Oedipus Flaws

Oedipus’ fatal flaw is stubbornness. Despite the countless warnings and pieces of advice he receives Oedipus charges blindly forward on his own path unwilling to make even the smallest deviation. Oedipus’ stubbornness brings plague to Thebes, pushes away his family, and seals his tragic fate. By the time Oedipus recognizes his flaw and begins to change, he has already brought grief and ruin to everything he loves and cares about.

Before the play even begins Oedipus comes to a narrow crossroads at the same time as a group of five men. Oedipus decides that he should go first, but the other group decides they should go first as well. One of the men tries to crowd Oedipus off the road. Oedipus retells the story to Jocasta, “In anger I struck the driver… I killed the whole lot of them.” A normal person would realize going first and saving at most a minute or two on their trip would not be worth fighting over, and certainly not fighting five men at once. However, Oedipus is not a normal person in this regard. He quite literally sticks to his path choosing kill five men before deviating from it. Oedipus’ stubbornness leads him to murder and unintentionally fulfill a prophecy to kill his father.

Later in the play Oedipus sets his mind to discovering the cause of Thebes’ plague.

He calls in the Oracle of Apollo, Tiresias, to determine the cause, but Tiresias only warns Oedipus against pursuing the truth. Oedipus, upset he has not gotten his way immediately, throws a tantrum. He rails petulantly, “I will, I am angry enough to speak out. I understand it all.” This tantrum hardly represents the behavior of an adult willing to compromise or take advice, more so the behavior of s stubborn child. Tiresias eventually snaps under Oedipus’ single-minded assault and reveals that Oedipus is King Laius’ murderer. Oedipus’ stubbornness causes him to be branded as a murderer, a far worse reputation than the shrewd king who defeated the Sphinx and saved

Thebes.
Oedipus’ stubbornness and anger send him into denial. He blames Tiresias for revealing him as a murderer and Creon for paying or convincing Tiresias to lie. Oedipus decides that Creon is guilty and charges him with treason before Creon even has a chance to defend himself. Creon makes well reasoned arguments against his guilt, but Oedipus stubbornly remains unswayed. Jocasta arrives and advises Oedipus to listen to Creon. The chorus agrees and pleads with Oedipus “Listen to her advice, King Oedipus. Think over your decision, taker her advice, I beg you.” In his only compromise of the play, Oedipus agrees to listen to Creon defense, but only if Creon will make concessions to him. Oedipus’ adamant belief in Creon’s guilt pushes away his brother-in-law, good friend, and great ally. Oedipus stubbornness rules over Oedipus’ decision making to the point that he ignores logic and the pleas of the people he pledged to save.
Oedipus continues on his path towards the truth now ingnoring the pleas of his wife, bear of his children, Jocasta. She urges him “In God’s name if you place any value on your life, don’t pursue the search.” From the beginning of the play Oedipus resolves to discover the truth and his stubbornness does not let him stop now. He calls in a shepherd to find the final piece of the puzzle. Once more, Oedipus meets with pleas for him to stop his search. The third time is not the charm for Oedipus, and he pressures the shepherd to reveal what he knows. The shepherd reveals Oedipus is Joacasta’s son. Oedipus’ stubbornness shatters his family and what remains of his reputation.
After the Sheperd reals the final piece of the puzzle, Oedipus finally realizes his flaw. His lack of control of his stubbornness and unwillingness to compromise brings about all of his tragedies, the murder of Laius, the incest, the revelation of his crimes, and Jocasta’s suicide. Now that Oedipus realizes his flaw he can begin to control it. He blinds himself not only out of grief, but as a symbol for the change within himself.