Ambiguous Character In Oedipus The King

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In the play Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, Oedipus is depicted as a morally ambiguous character; neither purely evil or purely good. Oedipus runs from his fate initially to prevent himself from pursuing what he believed was his fate; however, he is lead straight towards his real fate. He kills his biological father as he is headed to Thebes, where he takes the throne. Once he has taken the throne, he begins to try and save his city from the plague by looking for the murder of king Laius. However, what he does not know is that the prophet has told him who has slew the king; therefore, he presents his ignorance as a leader. Not only does his ignorance create the flawed character inside himself, but it also causes him to run from his fate. The significance …show more content…

Oedipus demonstrates that he is not a purely evil character by fleeing his home town for safety of others, taking care of his city and accepting responsibility for his actions. Once Oedipus has grown to be a young man he is told that he is to kill his father and sleep with his mother because it is his fate. As a result “I [Oedipus] herd and fled” to Thebes so he can prevent those actions from occurring (822). Oedipus runs away from his fate to help himself out as well as his family. He does not want to kill his father; therefore, he runs away from his fate for the safety of his father. This shows that he is not a purely evil character because he is saving a life and looking after others besides himself. However, running from what he believes is his fate causes him to run into his real fate which leads to his downfall as a leader. On the other hand, it causes Oedipus to take the position as king of Thebes. Being leader of the city, he is forced into …show more content…

Tiresias is the prophet that presents the truth to Oedipus, but he denies that he is the pollutant of his own land (372). His denial of being the pollutant of his own land not only demonstrates his ignorance as a leader but also how his anger causes him to be ignorant. Oedipus responds to Tiresias’ statement by letting him know to “turn around quickly/ and head back home, far away” (453-454). Oedipus is unwilling to accept the truth by only looking at it in his way; he does not stop to think about the city and the plague. Because he reacts out of anger, it causes him not to see the truth. Therefore, his anger is what is causing him to be ignorant. As a result, he is unable to see farther than his own perspective and affects his own city by still letting the plague continue. This reveals his negative aspects as a leader which provides that Oedipus is not a purely good leader. Not only does Tiresias try and present the truth to Oedipus but he also tries to prevent the truth from being told to him for his own good. He lets Oedipus know that he “ can learn nothing from me [Tiresias]” (352). Oedipus is stubborn and does not listen to his words; he wants the truth to be spilled. Therefore, out of anger he tells Tiresias, “you worst of wicked men! You would anger a stone”(353). Oedipus takes no time to think about why Tiresias might not want

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