The ancient story documented in the writing Oedipus Tyrannus by Sophocles follows the story of a clever and strong hero who has tragedy befall him. He is fated to kill his father and marry his mother as a result of his father not heeding a warning from the gods. Upon discovering this, Oedipus blinds himself in excruciating guilt, to cut off his senses from the world around him. This guilt is not deserved by Oedipus because he committed the heinous crimes unwittingly he thus, making him innocent of the actions that spurn on the tragic events that occur. While Oedipus possesses some character flaws, they were not conducive to the tragedies that transpire. Rather, he is a heroic and just man who suffers for no fault of his own because of a curse The predominant priority in characterizing Oedipus throughout the play is in describing his strengths. This priority can only be explained by Sophocles striving to convey that Oedipus is to be viewed as a good and righteous person in both character and action rather than the one who caused the tragedy. Oedipus’s dedication to his word leads him to banishing himself after he realizes he is the one who has brought misfortune upon Thebes. The chorus of the play also frequently honors him and laments his tragedy, feeling truly mournful that the savior of Thebes is forced to suffer. After he saves Thebes from the terrorism and rises to lead successfully and justly, the people are trusting of him and give more note to his successes. Still, it must be noted that none of these acts result in Oedipus’s downfall. Only the killing of his father and marriage to his mother can be seen as the actions that cause his undoing. All other destructive actions by Oedipus in the play can only be taken after he commits these two terrible According to Jocasta, “Apollo said that he would die at the hand of a child-- of mine”, meaning that King Laius was warned that if he married Jocasta and had a child with her it would result in his own downfall. Laius, of course, disregards this warning, sentencing all characters to suffer for his misdeeds because he meets the conditions. Inversely, Oedipus’ punishing fate is resultant of this decision rather than of his own actions. He is the tool that must be used to bring calamity on the house of Thebes without option. On several occasions he does everything that he can to avoid misfortune, but in his attempts to avoid calamity, his resulting actions spurn on the inevitable. He is only able to use the information that he has obtained from the oracle to avoid fate and does so to the best ability in putting distance between himself and his supposed parents. On several occasions the chorus in the play reference that if Oedipus lives a life of suffering, then tragedy could befall anyone. In one example the chorus says, “Mighty Oedipus--... proof that none of us mortals can truly be thought of as happy”. It is understood that this quote indicates that when Oedipus is sentenced to tragedy, then fate and the gods of Sophocles’s play are proven to be fickle and able to cast anyone into
Throughout the tragedy “Sophocles: The Oedipus Cycle” translated by Fitzgerald and Fitts made up of three plays known as “Oedipus Rex, Oedipus at Colonus, and Antigone”. Oedipus was given a fate since before his own physical beginning that was extremely cruel of the gods. Through trying to evade this prophecy given to him it subsequently lead to the completion of it. Son of the god Dionysus, and biological son of Laius, Oedipus is not only a victim, but also a hero. It is patently shown that Oedipus follows what is called “The Hero’s Journey”.
Oedipus becomes a more admirable character by the end of the play then during the prologue of the play. This is because his history is reveled and his fate seems to be less of his fault and more of something that was doomed to happen to him, also by his drive to help the city of Thebes shows that he cares for the city and his ability to accept his fate but to try and help others from suffering.
The story Oedipus Rex is a ghastly, heartrending story of three people who are being controlled by fate. Jocasta, Laius, and Oedipus try their hardest to avoid their fate that will ultimately destroy them. In the end Laius dies by the hand of his own son, Jocasta kills herself because she can’t bear the embarrassment that she slept with her son, and Oedipus becomes blind because of a curse and is left to wander his days waiting for death. Their destiny won and they are left dealing with the consequences.
