Oedipus the King - The Character Transformations of Oedipus

1236 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Themes analysis of oedipus rex

Oedipus the King - The Character Transformations of Oedipus

Through the character of Oedipus, Sophocles shows the consequences of defying the divine order. Oedipus served Thebes as a great ruler, loved by his subjects; but, like most in the human race, he slipped through the cracks of perfection. Oedipus had many faults, but it was primarily the tragic flaw of hubris, arrogance from excessive pride, which doomed his existence, regardless of the character attributes that made him such a beloved king. He was doomed for downfall since his very beginning, because "to flee your fate is to rush to find it" (Oedipus Rex).

Oedipus, throughout this work, seems more than a merely passive player lost in the hands of fate. He makes critical errors in judgment that set the events of the story into action. His pride and arrogance, blindness and ignorance, as well as foolishness and quick temper all play a part in the tragedy that befalls him.

Oedipus's pride sets it all off; when a drunken man tells him that his father is not who he thinks, his pride is so wounded that he will not let the subject rest, eventually going to the oracle of Apollo at Delphi to find the truth. A less proud man may have not needed to visit the oracle, giving him no reason to leave Corinth in the first place (Segal, 121). It is impossible to speculate what may have happened to Oedipus had he stayed in Corinth, but it is the attempt to avoid his fate that dooms him not only to fulfill the prophesy, but to suffer yet greater consequences (Segal, 122). "I heard all that and ran. I abandoned Corinth, from that day on I gauged its landfall only by the stars, running, always running toward some place where I would never see the shame of ...

... middle of paper ...

...rs were bold and daring, known for their intelligence and heroism. But they were also known for their arrogance and their "risk it all" attitudes. On one hand, they saw themselves as protectors of the city, while at the same time they were unable to defend themselves as individuals (Oedipus the King).

Works Cited

Bloom, Harold, ed. Sophocles. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers, 2003. 54-57.

Oedipus Rex. 25 February 2003. http://www.classicnote.com/ClassicNotes/Titles/oedipus/summ2.html.

Oedipus the King. 26 February 2003. http://www.novelguide.com/oedipustheking/themeanalysis/html.

Segal, Charles. Tragedy and Civilization: an interpretation of Sophocles. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, c.1999. 121-122.

Sophocles. Oedipus the King. Norton Anthology World Masterpieces. Ed. Sarah Lawall. New York: Norton, 1984. 599-639.

Show More
Related

  • Overview of Green Washing Perpetrated by BP

    2378 Words  | 5 Pages

    Green washing: The disinformation disseminated by an organization so as to present an environmentally responsible public image. In order for big companies to stay on top of the market today, they are forced to think of advertising strategies to help their public image and advertise their product. Over the years the system has become very complex and also very questionable. Companies are willing to lie, change their logo, and sometimes even their company name just to keep their name and image clean in front of the public just to make sure that they are making their money. Green washing helps this by advertising to the public that they are environmentally supportive and responsible. Most people that are into buying “green products” do not even realize that the company they are buying from is green washing in some sort of way just so that they can attract attention to the public. Green washing companies may advertise that they are “eco-friendly”, but when it comes down to it, the facts hidden behind the curtains beg to differ. Just like in the green washing video we watched in class, the companies may look great compared to the worst companies, but that does not mean what they are doing is still productive for our environmental movement. One company that has been notorious for their green washing efforts for the past couple of decades is the Oil/energy company: British Petroleum a.k.a. Beyond Petroleum. They are one of the world’s largest leading oil companies who has also becoming a large energy supplying company with presence in petrochemicals, gas, and solar divisions. Over the past twenty years BP has been the cause of several deadly disasters in the oil business in the U.S. and around the world. Despite their green washing effor...

    Read More

  • Hope in Oedipus at Colonus

    2213 Words  | 5 Pages

    Sophocles: A collection of critical essays edited by Thomas Woodward: Oedipus at Colonus. Whitman, Cedric H. Prentice-Hall, Inc. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. 1966.

    Read More

  • Oedipus: Riddle of the Sphinx as a Metaphor of Life

    1059 Words  | 3 Pages

    Sophocles. "Oedipus the King." Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Ed. X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 7th ed. New York: Longman, 1999. 1902.

    Read More

  • Oedipus the King: Unrealistic or Realistic

    2005 Words  | 5 Pages

    Bowra, C. M.  “Sophocles’ Use of Mythology.” In Readings on Sophocles, edited by Don Nardo. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 1997.

