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Characterization of Oedipus Rex
The general characterization of oedipus rex
Characterization of Oedipus Rex
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In the play Oedipus Rex, the main character Oedipus has many personal flaws that cause him to be innerly blind. Oedipus’ inner blindness lead to his status as a static character and his downfall by not seeing his flaws , and not understanding the consequences of not understanding himself. Oedipus has an extremely short temper which caused him to kill multiple men. For example on the way to the Thebes Oedipus killed the king of Thebes (his unknown father), and multiple other men guarding him. His short temper also causes him to get angry at therisis which ended in him cursing the gods. Many conflicts came from Oedipus’ flaw of short temper. In the story Oedipus was ran off the road on the way to Thebes to make way for the king. Oedipus got so easily angered, and took out his anger by killing the king, therefore fulfilling the prophesy that he would kill his father, not even knowing he’s doing it. Also Oedipus got so angry after Therisis told him that he was the murderer. His anger took control and caused him to curse the gods, making the gods lose all possible mercy or pity that they might have had for Oedipus, causing the beginning of his downfall. …show more content…
His stubbornness also caused him to curse the gods. It also caused him to get in an argument with
The selfishness that Oedipus possesses causes him to have abundance of ignorance. This combination is what leads to his father’s death. After fleeing Corinth and his foster family, Oedipus gets into a skirmish with an older man. The reason for the fight was because, “The groom leading the horses forced me off the road at his lord’s command” (1336). Oedipus is filled with a rage after being insulted by the lord and feels the need to act. The two men fight, but Oedipus ends up being too much for the older man, and he kills him. What Oedipus is unaware of is that the man was actually his birth father and by killing him, Oedipus has started on the path of his own destruction. Not only does Oedipus kill his father, but also everyone else, “I killed them all” (1336). The other men had no part in the scuffle, but in his rage, he did not care who he was killing.
It is clear to see that Oedipus is an impulsive and passionate man, which causes Oedipus to fulfill the prophecy that haunts him. He flees the kingdom of Corinthian in order to avoid his fate. Along his journey he comes to a crossroad that is blocked by a chariot, and “in a fit of anger” Oedipus kills the father he never knew (Meyer 1422). Oedipus’ anger causes him to kill the father he never knew and all the men in the entourage. Oedipus’ cannot control his temper and this personality flaw leads him to his fate.
The imagery of sight versus blindness lead to his ultimate downfall. He is transparent to the lie he has created. Also the contempt and torture he has just brought upon this city. Like the prophecy says his wife will kill herself first, then later his life will all go downhill from there. Later prophecy actually comes true. First with his wife killing herself, then Oedipus realizes that he has done wrong. He was blind when Teiresias told him the first time. He then actually saw the irony in what he has done wrong. He later then actually makes himself blind and stabs out his eyes so he cannot see anymore. This causes his downfall and later his
Oedipus began Oedipus Rex as a king, only to end the tale as a blinded beggar. Oedipus' fall from his kingly status was not by accident or because of some other person. Oedipus is the only one that can be blamed for his misfortune. Oedipus' character traits are shown most clearly during his spiraling downfall, thinking he is "a simple man, who knows nothing", yet knowing more than he realizes by the end of the story.
tells the priest and the suffering people of Thebes. If Oedipus did not care for
Sophocles’s Oedipus has a greater pride that is constantly setting off his temper. From the very beginning when he accuses Creon, the brother of the queen of Thebes, of plotting against him he lashes out and threatens that he would kill him and not just banish him. This temper lasts throughout the play even towards the end. In a way both characters have the same temper, however Cocteau only sh...
Oedipus Rex, written by Sophocles, is an infamous piece of ancient Greek literature. It tells the tale of a young man whom, during infancy, his parents receive an oracle telling them that their son will kill his father and have sexual relations with his mother. The parents of Oedipus then bind his feet and abandon him in the wilderness where a shepherd from the neighboring city of Corinth discovers him. The king and queen of this city raise him; he grows up to be a great leader, and marries the queen of a neighboring city, Jocasta. It is later discovered that on a trek he killed a man he thought to be a beggar turns out to be his father and the queen that he marries is, unfortunately, his mother. After these unfortunate happenings, Eurydice commits suicide and Oedipus blinds himself. The major issue in this story is the ability to choose good over evil, or free will.
From the beginning we know a lot about Oedipus, mostly from previous knowledge in previous plays. It is known that he was a hero and the leader of many people. In this novel it is clear from an early point that the city is once again in trouble and Oedipus’s help is again required. At first he seems very honest and sincere about helping his people but as time goes on we see a different side of Oedipus. When Teiresias first meets Oedipus is a perfect example. At the beginning of their encounter Oedipus seems to be more concerned with his people and fixing the plague, but as soon as Teiresias brings up the notion that Oedipus has anything to do with it he immediately becomes very defensive and aggravated. We quickly learn that Oedipus is more concerned with himself than with his people. After the discussion with Teiresias, Oedipus plays the murder off on his friend, Creon. This is another example of Oedipus being more concerned with himself than the people around him. Oedipus often questions his past or other people about his past. He is unsure about himself and often seems troubled and short tempered. Tone is a huge part of the play and especially Oedipus. Another literary device used in the play is Irony.