Oedipus’ nobility and asset is responsible for his first strategic to success as a tragic hero. The nature of Oedipus ‘noble position as son of a king, earns him veneration from not only people of Thebes, but the audience also. The audience must respect a tragic hero as someone superior and more control below themselves. In line 13 of Oedipus the King play, Oedipus states, “tell me, and never doubt me that I will help you in every way I can”. By saying this he means no matter what it takes, he is willing to sacrifice whatnot for his people, the individuals of Thebes. A kingly courage is something he had and held it high over his head, so high over his head he made a sacrifice to flee away from his own city. Oedipus exiled from the city to die out the plague, so citizens of Thebes wouldn’t harm any longer. He had taken things in his own matters. Oedipus felt he was a problem and things would only be right if it was he who left. Doing this great deed Oedipus shows that he is far from being self-regarding and closer to a leader. His ...
It seems as if the classical works are replete with dysfunctional families. Oedipus the King is no exception. If the core of a society is found in the nuclear family, then it may be sensible to assume that the Greeks were maligned at the center. On the other hand, they may have been the pinnacle of familial honor if they rooted out their most devious and dangerous escapades in the theater rather than the commons. Whatever the interpretation, there may be value in seeking greater understanding of these people and the meanings of their theatrical themes. One way to gain insight on these matters is to consult one of the greatest critics of ancient times. Aristotle made an interesting commentary about Oedipus the King. He branded the main character of the play a tragic hero. Perhaps, there is more to Oedipus and his tragic story than meets the eye.
Oedipus is the main character in the play Oedipus the King. Oedipus is thought of as a tragic figure because he was doomed from birth. Tiresias, an old blind prophet, told Oedipus' parents about Oedipus' fate. He told them that Oedipus would kill his father and sleep with his mother. So, his parents decided to have him killed, only it did not happen that way. He was passed off by two shepherds and finally to the King and Queen of Corinth, Polybus and Merope to raise him as their own. Oedipus finds his way back to Thebes and on the way kills his father, but Oedipus did not know that one of the men he killed was his real father. This is the beginning of the prophecy coming true. In short Oedipus obtains the throne, Marries his mother and has kids with her. Oedipus' fate has come together without him even realizing what is going on. Eventually he is told what has happened and asks to be banished by his uncle/brother-in-law Creon. The tragedy in Oedipus' life began with his birth and the realization by his parents that his whole life was doomed.
In Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, Oedipus is responsible for the tragedy of his downfall. Fate and free will are two opposing ideas that Sophocles seems to blend together and brings up an interesting argument. Sophocles ultimately leaves it up to the reader of the play to view and decide the truth though. Oedipus is presented with a series of choices throughout the play, his stubborn nature and arrogance push him to act without thinking and ultimately make the wrong decisions, the decisions that end up leading him to his downfall. While Oedipus and those around him consider fate the source of Oedipus’s problems, Oedipus' decisions show the audience that he is responsible for each and every outcome involving him in the end all the way back to when he first left his adopted parents. Sophocles is able to drive his message about the weakness behind human arrogance through Oedipus' fatal flaws and the use of metaphorical and literal blindness.Perhaps the most obvious reason Oedipus is responsible is that by the end of the play Oedipus has taken responsibility for his actions and blinds himsel...
Oedipus’ epiphany is truthful in his current state, but his decision in failing to recognize his sin before his realization ultimately makes his epiphany invalid, and its sole purpose is to only assist him in receiving sympathy from the citizens of Thebes. Sophocles uses the phrase “this evil is mine” to suggest how Oedipus has matured through the course of his life, taking responsibility for his own sinful actions and behaviors. Certainly, Oedipus is filled with regret, and Sophocles even uses repetition on the word “guilt” to symbolize how this emotion has devoured his entire life into despair, where “sorrow” and “guilt” intertwine by force. Truly, as Sophocles comments, the ramification of making a sinful decision prompts an act of retribution from the gods in deciding the miserable fate of an individual through his rebellion towards evil against the supernatural. Thus, in the tale of Oedipus and his jinxed fate, Sophocles expresses Oedipus’ prideful attitude that is rooted towards hubris and the overconfidence it buys to illustrate the vicious cycle of the sinful decisions we make and the sudden awareness of how our own tragic flaw would lead us into impending trouble and overwhelming
Sophocles is perhaps one of the greatest tragedians ever. Sophocles said that a man should never consider himself fortunate unless he can look back on his life and remember that life without pain. For Oedipus Rex, looking back is impossible to do without pain. This pain stems from his prideful life. Oedipus is aware that he alone is responsible for his actions. Oedipus freely chooses to pursue and accept his own life's destruction. Even though fate victimizes Oedipus, he is a tragic figure since his own heroic qualities, his loyalty to Thebes, and his fidelity to the truth ruin him.
