Character Analysis Of Oedipus The King By Sophocles

Sophocles remains one of the most outstanding playwrights of the classical period. Sophocles had a way of tabling his characters linking their actions with the thematic concerns in his literary oeuvres. The stylistic devices and the use of diverse character traits always made most of his artistic work thrilling. Oedipus the King is one of the most exciting masterpieces Sophocles has ever authored. Oedipus the King explores the role of fate, pride and the possible consequences of one’s actions about the societal myths and norms. In this text, Sophocles examines the atrocities that emanate from leadership wrangles, lack of discretion and the symbolic castration for Oedipus incestuous sin. The intent of this paper is to critically conduct a character

His short-tempered nature contributes immensely to his dreadful fate. It is through his hot temper that Oedipus lands into a fight with Lauis. He is impatient and lacks self-control when angered. It is this anger that makes him murder his father.

Thirdly, it is evident in the tragedy that Oedipus is judgmental. This character trait is evident when he abruptly blames Creon for conspiring against him. Moreover, he does not take time but immediately refers to prophet Tiresias as a traitor. This drives him in making random errors through the text making him unable to heed to prophet Tiresias’ advice as is supposed to be for all the kings of Thebes (Cameron 23). This makes him an arrogant leader who is guided by his anger rather than

However, his failure can be solely attributed to his character flaws. It is worth noting that Oedipus character traits and flaws are typical of most Greek tragedies. According to Fletcher, Greek tragedies are characterized by protagonists who despite being perfect end up failing in their endeavors (75). In this case, though Oedipus is almost perfect, his perfection is obstructed by the humartia. This, in turn, leads to his downfall as the protagonist in the tragedy. Oedipus is arrogant, proud and does not heed to any advice. Moreover, he is fearless since he does not give up his mission towards unraveling the mysteries that came his way. Despite his flaws, Oedipus is understanding and a good person who is ever determined to establish the truth. Immediately he discovers who he is, Oedipus accepts his fate and is willing to take the punishment meted to him. I presume that the fact that he accepts his fate and is ready to take up the responsibility for his actions make him the tragic hero of the