Freedom in Oedipus Rex by Sophocles

• Grant number: 18/17922-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: December 01, 2018
• End date: November 30, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Linguistics, Literature and Arts - Literature
• Principal Investigator: Flavio Ribeiro de Oliveira
• Grantee: Lucas Fonseca de Oliveira
• Host Institution: Instituto de Estudos da Linguagem (IEL). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

This project intends to study freedom in the tragedy Oedipus Rex by Sophocles. By presenting one day in the life of Oedipus, the play often alludes to oracular predictions that imply the existence of a fate guided by the gods; and although the characters actively try to stop the foreseen events, they end up making them true. Freedom and fate are, thus, inseparable topics, and the nature of their relationship is a central point to be explored. By studying the text and secondary bibliography, this project aims to provide historic, mythological and literary context and, with that, a mapping of interpretative solutions found during the research. The project does not set out to exhaust the theme, since it is an undergraduate research, but intends to be a study that starts the student off in academic research, avoiding superficiality.