Category: Oedipus

Oedipus Rex is a sad tragedy in which Sophocles clearly demonstrates the metaphor of sight and insight, which shows that for one to see the truth and/or reality, one does not need physical sight. Oedipus was ignorant of his reality regardless of his vision. Teiresias, then again, could simply see the truth. Oedipus’s mental blindness left him beaten and obliterated by destiny. By this mean, mental blindness could be more regrettable than physically blindness, as one who cannot use their eyes are aware of their situation, whereas those individuals who are mentally blind may not realize that they are going the wrong way until it is too late to return.

In spite of Teiresias’ words, Oedipus proceeds to blindly seek after his quest. With his conversation with Teiresias, Oedipus is given the solution to his inquiries. He was searching for the killer of king Laios, to which the blind soothsayer replied, ”You (Oedipus) are the murderer whom you seek (20).” Oedipus reacts to this with outrage, and simply after his conversation with the messenger and the shepherd, does Oedipus understand the terrible truth. However, he finds the truth past the point of no return. He is distressed to the point that he utilizes pins from his mom’s garments to dazzle himself. This was where Oedipus at long last acknowledged reality, saying, ”After exposing the rankness of my own guilt, how could I look men frankly in the eyes? (74). Oedipus is loaded with anguish and blame, knowing the disgrace he has conveyed to his family and exiles himself. In fact, he is ready to think back and perceive the results of his hubris. Oedipus blinding himself symbolizes his newly discovered learning and his capacity to at last see.

Despite the fact that Oedipus couldn’t see the occasions ahead, Teiresias, the visually impaired oracle can see and acknowledge reality, the real truth. Oedipus approaches him for help in finding the killer of Laios. The seer is respected by others and is presented as ”the holy prophet in whom, alone of all men, the truth was born (16).” Despite being physically blind, it is obvious that Teiresias knows about who murdered King Laios. Notwithstanding, he is unwilling to speak up knowing the reaction he would get from Oedipus. However, after much pushing, Teiresias sincerely uncovers what he knows; Oedipus is the murderer. Oedipus is maddened by reality and he persuades Teiresias’ thought processes, blaming him for plotting with Creon to take the royal position.

Reacting to Oedipus’ persuasions, Teiresias answers, ”I say that you, with both your eyes, are blind: You cannot see the wretchedness of your life, nor in whose house you live, no, nor with whom. Who are your father and mother? Can you tell me? You do not even know the blind wrongs that you have done them, on earth and in the world below (22).” His words are bright, demonstrating that despite the fact that Teiresias is physically blind he can see more adequately than Oedipus who has excellent vision, yet can’t see reality, However, it is advised straightforwardly to him. Teiresias foretells, ”the double lash of your parents’ curse will whip you out of this land someday, with only night upon your precious eyes (23).” As expected, Teiresias has a sense of insight in which he can see mentally and doesn’t fear reality.

Oedipus is exceptionally arrogant and allows his feelings to blind him and keep himself from settling on cool-headed choices. At the start of the play, Oedipus is adored by his people. They venerate him for saving them from the riddle of the Sphinx, and consider him to be the ”wisest in the ways of God (5).” Accordingly, Oedipus takes in all the acclaim, getting to be prideful and trusts himself to be powerful. After hearing that the plague was caused by the murder of King Laios, Oedipus offers himself to discover the killer, saying, ” Then once more I must bring what is dark to light (9).” His faith in himself induces Oedipus to announce to his people that he will discover the killer and save Thebes. He doesn’t state that he will attempt or that he will put a valiant effort, however that he will without a doubt solve the case.

Oedipus sets his circumstance up for failure. Therefore, on the off chance that he doesn’t succeed, the general population of Thebes will lose confidence in him and consider him inept. Along these lines, Oedipus is adamant to seek after any important lengths to discover Laios’ killer, regardless of the impact it has on his life. Blinded by his own pride, Oedipus makes a promise to his people, subsequently making ready to prompt his own destruction.

The metaphor sight and insight is a critical sense of an individual. It is something by and large misjudged, yet without it, numerous individuals would get themselves defenseless and lost. Sight is also utilized to explore, to associate, and to learn. Nonetheless, individuals with sight can go off to some faraway place and end up unaware of the most evident realities. This psychological visual impairment can be more inconvenient to one’s life than physical visual deficiency. In the play Oedipus Rex, Oedipus experiences this sort of visual deficiency. He has blinded from reality his entire life, subsequently prompting his shocking destiny. As of Oedipus and Teiresias characters, Sophocles utilizes sight and insight to viably demonstrate how one’s uncontrolled feelings are blinding, and why physical sight isn’t required for one to see reality.

Life is full of things that humans wish to forget. Using blindness as a buffer from reality is a natural response to dangerous stimuli. The types of blindness are easily classified into many categories. These classifications make understanding stories and characters much better. The characters in Oedipus Rex by Sophocles and The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams are easily classified by their blindness to the past, present, and future.

The first group that that can be seen is those who are blind to the past. Characters in this group are blinded to their past actions and don’t think back on them. Oedipus from Oedipus Rex is a good example of a character in this group. He was the one who killed Laius but he ignores the possibility. It’s evident by how he accuses Creon of murdering Laius and trying to steal the throne. Even when faced with a prophesy by Tiresias that implicates him; “In name he is a stranger among citizens, but soon he will be shown to be a citizen, true native Theban, and he’ll have no joy of the discovery: blindness for sight and beggary for riches his exchange, he shall go journeying to a foreign country tapping his way before him with a stick..” , he refuses to believe it. Jocasta from the same story is another character that can be used in this category. Jocasta is blind to how fate can be changed. She was told a prophecy about her child killing her husband, so she threw her baby away to be murdered. The prophecies had been spreading around the whole play, but she never really caught on until it was right in front of her. She tries to keep Oedipus blind to the truth by begging him to “…not hunt this out…” .

