Oedipus The King Research Paper

835 Words2 Pages

Oedipus the King We can all agree that Sophocles was successful in creating “Oedipus the King” to be a Greek tragedy; It not only arouses sympathy for our hero but also pity. Oedipus is the perfect example of a tragic hero as he meets all the qualifications given by Aristotle. According to Aristotle to be a tragic hero one must be at the height of their life before they are struck down. However many argue if it was Oedipus’ flaw that caused his downfall or if he had no control whatsoever over his fate because of his parents mistakes and/or decisions. In retrospect it seems to me that Oedipus , while flawed as all humans are, was a victim of circumstance. When the play begins we are introduced to Oedipus whose kingdom is suffering from a plague, the crops and cattle are dying and the women are not birthing children. Instead of ignoring their pleas as some Kings do; he …show more content…

Afraid for his “parents” lives he heads for Thebes where at a crossroads he encountered a man in a carriage and his messenger who tried to run him over. His anger at how they were treating him caused him to kill them all. He sends for the shepherd who was witness to it all, and in comes a messenger from Isthmus , his old home, with the news that his “father” has died and the people choose him as their King. This news brings Oedipus relief , though brief, because he thinks that since he did not kill his “father” the prophecy was false. However still refuses to return and upon explaining the reason to the messenger it being the prophecy that he will sleep with his mother, the messenger tells him that he shouldn’t be worried because the King and Queen of Isthmus were not his biological parents. He informs Oedipus that he was found on the mountains and that the same man who witnessed the murder of the former King was the one who gave him to

Open Document