Oedipus Character Traits

237 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: Themes and structure of king oedipus

In this essay I will be going over three of the many character traits Tiresias had in the story Oedipus the King. The three traits I will talking about are him being a prophet, him being blind, and him having holy words. Tiresias is a blind prophet that tells Jocasta and her husband that Oedipus will grow to kill his dad and have fun times with his mom Jocasta. Oedipus's dad sent a servant to shackle Oedipus by his ankles and throw him off a large mountain to prevent the prophecy of becoming true. The servant reached the mountain but didn't have the courage to throw him off. Instead he gave the baby to a shepherd in his fields in hope that he would grow up and not kill his dad. Soon the baby, Oedipus grew to a man and talked to the very same

Show More
Related

  • Oedipus Weaknesses

    1270 Words  | 3 Pages

    Well-known playwright, Sophocles, in his play, Oedipus the King, illustrates the stubbornness of King Oedipus in his quest to uncover the truth of his birth. Oedipus’s purpose was to show the power of fate and warn readers not to race blindly in search for ones deepest desires. Sophocles uses a serious tone in order to demonstrate to his readers the dangers of seeing the truth.

    Read More

  • Oedipus and his flaws

    474 Words  | 1 Pages

    tells the priest and the suffering people of Thebes. If Oedipus did not care for

    Read More

  • Internal Conflict In Oedipus's Unforgettable Characters In Literature

    1971 Words  | 4 Pages

    Literature is full of unforgettable characters; characters that we are able to relate to, characters that can scare us, characters that can touch us, and many that make us reflect our own lives. In literature these characters have traits that we can reflect in our own lives. Traits like vulnerability, a sense of humor, pain, and self-awareness personify them. Many characters’ traits develop and change throughout a story. Authors may choose to show this self-awareness after a conflict has made the characters question their own thinking, reasoning, or ethos. Which can then creates an inner conflict in this character. That inner conflict that has the ability to change the principles, and traits of this character. Before a character is able to

    Read More

  • Shame, Equality, and Blindness: Oedipus the King by Sophocles

    1201 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout Sophocles’ Oedipus the King, shame, equality, and blindness are all themes presented. Tiresias, a blind prophet attempts to convince King Oedipus that he has lived a shameful life by bringing light to the truth that Oedipus had no idea who his real parents are, and that he himself is the one who killed Laius. Tiresias, though blind, can clearly see the truth and shame that Oedipus lives in, while Oedipus, though he can see, is blind to the shameful truth he has brought upon himself and his family. Three quotes from Oedipus the King demonstrate how Tiresias attempts to show Oedipus how by not being able to see the truth about what he has done, he has unknowingly brought shame upon his family and will soon stare into darkness.

    Read More

  • Oedipus Archetype

    1468 Words  | 3 Pages

    The hero is one of the most common archetypes seen throughout literature. It gives the audience a character to support throughout the story and allow them to be taken on a journey with that character. This holds true for one of Sophocles’ most famous plays, “Oedipus the King.” Although in the end Oedipus does not see himself as heroic, his quest for the truth and his determination give him all of the traits surrounding this archetype. A hero is someone who is willing to sacrifice and take risks in order to do what is right. Oedipus does this in an attempt to save his kingdom, which unfortunately results in his own suffering. All of these qualities and situations serve two roles: to build Oedipus’s character and to convey Sophocles’ overall

    Read More

  • Oedipus The King Archetypal Analysis

    1108 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the play, “Oedipus the King” written by Sophocles and translated by David Grene, tells a dark story about Oedipus which is considered to be one of the best examples of a classical Greek tragedy. Throughout the story, Oedipus is taunted by the thoughts of having killed his biological father and have married his biological mother. Since the city of Thebes is plagued with a curse it is up to the king, whom is Oedipus to eliminate it and return peace to Thebes. The play had many examples of the literary critical approach archetypal criticism. The drastic turn of events come to unfold when Oedipus must come face to face with reality and set on an adventure of memories past and present to conclude the curse that haunts Thebes. The play has many archetypal symbols that give a deeper meaning to the story and all play an important part to fully understand the meaning behind it.

    Read More

  • Oedipus the King: Characterization

    2442 Words  | 5 Pages

    As protagonist, Oedipus is at the center of the story. The dialogue, action and motivation revolve about the characters in the story (Abrams 32-33). Werner Jaeger in “Sophocles’ Mastery of Character Development” pays the dramatist Sophocles the very highest compliment with regard to character development:

    Read More

  • Comparing the Oedipus of Sophocles and Senaca

    1290 Words  | 3 Pages

    The myth of Oedipus is one of a man brought down by forces aligning against him. Over the years, different playwrights have interpreted his character in various fashions. In Sophocles’ Oedipus the King, Oedipus is a man who is blind to the path on which his questions take him and exemplifies the typical tyrannical leader in ancient times; in Senaca’s Oedipus, it is the fear of his questions that give Oedipus a greater depth of character, a depth he must overcome if he is to survive his ordeal.