The next group of characters can be classified by their blindness to the present. This group is blind to what is happening around them currently. Amanda from The Glass Menagerie is a great example of this classification. Amanda is blind to how her actions are affecting her daughter, Laura. She sets up for Laura to go to business classes not realizing how Laura feels about the whole situation. When Amanda finds out about Laura skipping her business classes she goes into a long and anxious rant about Laura’s future asking her, “So what are we going to do the rest of our lives? Stay home and watch the parades go by? Amuse ourselves with the glass menagerie, darling? Eternally play those worn-out phonograph records your father left as a painful reminder of him? We won’t have a business career – we’ve given that up because it gave us nervous indigestion! She laughs wearily.

What is there left but dependency all our lives? I know so well what becomes of unmarried woman who aren’t prepared to occupy a position. I’ve seen such pitiful cases in the South – barely tolerated spinsters living upon the grudging patronage of sister’s husband or brother’s wife! – stuck away in some little mousetrap of a room – encouraged by one in-law to visit another – little birdlike women without any nest – eating the crust of humility all their life! Is that the future that we’ve mapped out for ourselves? I swear it’s the only alternative I can think of! She pauses. It isn’t a very pleasant alternative, is it? She pauses again. Of course – some girls do marry.” (Scene 2). This rant shows her disconnection with her daughter and how obviously blind she is to her daughter’s wants and needs. Tom from The Glass Menagerie also fits into this classification because of how blind to the consequences of his current choices he is. He is always just doing whatever he wants, whenever he pleases without thinking about the repercussions. He even got fired from his job for “writing a poem on the lid of a shoebox.” (Scene 7). This shows how blind he is to his current actions and how he doesn’t think about what he does before he does it.

The third group of classification is blindness to the future. This group is blind to what the future holds. Amanda is the perfect fit for this classification. She is blind to what the future holds for her and her family. She is terrified of this fear and lets it control her decisions. When Laura stops going to business school she asks herself, “What are we going to do, what is going to become of us, what is the future?” (Scene 2). She tries so hard to start a future for her children but is blind to where they will end up. Even Laura fits into this classification. Laura is so blind that she doesn’t even think about the future. Her mother set’s her up so that she may live a life worth living, but drops it because she was frightened. She doesn’t see any error in her actions above the fact her mother would get disappointed. Her only reasoning for not going back to the class was because she “threw up -on the floor!” This shows that she’s blind to the consequences of her actions as well as blind about how her life will end up.

In conclusion, the stories Oedipus Rex and The Glass Menagerie have many characters who can be classified by their blindness to the past, present, and future. Classifying characters help make them easier to understand and like. This brings realism to the story as well as allows the reader to connect with the characters. Without understanding the blindness of these characters, they wouldn’t be as distinguishable from the flat characters.

For this essay styled essay response, I’ve decided to combine two of the three questions I’ll be answering into one whole response since I find my response of both questions to be one that I can combine into a singular response to fluidly move into my next essay response as I’ll be discussing on the chorus overall with the addition to my two answers. So, with this being said, the two questions I’d like to answer are that of the chorus, and how they play their role in the play. The first of which being on what they say in lines 955-997, and how that brings concern over Oedipus and others turning away from the gods, while the other being to analyze the last line of the play, which is spoken from the chorus themselves. Now to start us off, let’s take a look at what exactly does lines 955-997 brings us out of the play. It states that “Destiny guides me always. Destiny find me filled with reverence pure in word and deed. Great laws tower above us, reared on high born for the brilliant vault of heaven, Olympian Sky their only father, nothing mortal, no man gave them birth, their memory deathless, never lost in sleep: within them lives a mighty god, the god does not grow old. Pride breeds the tyrant violent pride, gorging, crammed to bursting with all that is overripe and rich with ruin clawing up to the heights, headlong crashes down the abyss, sheer doom! No footing helps, all foothold lost and gone. But the healthy strife that makes the city strong, I pray that god will never end that wrestling: god my champion, I will never let you go. But if any man comes striding, high and mighty in all he says and does, no fear of justice, no reverence for the temples of the gods, let a rough doom tear him down, repay his pride, breakneck, ruinous pride! If he cannot restrain himself form outrage, mad, laying hands on the untouchable!

Can such a man, so desperate, still boast he can save his life from the flashing bolts of god? If all such violence goes with honor now why join the sacred dance? Never again will I go reverent to Delphi, the inviolate heart of Earth or Apollo’s ancient oracle at Abae or Olympia of the fires, unless these prophecies all come true for all mankind to point toward in wonder. King of kings, if you deserve your titles Zeus, remember, never forget! You and your deathless, everlasting reign, they are dying, the old oracles sent to Laius, now our masters strike them off the rolls. Nowhere Apollo’s golden glory now, the gods, the gods go down” (Sophocles, lines 955-997). The Chorus themselves only signs of reaction when it comes to certain events going on in the story. An example of this is when they pled to Oedipus to not banish Creon in the quotes of “Believe it, be sensible give way, my king, I beg you!” and “Respect him, he’s been no fool in the past and now he’s strong with the oath he swears to god.” (Sophocles, lines 725-229). They’re also given the last word in the play, as mentioned earlier, to speak upon the audience members as if they were to be the people of Thebes with the quote of “Count no man happy till he dies, free of pain at last.” (Sophocles, line 1684). Now with the Chorus being a group of characters instead of being a sole character being the one’s giving off this last statement to the audience, the play overall comes to an end with leaving the audience feeling as if Oedipus dies when the curtains close, but in reality its for the audience to come around and realize that Oedipus doesn’t die, but instead continue his blinded journey with the audience away from Thebes heading towards the unknown future ahead of him.

