Oedipus Flaws

In nearly every work of fiction, there are main characters and there are foils, whose existence is to amplify the traits of those main characters. In the play Oedipus the King by Sophocles, the title character of Oedipus has many interactions with characters in the play that aren’t only foils, but whose interactions with him highlight his traits. In this case, the traits that the characters bring out are his flaws, through both Oedipus’s words and his actions. Without characters such as Creon, Laius, and Tiresias, as well as many others, these flaws would have been very subtle and easy to miss. His interactions with them allow for his rage, ignorance, rashness, and his infamous hubris to show through, giving depth to his character and showcasing

In the beginning of Oedipus the King, he is concerned about the plague that has overridden the city, and summons Tiresias, the blind prophet. However, When Tiresias arrives in Thebes, their interactions allow us to see the extent of Oedipus’s pride. He says to the prophet, “I stopped the sphinx! With no help from the birds, the flight of my own intelligence hit the mark.” (lines 451-452). When met with his own made up assumption that Creon is after his throne, he begins to rant of his defeat of the sphinx, and how he did it single handedly and without help, especially from Creon. The prophet’s refusal to tell Oedipus as well drives out the hubris in Oedipus, forcing him to draw conclusions that do not exist, and blame his brother in law with no evidence. His hubris appears long before his encounter with Tiresias, as we see when he speaks with Jocasta, telling her about the prophecy he received from Apollo. He tells her, “I abandoned Corinth, and from that day on I gauged it’s landfall only by the stars, running,” (lines 876-878). Due to his pride, he believes that by simply leaving Corinth, he can outrun the prophecy, even though it came from a god. To the Greeks, this was the definition of hubris, believing that one could avoid their fate, which Oedipus tried his best to do and failed. Both Tiresias and Creon’s interactions with him magnify his hubris, showing his true

His rage in several occasions causes problems, both before the start of the play and during. His encounter with Laius after being almost knocked off the road is entirely rage. He even admits this when telling Jocasta, describing it as “I [struck] him in anger! And the old man... he brings down his prod, two prongs straight at my head! I paid him back with interest!” (lines 891-894). Instead of going about his own way or even just reacting with words, Oedipus’s becomes enraged and murders the men without hesitation. His rage is what allows the prophecy to come true, as well as bring out a part of his character that otherwise might remain hidden. It isn’t just physically that Oedipus lashes out, however, as we see later in the play with Creon. This time his rage is all verbal, telling Creon “I [don’t want you banished], I want you dead,” (line 699). Despite the fact that this is his brother in law, holding as much power as he does, Oedipus doesn’t hesitate to lash out at him. The anger he feels from his theory that Creon has betrayed him is rational, as anyone would feel the same, though it is his rage that turns him irrational, and causes him to wish for the death of his friend. It transcends anger and turns into rage, this flaw not only affecting him by starting the prophecy, but also affecting the entirety of Thebes with the curse, as we see through his murder of Laius and words at