A rebuttal to ER Dodds's misunderstanding of the Oedipus RexIn "On Misunderstanding the Oedipus Rex", ER Dodds disputes three different opinions on Oedipus Rex. I consider the first two opinions, which Dodds gleaned from student homework, defensible from a careful reading of the text. The first of these opinions is that Oedipus was a bad man, and for this he was punished by the gods; Dodds counters that Sophocles intended us to think of him as good, noble, and selfless. But the play would seem to indicate that Oedipus, despite being an intelligent man, is not good: this can be demonstrated through Dodds' source of argument, the attitude of the chorus, as well as through Oedipus' actions on stage. Oedipus does not, as Dodds claims, altruistically seek the truth even though he knows it will be painful for him; rather, he has no idea what the outcome of his quest will be, denies the truth at all times, and threatens those who tell it. The second conclusion drawn by the students – that Oedipus' actions are entirely determined by the gods, who control him completely – Dodds rejects on the grounds that Oedipus is a free agent, acting on his own initiative. Indeed, Dodds claims, the idea of ​​free will as opposed to determinism is Hellenistic thinking and would not even have occurred to an audience of Sophocles' time. I believe that since all of Oedipus' actions, including those throughout the play, were determined before his birth, and he cannot avoid them although it is his will, those actions cannot be interpreted as an actual choice. This play contains many post-Sophoclean ideas, such as negation, which (although not yet named by Greek society) were still understood by audiences. In his refutation of the first opi...... middle of paper.... ..look at it as the Greeks would, isn't that like saying the work makes no sense to today's readers? One of the wonders of classical texts is that each generation will find something new in them. This should not be considered a sign of students' ignorance, but rather of their ingenuity. Works Cited and Consulted Dodds, E.R. "On Misunderstanding the Oedipus Rex." Twentieth-century interpretations of Oedipus Rex: a collection of critical essays. Ed. Michael J. O'Brien. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1968. 17-29.Hamilton, Edith. Mythology: Timeless tales of gods and heroes. New York: Penguin Books, 1940. Knox, Bernard M.W. The Heroic Temperament: Studies in the Tragedy of Sophocles. Berkeley: U of California Press, 1964. Sophocles. "Oedipus Rex." An Introduction to Literature, 11th ed. Eds. Sylvan Barnett, et al. New York: Longmann, 1997. 800-836.