For this essay response, I am going to answer the question of just what exactly is the character flaws in Oedipus is that ultimately causes his downfall. Firstly, when the plague starts taking over the land of Thebes, Oedipus wants to be the one who protects his people from the disease but is warned by Creon after returning from meeting with an oracle on the matter that the killer of the former ruler of Thebes has returned and for the plague to come to an end, this mysterious killer must be dealt with. Granted, Oedipus doesn’t know he himself is the killer he’s looking for, this sign of bravery shows that he is loyal to his people, and shows that he would put his life on the line in order to stop the plague from happening, even if it meant by killing a certain someone in the process, even though that person soon turns out to be himself, as I just mentioned before. Oedipus calls upon the blind prophet Tiresias for advice, but it turns out that Tiresias himself doesn’t want to speak the truth knowing that Oedipus isn’t aware of the truthful prophecy that overlines his whole life, which makes himself out to being responsible for the plague. The blinded prophet tries to prevent Oedipus from finding out the truth but is pressured into talking about it all by Oedipus himself. Oedipus is furious after hearing what Tiresias had to say, thinking that both he and/or Creon were out against him to overtake his throne, in which Creon responds to this claim by stating “Look at you, sullen in yielding, brutal in your rage, you will go too far. It’s perfect justice: nature like yours are hardest on themselves.” (Sophocles, lines 746-748), which is him telling Oedipus that his worst enemy is his own anger and rage. This point can be drawn even further by Jocasta when speaking to Oedipus shortly after the blunder with Creon states “Why this rage? You’re so unbending.” (Sophocles, lines 769-770), for only Oedipus to claim that he only respects her and no one else as he points towards to chorus and overall claims that he’s blaming Creon for his anger. Nevertheless, Oedipus’s actions are normally caused by his ragefully aggression. Granted when it came to the point where he himself was being pushed around by the king’s servants, he had the complete right to feel aggravated, but he instead decided to overreact and near kill all of the men out of his ragefully manner. “Short work, by god, with one blow of the staff in this right hand I knock him out of his high seat, roll him out of the wagon, sprawling headlong, I killed them all, every mother’s son!”.

Conclusion

Overall, and to finally conclude this test over Sophocles tale of Oedipus, the character himself seems to feel that he has a strongful sense of pride in his nature, that when pushed in the wrong way, could end up causing him to go mad. Thus, making his pride be the reason of his anger, his pride being the overall reason for his downfall.

Attending the University of Connecticut, becoming a professional athlete, marrying your high school sweetheart; what leads to all these things? From birth, do we have a predetermined life that is set by a supernatural presence which will result in the same outcome regardless of our actions or is it the actions we choose to take that determines the outcome of our life? Fate can be defined as the progression of events beyond a person’s control, believed to be determined by a supernatural power (Dictonary.com). On the other hand, free will is the power of acting without the control of fate or the ability to act at one’s own decision (Dictonary.com). There has been a wide debate for many decades whether humans have free will or if some supernatural power controls their destiny. In western medieval times, it is a common theme that the fate of human beings is set by the gods. But is this theme just a fictional concept passed down from generation to generation to entertain the people who listen to storytellers or is there actually a supernatural presence determining our destiny? This debate can be found in the very famous Athenian tragedy written by Sophocles called “Oedipus the King”. Oedipus, the tragic hero in this play, discovers his awful fate given to him by the oracles which causes him to suffer terribly. He discovers that he will murder his father and marry his mother. But how strong is his fate, is everything that happens in Oedipus’s life predetermined or does he have any control over his decisions?

The origin of Oedipus’ fate can be rooted back to his real father, Laius, who was the former king of a Greek city called Thebes. When his father was young, a Delphi oracle told him that his son would kill him. So, when Oedipus was born, Laius attempted to kill him to prevent his prophecy from being fulfilled. However, Oedipus was saved by the same shepherd who was sent by Laius to leave him out on Mount Cithaeron to die. In my opinion, Laius had full control over his decision to kill his son and that fate had nothing to do with it. However, I believe it was fate that allowed Oedipus to stay alive in this situation even with the odds against him. Additionally, it is hard to say if it was fate that made Oedipus be born into a family that would try to kill him. Laius seemed to have his mind determined on the fact that he would kill his son regardless on the child, Oedipus or not.

The next significant event in Oedipus’s life was being adopted by the king and queen of Corinth, Polybus and Merope. They raised him and Oedipus grew up believing they were his parents. Oedipus later heard rumors that they weren’t his real parents so he went to ask an oracle who is his true parents were. However, the oracle doesn’t directly answer his question but instead tells him that he is destined to kill his father and marry his mother. Like Laius, Oedipus tries to escape his destiny by leaving Corinth to head to Thebes. This was completely Oedipus’s decision to leave and I don’t believe fate had anything to do with his actions. In controversy, I do believe being adopted was completely controlled by fate as Oedipus was too young and couldn’t possibly have any control over this decision. On the way to Thebes, “at a place where three paths crossed” (pg. 683), Oedipus met Laius without knowing who he was; they fought, and Oedipus killed him. Oedipus then arrived at Thebes after defeating a Sphinx and married the newly widowed queen, Jocasta, and became king of the city. This part was significant to me because it gave me a perception on how strong Oedipus’s fate was. This was a very interesting sequence of events that happened and I have a hard time believing this was all just luck. It was Oedipus’s own decision to kill, but fate just happened to make it be Laius who he killed and his mother who he married. This is truly an important event in Oedipus’s life as it starts to foreshadow that he is doomed by his fate but does not realize it yet.

When the play begins, a priest approaches Oedipus and tells him “A god that carries fire, a deadly pestilence, is on our town, strikes us and spares not, and the house of Cadmus is emptied of its people while black Death grows rich in groaning and in lamentation.” (pg. 688, lines: 29 -33). I thought this was a critical passage from the play because it makes us aware that Thebes is in chaos due to a plague that has entered the city and its dying residents want to know why the gods are angry with the city. More importantly, this passage reveals the people of Thebes beliefs towards supernatural existence. To me this passage implies that the city has done something wrong which has caused the gods to become upset and punish the city. I believe this supports free will as the residents want to know what decisions they made which caused the gods to become upset and how they can fix it. It is clear there is a way to stop this chaos and if this was fate that wouldn’t be the case.

