Oedipus the King: Tragedy of Destiny and Imperfection

Considered by Aristotle as the perfect example of tragedy, Sophocles’ Oedipus the King is an Athenian play that follows the undoing of a Theban king by the name of Oedipus. The play presents a question Oedipus himself cannot answer: is it the man’s actions or is it the gods’ decisions that control the man’s destiny? Perhaps the answer is both man and god, but it is the man’s imperfections that determine what fate the gods will give him. While there is no direct proof that gods control everything in a man, from his dreams to his choices, Oedipus still proves that no matter how renowned a man is, that man’s weaknesses will determine his success or his failure. Oedipus fits the convention of a tragic hero as he is a man of high estate who suffers

Not only does Oedipus stay true to his word and his law, but also he is also loyal to his people. This quality of his shines through when Oedipus realizes that he is the plague’s culprit, so he tells Creon to “No longer let my living presence curse / This fatherland of mine, but let me go / And live upon the mountains — and die there” (65-66). This shows how much devotion Oedipus has for Thebes, so much that he is willing to sacrifice his power and his life to save the city. Furthermore, at this point in time Oedipus has all the power in Thebes, hence, he can still alter his declaration that states he would banish the unclean person causing the plague. Conversely, he does the opposite of this. Once he finds out that he is the unclean person, instead of abusing his power and dismissing the order he made, Oedipus stays true to his word and selflessly banishes himself. In the end, Oedipus exhibits a compensating quality, that is his honesty, before being

According to the gods, the downfall of Oedipus will lift the plague off of Thebes. This is stated when Oedipus asks Creon what the gods said they should do to remove the plague, and Creon says that it is “The banishment of a man, or the payment of blood for blood” (28). Therefore, after Oedipus fathoms the truth and banishes himself, it is implied the plague is lifted from Thebes. The reason behind this is because the gods prophesized this to Creon, that once the unclean man, that is Oedipus, is banished, Thebes will be purified. In essence, Oedipus’ banishment gets rid of the plague, returning Thebes to