Oedipus is the son of the king and queen of Thebes. A prophet tells the king and queen that his son will kill him. This causes the king and queen to become worried of the possibilities so they decide to kill their son in order to prevent the predictions of the prophet from becoming true. However, Oedipus did not die and instead was rescued and eventually adopted. As time progresses Oedipus is told that he will kill his father and this frightens Oedipus so he decides to get as far as possible from his parents. During Oedipus’s journey he stumbles upon his biological father and he was unable to control his anger so he killed his father. As time goes on he eventually marries the queen of Thebes also known as his mom. He found out that her husband was killed a long time ago so Oedipus decided to investigate. A prophet tells Oedipus that he was the one that killed the king who was his father. Oedipus is angered and is told to stop trying to solve the mystery. Oedipus eventually discovers that what the prophet told him was true and is angered. He eventually meets his end. In this case Oedipus’s biggest flaw is his anger. His anger eventually causes him to face defeat. “Who would not feel his temper rise at words like these with which you shame our city” (Sophocles 1572). The quote comes directly from a conversation he was having with the prophet that told him he was
...ipus hubris prevents him from finding out the real murder. He spends so much time persuading the murder that he does not realize that it was him all along. Oedipus hubris personality gets in his way by putting a curse on him and ends up blinding himself because of it.
Oedipus Rex, a Greek tragedy written by Sophocles, focuses on the rise and fall of Oedipus along with the intricate intersection of fate and destiny. Throughout the play, the audience follows Oedipus on his journey as a prideful, yet figuratively blind king to a man stricken by tragedy and self-mutilating himself to become literally blind, as he is not worthy of his sight, and deserves to live in darkness. Many seek the truth, much like him, but once the revelation comes to light, the final scene of the play shows the devastating cost of learning the truth, thus presenting the evolution of the fallen King Oedipus.
One source of momentous stories of Western culture comes from Ancient Greece. Numerous generations of students study these imperative works of genius. Sophocles, who created many of these significant tragic plays, thrives in the four hundreds B.C.E. Oedipus Rex, also known as Oedipus the King, is one of the notable tragedies written by Sophocles. The overall message of the play is to be not full of pride and arrogance. The reason for choosing Oedipus Rex is that I read this play before, and I have study this tragedy in school previously. The purpose of Sophocles to create Oedipus Rex is to tell the audience not to be arrogant and prideful by showing that Oedipus and his father believe to be self-important, make sure that one has check all possibilities before coming a conclusion and bashing others who may know more than other people do, do not be overconfident in one actions because there may be other factors that affect the result, Sophocles use his own beliefs that are demonstrative through the characters that are conceited, and finally to teach that pride is destructive to noble people that only want to do the right action. Oedipus and his parents tries to defy prophecy given from the divine that Oedipus murders his father and marries his mother. People believe that people cannot defy the celestial beings. “Above all else, this tragedy is about the unbridgeable gulf between gods and humans” (Matthews). Oedipus’s and his parents’ prides lead them to believe that they can fill the space that separates men and gods. That they alone by human will alone can change what the divine will that told them what will happen. The consequences will lead to both Oedipus’s parents’...
Oedipus’ character flaw is ego. This is made evident in the opening lines of the prologue when he states "Here I am myself--you all know me, the world knows my fame: I am Oedipus." (ll. 7-9) His conceit is the root cause of a number of related problems. Among these are recklessness, disrespect, and stubbornness.
Although Oedipus appears to have many "flaws" on the surface, namely his poor temperament, carelessness, curiosity and pride, close examination of the text reveals that he has many seemingly flawed characteristics that are not only justifiable but in some cases to be expected. One might expect that a quick and even murderous temper would be considered a serious impediment to Oedipus. However, he is quite justified in his rage against Creon and Tiresias, and he has good reasons to suspect them of plotting against him. From the view point of Oedipus, he has just discovered that the antecedent king Laius was savagely murdered along with the members of his entourage. Furthermore the murder has yet to be solved many years later, and the gods have placed a plague on his city until the murderer(s) is apprehended and punished.
(Aristotle, 15). The impetus for the downfall of Oedipus, "known far and wide by name" (Sophocles, 1), is his anger. Enraged he slew King Laius, and in anger he hastily pursued his own ruination. From the aforementioned recriminations of Tiresias to the conflict with his brother-in-law Creon (his ill temper again displayed - "Tempers such as yours most grievous to their own selves to bear,. . Sophocles, 25; through the revealing exchanges with his wife/mother Jocasta and her slave (whose pity saved the infant Oedipus), damming insight grows in a logical sequence, all the while fueled by the Oedipal rage.