In response to the priest, Oedipus sends his brother-in-law, Creon, to seek advice from the Delphi oracle and they discover the city is in trouble due to the death of their previous king, Laius. Therefore, Oedipus, sets out a search to find the murder of the previous king. I found this to be very ironic because he is the one who killed his father so he basically sent out a search for himself. Again, I got a feeling of how strong Oedipus’s fate is and believe it was purely fate that caused the city to be in chaos due to Laius’s death. However, Oedipus had control over his decision to send Creon to the Oracle for advice and then to follow that advice, starting the investigation into Laius’ murder. During the investigation, Oedipus finds out from an old blind prophet named Tiresias that he is the murderer of king Laius. After Oedipus mocks Tiresias’ lack of sight, he tells Oedipus ‘Theban, and he’ll have no joy of the discovery: blindness for sight and beggary for riches his exchange, he shall go journeying to a foreign country tapping his way before him with a stick. He shall be proved father and brother both to his own children in his house; to her that gave him birth, a son and husband both; a fellow sower in his father’s bed with that same father he murdered.’ (pg. 699, lines: 505 – 514). After hearing this, Oedipus recalls the prophecy given to him while he was at Corinth and becomes worried Tiresias claims might be true. At this point, it was clear that his fate was very strong and his destiny was inevitable whether he decided to accept it or not. However, Oedipus did have free will as he could make his own choices without being controlled. But ultimately it’s seems like his fate is guiding him to fulfill a broader outcome or destiny.

Oedipus then goes on to deny his fate as he is not convinced that the accusations Tiresias made are true. He lets his curiosity get the best of him and seeks more answers. He calls for the one surviving witness of the attack of Laius at the crossroads. This witness ends up being a shepherd on Mount Cithaeron and he was given a baby by another shepherd from the Laius household. The truth is out and Oedipus is devastated and curses himself. Jocasta hangs herself and Oedipus pushes her pins in his eyes, blinding himself. Oedipus then says to Creon, “Yet I know this much: no sickness and no other thing will kill me. I would not have been saved from death if not for some strange evil fate. Well, let my fate go where it will.” (pg. 723, lines: 1541 – 1545). This passage is very important as it solidifies that it was fate that kept him alive when he was an infant. It also reveals that he has accepted his fate and that it will control whatever happens next in his life. However, choosing to blind himself after he discovers the truth was done through his own free will. Also, not mentioned in the prophecy was Jocasta killing herself which again supports that it was her decision and not fate that controls her actions.

There is no denying that Oedipus fulfilled his prophecy which was to kill his father and marry his mother. Whether it was fate or free will that lead to this outcome is hard to tell, but both were important in this play. Throughout the play it was evident that some decisions were controlled by Oedipus’ free will, whereas certain outcomes were uncontrollable and purely determined by fate. Ultimately, I believe it was fate that led to the fulfillment of his destiny. The exact destiny that the Oracles said would happened to Oedipus came true and I can’t imagine it just being a serious of unfortunate events that led to this outcome. Oedipus’s destiny seemed inevitable no matter what decisions he decided to make. Fate was the supreme determinant of the greater events that happened in his life and by the end of the play, Oedipus seems to agree that fate will control him. However, Oedipus wasn’t a puppet to the gods; he was able to make several decisions that were completely in his control. Perhaps Oedipus will find a way to control his fate, maybe if he made more conscious decisions that please the gods it will lead to a more favorable destiny.

The title of my paper, “Don’t Read This”, had a much deeper meaning than those three simplistic words. I used this title to try to control the reader and manipulate his decisions. I wanted to see if the reader would choose to read this paper with his free will or if fate prevented him from reading it. If the reader did decide to read this paper, I believe it was his own free will since the title clearly states not to read it and he chose to do so anyway. However, if he didn’t read this paper, I believe it was fate that controlled his decision because as the reader you fully intended to read this before fate stopped you. It is interesting to think what events could have occurred from deciding not to read this paper. Maybe the reader chose with his own free will to watch his favorite TV show instead of reading this. Or maybe, by not reading this paper it made him realize he had food cooking in the oven and it was fate that stopped it from overcooking and potentially starting a fire that causes his house to burn down. Fate and free will both play an important role in our lives and as the tug-of-war between the two continues, it is important to be aware of our decisions and what consequences they may lead to.

Oedipus is a great king whose parents abandoned on the mountainside and choose to kill to stop evil prophecy from happening to them. His name is derived from his “swollen feet” where he was bound to be killed. He is the main character in the epic play “Oedipus the King” and was originally from Thebes before being taken to Corith where he was adopted and raised by the Corinthian King and Queen Polybus and Merope. Baur Micheal, an assistant professor of philosophy at the Catholic University of America in Washington describes a hero in his article titled “Lesson of a fallen hero; O.J. Simpson story makes public face the dark line between excellence and evil” as an everyman who embodies the highest and noble of human qualities, and a man who has earned his or her good reputation through individual effort and risk. Also, Liang Junging a Chinese Foreign Language teacher in her scholarly journal titled “On Tragic Heroes” affirms Aristolean’s theory of tragedy as the change of a decent man undergoing a change from good fortune to bad fortune because his n the epic movie “Oedipus the king” that made him a tragic hero.

The first character flaws of Oedipus in the epic movie “Oedipus the king” that made him a tragic hero is Pride. Pride, they say goes before destruction. The struggle of great Greek heroes with extraordinary strength could be developed in the direction of human goodness or depravity because being a hero in Greek meant living perpetually and precariously in the vicinity of ruin. Oedipus being a hero has a great confidence which enabled him to confront the Sphinx and thereby setting the people of Thebes free from their bondage. However, it this same confidence that “rigidified” into arrogance and prevented him from knowing the suffering that he had brought upon his people. Oedipus being a king was highly reverence by his people, and he was raised with wealth by his foster Corinthian parent is no doubt a strong warrior. However, his believe in his strength and ability made him think he could change destiny. For instance, instead of him to humbly ask for the way to appease the gods to avert such evil prophecy when the priest told that he was going to kill his father and marry his mother, he arrogantly ran away to a faraway place as far as Thebes. Moreover, his pride as a heir to a throne and the son of the king of Corinth made him kill his father king Laius. If Oedipus humbly obeyed the king’s messengers who obstructed his way when he was running to Thebes, and explained the reason why he was running away, he would not have killed his father or her action is seen disgusting. When these two definition are combined together, Oedipus can be described as a tragic hero. This paper will be examining the character flaws of Oedipus.

