Tag Archives: Oedipus

Competing Heroic Narratives in Super Bowl

By Robin Bates | Published: January 25, 2014

One Super Bowl narrative: Manning as the return of the king. Another narrative: Manning as Laius blocking the way of the next generation. Plus: Belichick-Welker in Oedipal drama.

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Oedipal Blindness in Benghazi

By Robin Bates | Published: January 17, 2014

Will Hillary and Obama achieve the wisdom of the suffering Oedipus following their missteps in Benghazi?

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An Ideal Mother

By Robin Bates | Published: January 9, 2014

When I think of a mother-son relationship that most matches my own, I think of Betsy Trotwood and David Copperfield.

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JFK as Ancient Greek Hero

By Robin Bates | Published: November 26, 2013

Ancient Greek literature provides us with a power lens through which to examine the John F. Kennedy assassination.

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Manziel: Whom the Gods Would Destroy…

By Robin Bates | Published: September 14, 2013

Johnny Manziel has “Greek tragic hero” written all over him.

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Joe Paterno, a Modern Day Oedipus

By Robin Bates | Published: July 14, 2012

The lessons of the Sophocles play “Oedipus” can be applied to disgraced Penn State coach Joe Paterno.

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Roger Clemens, Greek Tragic Hero

By Robin Bates | Published: July 30, 2011

Roger Clemens tried to bully his Congressional interrogators the way that Oedipus bullies witnesses. To say that he should have handled himself differently is to say that he should have been a different man.

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At 60, a Comfortable Old Scarecrow

By Robin Bates | Published: June 22, 2011

Having just turned 60, I’ve been thinking of Teiresias. Wise though the blind seer may be, his advice doesn’t help others that much. Aging, in other words, appears to require humility.

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Do Mistaken Idealists Apologize?

By Robin Bates | Published: October 20, 2010

Watch out for political purists and dogmatic idealists. They can do a lot of damage. A writer who delivers this warning is Milan Kundera, a Czech novelist who owes his insights to his experience with communism and the 1968 Soviet invasion. Expect to encounter regular posts from me about Kundera because I am mentoring a […]

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