    Read More

  • Direct Combat Roles for Women

    2188 Words  | 5 Pages

    Casey, L. "Women in Combat", Academic Essays and Debates on Women in the Military: Military Woman Magazine. December 19, 1997.http://www.militarywoman.org/academic.htm

    Read More

  • Oedipus the King: The Tragic Flaws Of Oedipus

    1052 Words  | 3 Pages

    Sophocles intentionally gave certain flaws in character type to Oedipus—he intended a downfall. That was the purpose of all ancient Greek drama: it was meant as “a dramatic reminder of [their] own mortality”. Sophocles used his plays in order to force people to learn at other’s mistake. Oedipus is a perfect example. His tragic flaws, persistence and ignorance caused his inevitable doom

    Read More

  • Oedipus the King: A Painful Path to Wisdom

    757 Words  | 2 Pages

    It is impossible to speculate what may have happened to Oedipus had he stayed in Corinth, but it is the attempt to avoid his fate that dooms him to not only to fulfill the prophecy, but to suffer yet greater consequences. To think that he himself has the power to circumvent the prediction from the Oracle of Apollo, shows that he did not feel humbled before Apollo. Punishment for this lack of faith takes the form of the plague which Apollo imposes on Thebes, an eventual consequence of Oedipus’s defiance and hubris towards the him. (The death of Laios at the crossroads, was caused, in part at least, because Oedipus left Corinth. Speculation as to whether Oedipus would have killed him anyway is futile.) The punishment of all of Thebes is infinitely worse than the original prophecy, which involved only Oedipus’ family members.

    Read More

  • Oedipus vs. Hamlet as Tragic Heroes

    1556 Words  | 4 Pages

    Boston: Pearson, 2013. 1396-1506. Print. The. Sophocles. “Oedipus the King” Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing.

    Read More

  • Women in the Military

    642 Words  | 2 Pages

    The problem of women fighting in combat along with their male counterparts is not a one-sided problem. Elizabeth Hoisington has earned the rank of Brigadier General in the U.S. Army, leads the Women’s Army Corps and believes that women should not serve in combat because they are not as physically, mentally, or emotionally qualified as a male is and that ...

    Read More

  • Feminism In Military

    1398 Words  | 3 Pages

    This is due to the fact that there are actually very few women who question why they are not allowed in these combat units. One woman remarks that, “I certainly wouldn’t want to be in the infantry. A normal woman can’t carry a rucksack that the guys can... And, let’s face it, we would probably make things harder on everybody all around. No Way” (Moskos). This woman states from personal experience, that women are probably not a good fit for the infantry for several different reasons and there are not many women who disagree. Women make up fourteen percent of all soldiers, and out of that there is maybe a percent or two who have considered the direct combat units; therefore the question becomes “Where is the twenty percent that would join the elite groups?”

    Read More

  • Philosophy: Oedipus and Aristotle

    1245 Words  | 3 Pages

    Sheehan, Sean. "Reader's Guides : Sophocles' "Oedipus the King"" Summon. Continuum International Publishing, Mar. 2012. Web. 3 Mar. 2014.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Pride In Oedipus The King

    1369 Words  | 3 Pages

    For example Oedipus says, “you pray to the gods? Let me grant your prayers” (line 245). By Oedipus making this statement, it is apparent that he feels as if he is on the same level as the gods. This explains that Oedipus thinks that he has the power to do godly things because he doubts the gods’ power and authority by questioning the people’s faith. Again, Sophocles illustrates in a chronological demonstration of the happenings of Oedipus’ downfalls. Portraying to be an equal to the gods is his first mistake that leads to a tragic ending. His pride is blinding him from seeing the truth and holding him back from what he really needs to know. Saving the city heightened his pride but also made him stubborn towards certain situations. For instance Oedipus says, “not if I saved the city- what do I care?” (line 503). Oedipus is referring to the defeat of the Sphinx and relating

    Read More

  • Oedipus the King: Characterization

    2442 Words  | 5 Pages

    The ineffaceable impression which Sophocles makes on us today and his imperishable position in the literature of the world are both due to his character-drawing. If we ask which of the men and women ofGreek tragedy have an independent life in the imagination apart from the stage and from the actual plot in which they appear, we must answer, ‘those created by Sophocles, above all others’ (36).

    Read More

  • Women In Combat

    1771 Words  | 4 Pages

    Women in the Military. Carol Wekesser and Matthew Polesetsky, Eds. Current Controversies Series. Greenhaven Press, 1991. Richard D. Hooker Jr. "Affirmative Action and Combat Exclusion: Gender Roles in the U.S. Army".

    Read More

  • Comparing the Fate of Oedipus and Phaedra

    2334 Words  | 5 Pages

    Sophocles.  "Oedipus Rex."  An Introduction to Literature, 11th ed. Eds. Sylvan Barnet, et al.  New York: Longman, 1997. 800-836.

    Read More

More about Oedipus the King - The Character Transformations of Oedipus

Open Document