Another character flaw of Oedipus in the epic movie “Oedipus the king” that made him a tragic her is anger. Oedipus was a temperamental king who was always consumed by anger. His expressions of anger affected his decision making throughout the play. For example, Oedipus became angry when the priest were to his house to find out about his biological parents told him that he was going to kill his father and marry his mother. Out of annoyance, he ran away to a faraway place as far as the foes where his doom was waiting for him. It was with this anger that he met the king of his messenger who tried to stop him and he killed all of them including his biological father king Laius without knowing except for one count messenger who was lucky to escape the death. Also, his angry nature led to knowing his true identity. Shortly after he was made the king and married his mother Jocasta a plaque erupted which signifies that something bad is happening as children were being killed of one disease or the other. Then the need to consult Tiresias the priest. Tiresias a blind courageous and strong man who always try to solve his people’s problem every time because of the respect he has for the king came to the king’s court to solve the problem. On getting to the king’s court, he asked how their king was killed, but nobody knew. Jocasta told them that the messenger in the king’s court that escaped death came back and narrated how they were attacked by a thieves and the thieve killed the king. Nevertheless, the priest who knew what happened did want to divulge the secret, so he told Oedipus to let it go that everything will take shape. Oedipus being a temperamental person became angry and cursed Tiresias calling him a blind man who cannot see anything. This made Tiresias get angry too and pronounced that Oedipus will die.

Overzealousness is another character flaw of Oedipus in the epic play “Oedipus the king” that made him a tragic hero. When Oedipus sent Creon to Tiresias the priest who has never given them any false information, the priest told him to let it go that everything will die with time, but Oedipus being a zealous king insulted Tiresias and decided to get to the root of the matter. It was in this process that a messenger from Corinth brought the news of his father’ s death. Initially, he was happy that he was not the one that killed his father. He thought he had been able to avert the evil prophecy until the messenger from Corinth told him that a messenger from this court gave Oedipus to him. Immediately, he became curious and asked for the court messenger. His zealousness made him wanted to get to the root of the matter which led to his mother suicide and him removing his eyes.

On the other hand, if critically examined, the tragic fall of Oedipus could be blame on some people in the play. Jacosta Oedipus biological mother could be regarded as the genesis of the tragedy in the play. If Jacosta who knew about prophesy of not having a child did not deceive her husband to impregnate her, the tragedy would not have happened. Jacosta cunningly got her husband drunk and became pregnant. She did not even bother to do something to terminate the pregnancy at an early stage to avoid the trouble, but left the pregnancy until birth. After given birth she now decided to kill the baby. If she has obeyed the gods Oedipus would not existed left alone ended up as a tragic hero.

Another person to be blame for Oedipus predicament is Polybus and Merope the king and queen of Corinth. When Oedipus was playing with his mate, and they told him he was an adopted child at the Polybus and Merope were not real parent he became angry and ran home and ask his parent. But they told him to ignore them rather than sat him down and narrated everything to him. If Oedipus has known the real truth about his real identity from Thebs, he might not have killed his father, king Laius and would had avoided getting married to a Thebean let alone his mother Jacosta. The gods are also to be blame for making such pronouncement on an innocent unborn baby. It was Laius Oedipus father that sin by killing a child, and the god place a curse on him that he’s not going to have a child. And if he does the child would kill him and marry his wife. If the god has curse Laius alone maybe by saying he alone would die, Oedipus would not have been a victim of fate.

Having examined the character flaws of Oedipus that made him a tragic hero and led to his tragic end, it is obvious that both scholars definition of a tragic hero is a perfect description of Oedipus in the epic movies. However, people should stop seeing the mistake of “highly positioned “people as been tragic because they are also human and not angel. Rather individual should start assuming that if they are in such position, they can make such mistake, therefore, a hero change from good fortune to a bad fortune should not be seen as tragic but should be embraced with love and second chance.

Sophocles is properly recognized for his plays, and Oedipus is one of his early Western tragedies. This Greek mythology-based play became popular in Greece and inspired other scholars in the twentieth century. Dodds used to be one of those pushed 20th-century students who published On Misunderstanding the Oedipus Rex, a book that broadcasts his personal viewpoint. Dodds claims that in Oedipus the King, Oedipus the King has to no longer be held responsible for murdering his father and marrying his mom considering the fact that he is morally innocent and did not think about what he honestly did till the very end, which subsequently decided his fate. He additionally disproves the notion that the gods predetermined his fate based totally on his behavior. However, every other twentieth-century educational named P. H. Vellacott additionally wrote The Guilt of Oedipus, a subjective literary interpretation of Oedipus in which he claims that in the story of the House of Atreus, men and female commit crimes that are carried out in God’s presence, and the purpose and effect of these moves are of superb moral significance. Oedipus overlooks the moral significance of his actions. There was no moral significance or spiritual content in the story, solely resignation,’ Vellacott asserted. He claims that Oedipus is guilty due to the fact he can’t understand how a man like him could be incapable of reasoning, as Vellacott was.

The kid’s attachment to the parent of the contrary sex is accompanied by sentiments of envy and aggression toward the mother or father of the identical sex. These thoughts are largely suppressed due to concern of disapproval or punishment from a sibling’s parent. The term used to be previously used to refer sincerely to a boy or man. The Oedipus Complex is based on the story of Oedipus Tyrannus using Sophocles, in which Oedipus learns that he is cursed to kill his father and sleep with his mother. In this illustration, Oedipus is brooding about the Sphinx’s riddle. The narrative of Oedipus’s prophecy added him to his death.

