Oedipus The King

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After solving an arduous riddle that the devious sphinx inquired, Oedipus subsequently became the king of Thebes. By granting Oedipus the position of king, the Thebans made an awful decision. Niccoló Machiavelli in The Qualities of the Prince illustrates what a prosperous prince should and should not do if he wants to maintain his high position. Oedipus does not adhere to any quality that Machiavelli has stated in his literary work. Oedipus neither follows Machiavelli’s lessons nor does he embody any qualities of a prince; Oedipus is an abominable and deplorable king and is not deserving of his title and his role. “It is necessary for a prince who wishes to maintain his position to learn how not to be good. Hence it is necessary for a prince …show more content…

By lacking in prudence, Oedipus lost his role as king and was put into exile. If Oedipus did not want to be destroyed he should not have been arrogant and stubborn. With Tiresias, Oedipus was being stubborn and persistent keep asking who is to blame for the plague; even after Tiresias told him that it will harm him, Oedipus kept constantly asking and deriding Tiresias until he was satisfied, “What? You know and won’t tell? / You’re bent on betraying us, destroying Thebes?” (Sophocles 1379). When Tiresias tells Oedipus that he is the murderer, Oedipus obtains a bad reputation with the people of Thebes. In the beginning of the play, Oedipus told the Thebans that he will curse Laius' killer, little did he know that this “virtue” ended up with his destruction, exile and

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