Thursday, November 8, 2012

The White Suit

I don't know about you, but the thing that stuck out to me the most in the Oedipus movie was Oedipus' white suit. I find it ironic that when his people are starving that he's wearing this snazzy white suit and giant cloak that could probably provide 3 townspeople with a new wardrobe. But upon further reflection I wondered if there was some symbolism in this. Is Oedipus really guilty or does his ignorance spare him part of the blame? Albeit, he did kill a man, but I wonder how much of it all is his fault and how much lies with his parents. (P.S. Commented on Danielle's)

5 comments:

  1. I would say that Oedipus is definitely guilty of killing the king. I think it is completely just for him to suffer the consequences. I do believe however that Oedipus' mother/wife should share the blame.

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  2. I love that you posted this because I never even thought of that. It does seem almost inconsiderate to be all dressed up while your people are suffering. However,if a leader is in drags and ratty clothing his people probably wouldn't have much hope for their situation to get better. It is also a cool way to look at it as symbolizing his innocence because he really did not have a hand in his situation.

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  3. I definitely think that Oedipus does not suffer as much as his people. However, it seems like he is a really good king, and actually cares about what happens to his people, unlike some other rulers we have learned about. As far as blame goes, I think that Oedipus could have been blameless if he didn't kill the man on the road. It is amazing to me how the author puts this murder in a light that makes it seem like it's not a big deal and like it is justified. However, when we look at things in black and white, Oedipus DID kill a man. The king and queen may have started off this horrible story, but Oedipus definitely has his own share in all of the blame.

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  4. The thing that stood out to me the most at the beginning of the movie was the fact that it seemed as though Oedipus truly did care for the plight of his people. Although, like you said, he was dressed up in his white suit, he strode through the people and looked them in the eye and was truly genuine when he gave them his word that he would seek to fix the problem. As unfortunate as the story makes it seem though, like Gary said, he is still guilty of killing the king. Whether unintentional or not, it was by his hand that Laius died.

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    Replies
    1. I love how you (Samuel) said the movie portrays Oedipus as a caring man because of the way he looks the people in the eye as he strides among them. As for everyone else, thanks for all the great comments!

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