Laius, the king of Thebes at the time, used to be advised that his son would murder him and sleep with his mother. He and his spouse delivered their younger son to one of their slaves, who used to be to take the infant to Mt. Cithaeron, which was a mountain inhabited by way of wild creatures. The slave, however, felt sorry for the child and exceeded him to another shepherd from Corinth, which used to be on a different side of the mountain. When King Polybus of Corinth was once given the baby, he opted to increase him on his own. Someone labels Oedipus a scumbag when he is older.

He selected to tour Delphi from Corinth in order to learn about his ancestors at the Apollon oracle. He used to be informed that he would homicide his father and sleep with his mom there. To hold the oracle from appearing

On the way, he came across an elderly man driving a wagon at a crossroads. Oedipus refused to move off the road when the guy ordered him to. He grew to become enraged and killed the man as well as what he believed to be all of the guards. Before Oedipus may want to enter Thebes, he had to clear up the riddle posed by way of the Sphinx, which stood watch at the city’s entrance. The Sphinx killed all of us who solved the riddle due to the fact no one had ever executed so before. ‘Which animal has one voice however two, three, or 4 feet, being slowest on three?’ the riddle asks. Oedipus correctly answered, ‘Man.’ The city welcomed Oedipus and offered him the vacant kingship as nicely as Jocasta, Laius’ widow. While Oedipus was once king of Thebes, years passed. Jocasta gave him 4 children. The town was finally infested with the plague. Oedipus pledged to retail his city, so he despatched his brother-in-law Creon to Delphi to confer with the oracle. He came with word that the sickness had been delivered on with the aid of the unpunished assassin who had killed Laius. Oedipus cursed the murderer, however, Tiresias claimed Oedipus was the one who killed him. Oedipus was once enraged and blamed Tiresias and Creon for inventing such a narrative in order to dethrone him and reap control. Jocasta informed Oedipus that robbers had killed Laius at a crossroads where three highways intersected. Oedipus remembers killing a man in such a location. He viewed the opportunity that he was once the murderer, but Jocasta calmed him by telling him that a witness had seen three robbers kill Laius.

Oedipus summoned the witness in order to settle the dispute. While he used to be waiting, a Corinthian messenger arrived with the news that Polybus had died, and that Oedipus would be the new King of Corinth. Oedipus advised the messenger that he couldn’t return to his mother whilst she used to be nevertheless alive. Oedipus used to be taken aback when the messenger knowledgeable him that she was once not his mother. He stated that a Theban shepherd had given him the baby many years before. Jocasta then realized something. When the witness arrived, he disclosed that Jocasta had given him the kid, which he had passed to the messenger as the reason that he did not want to murder him. Oedipus discovers the truth and attempts to inform Jocasta, but she has already dedicated herself. Creon, the new king, ordered him to leave Thebes after he grew to become blind.

In Oedipus Rex, a young man embarks on a personal experience throughout which he is overwhelmed by means of ethical obligation, particularly his moral burden as the newly proclaimed king of Thebes. He should sing down the former king’s murderer in order to free his new kingdom from the curse that was once imposed as a punishment on the criminal. His values are put to the check at some point in this process, and he accepts accountability for all of his acts. Thebes’ king, the son of Laius, and Jocasta, king, and queen of Thebes, in accordance with Greek mythology. An oracle said that Laius would be killed with the aid of his very own son. Laius decided to trade his fate, wounded and shackled his newborn kid’s toes and deserted him on a lonely mountain. However, a shepherd rescued the teen and gave him to Polybus, King of Corinth, who named him Oedipus swelled foot and nurtured him as his personal son. The teen had no notion he was once adopted until he was an oracle expert. Oedipus blinds himself with pins inserted into his eyes to exhibit that he accepts accountability for the homicide of his father Laius and the marriage of his mother Jocasta. Oedipus had to have a good deal of hubris or pleasure earlier than the fact used to be compelled upon him to even consider himself as Laius’s murderer. By investigating the scenario further, Oedipus commenced receiving duty for his alleged deeds. Oedipus starts offevolved telling his story about how he ended up in Thebes. This one was the same as the one about how the king grew to become king. He accepts accountability for King Laius’ death. Jocasta and Oedipus come up with someone who should help clear Oedipus’ name, so they ship for the Corinthian Messenger, who may want to both pick out or discredit Oedipus and the killer. When the messenger arrives, he tells Oedipus about Laius and Jocasta’s selection to abandon him due to the fact of the prophecy. He then goes on to relate how he obtained to live with the Corinthian king and queen. The shepherd arrives to entire the story instructed by way of the Messenger. The Messenger then informs Jocasta that she has committed suicide. As a result, Oedipus gouges out his eyes because he witnessed and was once morally responsible for his mom and father’s deaths. Oedipus married Jocasta, his mother, after discovering that he had killed his father, Laius. He used to be terrified and wanted out his eyes earlier than fleeing Thebes. Oedipus gouges out his eyes due to the fact he watched and was once morally responsible for the deaths of his mom and father, as an instance of any person who is causally responsible but not morally guilty for all of the penalties of his acts. Oedipus is exiled and the throne is surpassed by Creon. Oedipus is the king of Thebes, and he is in charge of the complete city. If he is no longer held accountable, he sets an example with his authority, as a result, it is ruled that Oedipus is responsible for murdering his father and having incest. While murdering his father is now not an ethical sin, betraying him is. Oedipus is additionally a patricide victim because he murdered his own father. Oedipus is properly aware of his murderous act, but he has no notion that he is also committing patricide. Oedipus is distraught as he realizes he is the one who has added a whole lot about him. His mom hangs herself in her room. The moral of the story is that you can’t continually figure out what takes place for you. However, you can steer it in the proper direction.

In our daily lives, we encounter people who hold themselves above others, and not often do we find ourselves wanting to be around these people. This feeling is frustrating in the fact that these people see themselves as better than others, and that pride is what makes them insufferable. The topic of pride in abundance is not a new idea. It has been around for generations, taking place as one of the most notable tropes in Greek plays. This character, filled with an overwhelming sense of pride, almost always finds their downfall in that same pride, such as the hero Oedipus from Oedipus the King written by Sophocles. Oedipus himself finds much misfortune and tragedy due to his blindness over his own arrogance. This tragic Greek hero is a trope meant to warn the readers and audience members of the potential tragedies that follow with humans’ hubris.

