 2016

In which John Green teaches you about one of the least family-friendly family dramas in the history of family dramas, Oedipus Rex. Sophocles' most famous play sees it's main character, who seems like he's got it all together, find out that he's killed his father, married his mother, had a bunch of incest children, and brought a plague down on his adopted hometown. He doesn't take this news well. John touches on all the classic Oedipus themes, including hamartia, fate, and the wrath of the gods, and even gets into some Freud, although Oedipus was notably not a sufferer of an Oedipus complex. In any case get ready for mystery, incest, bird entrails, and self-inflicted blindness. Very dramatic.

Related Content

Filters:

All 

Definitions130

Articles60

Images43

Videos60

Collections4

Teaching Materials1

Quizzes1

Definition

Oedipus at Colonus

Oedipus at Colonus was the third play of the Oedipus trilogy written...

Definition

Sophocles

Sophocles of Kolōnos (c. 496 - c. 406 BCE) was one of the most...

Definition

Oedipus the King

Oedipus the King (429-420 BCE), also known as Oedipus Rex or Oedipus...

Definition

Ancient Greek Literature

Greek literature has influenced not only its Roman neighbors to...

Definition

Ancient Greek Tragedy

Greek tragedy was a popular and influential form of drama performed...

Definition

Ancient Greek Theatre

Greek theatre began in the 6th century BCE in Athens with the performance...