    Read More

  • The Aristotelian Oedipus The King

    1450 Words  | 3 Pages

    "Children, young sons and daughters of old Cadmus, why do you sit here with your suppliant crowns?", Oedipus asks his people unknowing that the answer given would set off a series of ill-fated events for the inquirer himself. The people of Thebes ask Oedipus to find a way to end the blight plaguing their city. In search for an end to this madness a prophecy is revealed that in order for the plague to end a man must be cast out of Thebes. A man who killed his father became husband to his mother and father to his brothers and sisters. Oedipus Rex by Sophocles describes the unfortunate fate of Oedipus finding out that his presence is the source of the blight plaguing the city he once became King to by solving a riddle. Oedipus does fit the Aristotelian

    Read More

  • Characteristics Of Oedipus

    1341 Words  | 3 Pages

    One of the foundations of a Greek Tragedy is the concept of the tragic hero. Aristotle outlined what he believed were the characteristics of a tragic hero. Based on those characteristics we can examine Sophocles’ Oedipus and determine if he is representative of Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero. In this essay we will look at Aristotle’s views on Greek tragedy and the tragic hero and how Oedipus is representative of Aristotle’s views. The essay will show that Aristotle’s characteristics of a tragic hero are exemplified in the Sophocles’ Oedipus.

    Read More

  • Oedipus: A Victim of Fate

    710 Words  | 2 Pages

    Oedipus was a victime of fate, his futur was foretold by an Oracle, he had no way of knowing that his wife was his mother nor that the stranger he killed was his father. Oedipus could not prevent his own downfall. Oedipus was the king of Thebes, he became king when he cured the city of a deadly plague. He cured the plague by solving the riddle of the mythical creature, the Sphinkx. Now the city is suffering from another plague and as king Oedipus must solve the riddle of this one.

    Read More

  • Oedipus and Tiresias

    1032 Words  | 3 Pages

    Oedipus and Tiresias, characters of Sophocles' play "Oedipus Tyrannus," are propelled to their individual destinies by their peculiar relationships with truth. Paranoid and quick to anger Oedipus, is markedly different from the confident and self-assured Tiresias. In the dialogue between the two men, Oedipus rapidly progresses from praise of Tiresias as a champion and protector of Thebes in line 304, to blatantly accusing the blind prophet of betraying the city in line 331, to angrily insulting him in line 334. Rather than be intimidated by the protagonist's title and temperament, Tiresias draws strength from what he knows is true and is able to stand his ground.

    Read More

  • The Oedipus Complex in Literature

    3493 Words  | 7 Pages

    According to Merriam-Webster online dictionary, the Oedipus Complex is a child’s positive libidinal feelings toward the parent of the opposite sex and hostile or jealous feelings toward the parent of the same sex that develop usually between the ages of three and six and that may be a source of adult personality disorder when unresolved (Merriam-Webster). In Sons and Lovers, Paul Morel demonstrates the classic symptoms of the Oedipus complex. Paul and his father’s relationship is destroyed early in his life. His father was not around to be a role model; and, as a result, Paul developed a strong love for his mother. Once he was old enough to develop true feelings for other women, his mother’s opinion often got in the way. She did not approve of any of his significant others, and Paul had to turn them away. This display of the Oedipus complex is easily recognizable throughout the novel. Sons that have sexual thoughts towards their mother and show hatred toward their father demonstrate characteristics of suffering from the unresolved suppression of the Oedipus complex.

    Read More

  • The Character of Teiresias in Oedipus The King

    1510 Words  | 4 Pages

    Brilliantly conceived and written, Oedipus the King dramatizes the self-discovery and tragic downfall of Oedipus, the King of Thebes. It tells the story about a young Greek who was fated to murder his father, marry his mother, and in the process become the King of Thebes, before ultimately meeting his downfall due to his own deeds. That makes this play so fascinating is that there are numerous underlying themes within the story, and I will attempt to shed light on one of these themes, that being the dramatic irony of blindness. I shall do this by focusing on the words and actions of a minor character in the play, Tiresias.

    Read More

  • Characteristics Of Oedipus The King

    1674 Words  | 4 Pages

    He sees himself as somebody who polluted and caused disaster in the city of Thebes. At this point Oedipus is aware of his fate, and how he has lived it. He is now aware of his curse , his marriage, and his murder of his own father. “ Such is the ideal character, the man who is best fitted to attain happiness in the world of men. On the other hand, the tragic hero is a man who fails to attain happiness, and fails in such a way that his career excites, not blame, but fear and pity in the highest degree. In the Poetics, he is described as not eminently good and just, not completely under the guidance of true and reason, but as falling through some great error or flaw of character, rather than through vice or depravity. Moreover, in order that his downfall may be as striking as possible, he must be, as was Oedipus, of an illustrious family, highly renowned and prosperous. When we analyze the character of Oedipus, we discover that, in spite of much natural greatness of soul, he is, in one vital respect, the exact idea of an ideal man. He has no clear vision which enables him to examine every side of a matter with unclouded eyes, and to see all things include perspective; nor has he a calm wisdom which is always master

    Read More

More about Oedipus Character Traits

Open Document