Oedipus was the classic tragic Greek hero, and his story, much like others following this trope, was filled with misery and death, caused by his overwhelming sense of arrogance and, mainly, pride. This flaw, or hamartia as the Greeks called it, was the classic chip in Oedipus’ shoulder that led him to meet his untimely fate. Oedipus’ main flaws were his arrogance, self-righteousness, and pride. Oedipus makes his self-idolization known as he proclaims, “You pray to the gods? Let me grant your prayers.”(Line 245). At the time, the Gods were worshipped by the Greeks, and here Oedipus is not only comparing himself to them but also disregarding them wholly. This pride is also depicted in how he sees himself as a person. Oedipus reveals how he sees himself as he rants, “I count myself the son of Chance,/the great goddess, giver of all good things—”(Lines 1189-1190). Oedipus makes his hubris painfully obvious which fits in perfectly with the trope of the tragic hero, in order to set himself up for disaster later in the play.

After the hamartia of the tragic Greek hero has been established, there needs to be an issue stemming from that hamartia in order to fit the trope. In the case of Oedipus, his pride affects his relationships with people and blinds him to the truth. When Tiresias comes to show Oedipus the truth, Oedipus rejects it as he couldn’t swallow his pride, and this led to an argument between the two. Oedipus lets his temper get the better of him as he declared, “Nothing! You,/you scum of the earth, you’d enrage a heart of stone!/You won’t talk? Nothing moves you?”(Lines 380-382). This comes after Tiresias refuses to tell him the truth about the murder. Knowing that Oedipus committed the murder, the disagreement and name-calling lead Tiresias to admit the truth, which Oedipus immediately disputes. This arrogance is part of the tragic Greek hero, which causes the hero’s life to deteriorate. Another example in which Oedipus’ pride leads to even worse problems is when he refused to listen to Jocasta when in search of his mother. His pride in himself clouds his judgment when he says, “Even if my mother turns out to be a slave,/and I a slave, three generations back,/you would not seem common.”( Lines 1165-1167). In this, he refused to listen to reason, which later leads to the death of Jocasta and the rest of Oedipus’ life falling into shambles.

Lastly, the tragic Greek hero’s problems must be painfully obvious to those looking in as audience members or readers in order for them to identify the problem and what it causes. The problems in this trope and in Oedipus the King have very simple solutions that present themselves only to the audience at first glance. When reading the story of Oedipus, the audience can easily identify the hamartia in the story and can see how it begins to shape the plot. An example of this would be when Oedipus refuses to listen to Tiresias who speaks the truth with clear evidence. The obvious solution to his problem is shown when Tiresias says, “Just send me home. You bear your burdens,/I’ll bear mine. It’s better that way,/please believe me.”(Lines 364-366). Instead of listening to Tiresias and subsequently avoiding his fate, he points fingers at him. In addition, he uses the fact that he was able to solve the Sphinx’s riddle to cushion his pride and deflect the blame from himself. This was not the only way for Oedipus to be rid of his fate, but in each instance, he is blinded by his pride and his need to keep up appearances. This simply plays into the trope of the tragic Greek hero and shows how this character style was meant to teach the audience about being wary of our own pride.

In conclusion, the play Oedipus the King was an example of the tragic Greek hero, which is a classic trope in literature meant to warn against the flaws of humanity and the struggle that comes with them. This relates to the age-old idea that too much of one thing is a bad thing. Every person carries themselves with dignity and pride, but too much of that can harm our relationships with others and eventually cause more serious problems. While this is not a new topic, it hasn’t become irrelevant and is still observed by people on a day-to-day basis. We observe people daily who carry themselves with too much pride, so it is important for individuals to be wary and not make the same mistakes.

Oedipus is a tragic hero in Oedipus Rex by Sophocles. Sophocles is a Greek dramatist born near Athens, Greece. It was written around 429 BC and Aristotle called it the greatest example of tragedy in his important work, Poetics. Aristotle in Poetics praises Oedipus Rex as a perfect example of tragedy because it has all the components necessary to fulfill Aristotle’s definition of tragedy. So now, what is a tragedy? The tragedy is a form of drama based on human suffering, dealing with tragic events, and having an unhappy ending, especially one concerning the downfall of the main character or the protagonist. Aristotle depicts one of that tragedies, the downfall of basically a good person through some fatal errors or misjudgment, producing suffering in the protagonist and arousing pity and fear, which is also called Catharsis, like a cleansing of the emotion of the characters. An example, when Oedipus blinded himself with the brooch pin, blood all over his face creates a sense of fear while he was blinding himself to cause committing suicide, and Oedipus’s decision of self and his speech to his ill-fated daughter creates a sense of pity. So, the audience feels pity and fear for Oedipus as the punishment is quite severe during the dramatic actions.

Tragic Hero: In a literary piece like a tragedy, a tragic hero is a person who is suffering from that character flaws or makes a judgment error that inevitably leads to his downfall. The tragic hero is different from than normal hero. A tragic hero has flaws.

Oedipus is a Tragic Hero with Aristotle’s concept of tragedy and tragic hero.

‘A man cannot become a hero until he can see the root of his downfall.’ (Poetics)

Aristotle believes that only real heroes can identify their weakness and prevent it.

A tragic hero discovers his mistake by himself. He comes to a point of enlightenment. At this point, he realizes the mistake of his character, a moment of Anagnorisis.

The tragic hero must develop from a state of ignorance into a state of knowledge. If he doesn’t realize his own mistake, it means there is no development in his character.

eg:- when a messenger comes and reveals to king Oedipus his true birth leading to the resolution of the story. Oedipus then recognizes his queen Jocasta as his real mother and whom he killed at a crossroads as his real father. Secrets are revealed. This moment of recognition is an Anagnorisis. He discovers the truth about his real identity.