As a tragedy Oedipus the King spends the majority of the play discovering who he is, without knowing exactly what is occurring. The tragedy was that he suffered the improbabilities of murdering his father and then marrying his mother, it is a tail of his revelations about his past, and the events that led him to his ultimate fall. In this play, Sophocles illustrated a world of human frailty, pride, and punishment, which helped to propel, with dreadful inevitability, a protagonist moving toward catastrophe. Oedipus is the direct cause of his own undoing, however it is not because he is evil, proud, or weak, but simply because he does not know his true past or who he is. The facts that he believes to be true are unraveled, thus revealing his fate. Oedipus meets the first criterion of a Greek tragedy, which is that the protagonist is a good person. Oedipus has both a good he...
Fate plays a large role in the lives of the Greeks. Fate was believed to determine people’s future, over which they had no control. In the play, Oedipus’s destiny was to be the one to kill his father, and to marry his own mother. Because Oedipus’s fate was predetermined, he had no way of controlling his actions, or the outcome of his actions, throughout the play. Oedipus’s ignorance towards the identity of his real parents lead him to perpetrate the crimes he committed. Fate and ignorance hold responsibility for the acts of crime Oedipus executed, making him innocent.
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
Oedipus is motivated by his desire to know the full truth which unfortunately leads to him learning that his terrible fate has been fulfilled and he loses everything he holds dear. In the beginning of Oedipus Rex, the audience sees that Thebes is suffering a terrible plague. Oedipus, being crowned King after his defeat of the Sphinx, desires to save his city from the plague and restore it into a place of peace and stability. Creon tells Oedipus that the oracle said that Thebes is cursed because the murderer of Laos still lives in Thebes unpunished. Oedipus is determined to find the murder of Laos and He saved Thebes once from the Sphinx and he wants to be hero of Thebes again. He could go down in history as the great Oedipus who redeemed Thebes from a plague and saved the citizens from the Sphinx. At first he thinks of himself as almost equal to the gods in greatness. Jocasta tries to calm Oedipus down, telling him that her son was prophesized to kill her husband, but the child was killed so he could not. Oedipus, however, is still haunted by his fate. As a result, he seeks out the knowledge of the blind seer Teirisius and later the knowledge of the Shepherd. However, from the information from Teirisius and the Sheperd Oedipus finds that he could not outrun his fate. He had children with his mother and had murdered Laos. John Green says, "the irony is that the one who saved Thebes is the one destroying it." Oedipus goes from being a great hero and respected king to being disgraced and condemned. All his glory and honor turns into suffering and ruin. He feels "deserted by the gods" (Sophocles 71) and is weak. This is like how Caesar goes against the warnings of his own wife, the soothsayer, and Artemidoris in order to not look we...
Sophocles demonstrates in the play Oedipus the King that a human being, not a God, ultimately determines destiny. That is, people get what they deserve. In this play, one poorly-made judgment results in tragic and inescapable density. Oedipus fights and kills Laius without knowing Laius is his father. Then, Oedipus's pitiless murdering causes several subsequent tragedies such as the incestuous marriage of Oedipus gets into the flight with Laius. However, Oedipus's characteristics after Laius's death imply that Oedipus could avoid the fight as well as the murder of his father, but did not. Ultimately, Oedipus gets what he deserves due to his own characteristics that lead him to murder Laius: impatience, delusion, and arrogance.
In fact, Oedipus is doomed to kill his father, marry his mother and finally to be blind. It was his destiny or fate; he has nothing to do with this end or to prevent it. It was his fate which was manipulating him; drive him from Cornith to kill his father and then to Thebes to marry his mother. His destiny made him "his wife's son, his mother husband." By the hands of fate, he turned to be the most hated man in Thebes and "the man whose life is hell for others and for himself."