‘Tragedy is an imitation of nobles’

(Poetics)

A tragic hero is a man of noble stature, not an ordinary man, but a man with outstanding quality and greatness about him. His destruction is for a greater cause or principle.

In the play, Oedipus King Sophocles portrays two characters, Oedipus and Creon, as rulers of Thebes. These two men each have notable potential to be kings and both were but, one did significantly gain greater recognition.

After the homicide of Laius, former King of Thebes, Oedipus became the leader when he efficiently solved the riddle of the Sphinx with Creon with the aid of his aspect except soon after Creon has been given the opportunity to lead as well. In spite of their virtue, they had been both remarkable leaders both possessing distinct characteristics making them both contrast. This essay will be discussing precisely that; Oedipus and Creon as rulers of Thebes.

In the eyes of the townspeople, Oedipus is seen as an appropriate leader. He demonstrates the features any proper leader possesses. When Oedipus realized the plague that had to unfold through the town he without delay took motion formerly than the city confronted him with their fears. Upon assembly with the town, he notified them of his moves and his understanding of their concerns associated with the outcome of Thebes. Oedipus says, “You can believe me. I am geared up to help, I’ll do anything. I would be blind to misery now not to pity my humans kneeling at my feet” (Sophocles 159).” even though these weren’t his people he was greater than equipped to stand behind them like a fellow king would- a future leader.

Upon Creon’s return from the oracle, Oedipus demonstrates his honesty, truthfulness, and determination as a leader. Creon states, “If you favor my document in the presence of these people…I’m ready now, or we would possibly go inside” (Sophocles 163). The news from the oracle counseled that the sole way to give up the plague was to remove the source of Laius’s death, both through banishment and murder. Oedipus immediately seeks to uncover the murderer of the former king. These traits are these admired in a leader, like Oedipus, but hard to find in Creon since we don’t have plenty to judge off of.

Creon is portrayed as an enormously stand-up guy. He shows himself to be honest, forthright, even-tempered, and reasonable. He is greater known to be the person that guides others through existence like Oedipus. Even though they have their disagreements Creon has a harsh way of expressing himself. For instance, when he was speaking to Oedipus he stated; “Look, if you think crude, senseless stubbornness such a gift, you’ve misplaced your sense of balance.” Creon is talking to Oedipus. This line becomes both ironic and iconic as it displays a common theme woven throughout the play: Stubbornness brings disaster. Creon’s advice to Oedipus is wise, but he himself doesn’t live in harmony with his personal words. We examine later that Creon’s own “crude, senseless stubbornness” destroys his household and his life.

In conclusion, the story portrays two rulers of Thebes in the play Oedipus the King. Oedipus and Creon share similarities and differences that characterize them as leaders of Thebes. Oedipus is seen as a good ruler due to the fact that he possesses the qualities the town seeks in a leader. Creon is deemed a bad ruler since he places himself above the state, people, and gods, therefore, being a feared and intimidating leader. With these two men in mind, I do believe that Oedipus was a greater ruler than Kreon but, still believe that they would’ve worked better together since they have the same morals and values as one another just with a different perception of life:)

A series of expected events that are beyond a person’s control is defined as fate. Fate can lead us to exceptional or dreadful places, but running away from the outcome is impossible. In Oedipus Rex written by Sophocles, and translated by Dudley Fitts and Robert Fitzgerald, the character Oedipus is challenged with his fate. He encounters hurdles during his journey to find out the perpetrator of King Laios. Throughout the play, his fate is interpreted through different events in his life. This play is shaped out to form how unplanned events can come back and haunt you in your life and lead you to your future.

Oedipus encountered an unbelievable truth when he goes to visit a blind prophet named Teiresias. He originally plans to go there to solve who the murderer of King Laios is, but the outcome takes a turn. Teiresias is being pressured to tell the truth about the murderer of King Laios, which is related to the plague in the city of Thebes, as told by Apollo. Teiresias firstly exclaims, “Let me go home. Bear your own fate, and I’ll/Bear mine. It is better so: trust what I say” (Sophocles 17). When Teiresias says this, he is in a way foreshadowing the fact that the truth will change Oedipus’ fate and can be potentially dangerous for him in the future. However, being the person Oedipus is he forces Teiresias to say the truth and he gives in and says, “ I say that you are the murderer whom you seek” (Sophocles 20). This causes major outrage from Oedipus and it is shocking to hear that Oedipus has killed King Laios. Oedipus fails to accept the truth about him and is one step toward his fate.

Deeper into the play there is more being uncovered about the fate of Oedipus. Crossroads is a symbol and meaning that plays a huge role in Oedipus’ fate. Firstly, it marks a milestone because that is the exact place where Oedipus kills King Laios. Oedipus learns that an oracle once stated that Laios’ death would be in the hands of his own child and a mountainside (Sophocles 38). Furthermore, when Oedipus hears this he is shocked and puts together that Laios was killed at where three roads meet, which were the crossroads. Iocaste is the one that tells him this story but later finds out that a shepherd was there when all this happens and calls him quickly (Sophocles 41). Oedipus finally finds out the whole truth about how Iocaste and King Laios are his mother and father, and he was the one who killed Laios. He never expected any of this to happen and he is now facing the consequences of what is called fate. He is finally paying for what he did even though he did not deserve it.

In the end, everything added up and Oedipus was at the final stage of realizing his fate. Once realizing that Iocaste is his mother he ran into the palace to find that she had hanged herself (Sophocles 68). Fate plays a role because eventually when Oedipus found out that he was the one that killed Laios he would be punished. Therefore, his wife killing herself is a consequence that he receives. Also, he himself suffered by “Struck at his eyes–not once, but many times;/And the blood-spattered his beard” (Sophocles 69). This exhibits how fate is inevitable and how escaping from it is impossible. Oedipus eventually punishes himself for making mistakes and makes himself blind to not being able to see the truth and light anymore.

Overall, Oedipus proves through his many encounters and challenges that fate can not be overthrown or passed by easily. He suffered through his journey and paid for what he had done. His fate is not escapable and is not making him suffer for a lifetime.