To What Extent is Oedipus Responsible for His Own Downfall?

802 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Features of greek tragedy from king oedipus

A special attribute of Greek tragedy is that the central character is known to have a tragic imperfection that contribute to the fall of the character. In the play Oedipus Rex this characteristic is not an exception. Nevertheless, until what point was Oedipus responsible for his own downfall? There are many theories that can give an answer to this question. Was it destiny or a manipulation of the gods? Or was it a punishment for his actions to his parents? Was anyone else responsible for his downfall too (Jocasta, Laius)? In this essay I will prove that even though he is not the only one to blame for his downfall, he is the major person responsible for his ruin.

We can not make him responsible for acting in the way he did. If we were in his position I am sure that everyone will act like him. He did not know about his past and because of that it is hard to believe when people said that he was going to kill his father and sleep with his mother. He lived his life without knowing about his past and so we can not hold him responsible. In fact, we should guilt Jocasta because she knew everything and did nothing to stop because she is very skeptical about prophesies.

JOCASTA: A prophet? Well then, free yourself of every charge! Listen to me and learn some peace of mind: no skill in world, nothing human can penetrate the future. Here is proof, quick and to the point.

An oracle to Laius one fine day (I won't say from Apollo himself but his underlings, his priests) and it said that doom would strike him down at the hands of a son, our son, to be born of our own flesh and blood. (Line 779-787)

In this quote we can clearly see that Jocasta knew about the prophesy and she did not believe on it. Even when her husband...

... middle of paper ...

...ish himself from Thebes? My explanation to this is that he has gave his word to do what the gods commanded. "The god? His command was clear, every word: death for the father killer, the curse - he said destroy me." (Line 1575) This quote make it clear for us that for him keeping his word is supreme above everything else. Oedipus downfall is not the result of fate or a punishment because of his sins, but rather the result of keeping his word, and he takes responsibility of it. In this way he remains true to his word as an strong, honorable, and courageous man. He remain true to his culture and keeps his word against fate.

In conclusion, as we see that he is not the only one to blame for his downfall, he is the major person responsible for his ruin. We clearly see that the combination of all these factors make the perfect atmosphere for his downfall to happened.

Show More
Related

  • Free Essays: Oedipus Rex and Antigone

    908 Words  | 2 Pages

    The authority which Oedipus and Jocasta defy is the same. Both the king and his mother defy the authority of the gods by trying to evade their edict. The edict states that a son would be born to Jocasta who would marry his mother and kill his father, as Oedipus says, “How mating with my mother I must spawn a progeny...having been my father's murderer.” (OEDIPUS, Oedipus, 44). When Jocasta hears of this, she attempts to kill the baby Oedipus, thus trying to escape the prophesy. Similarly, when Oedipus, as an unmarried adult, hears that he would kill his father, he runs away from his home town, Corinth, never to return. Oedipus and Jocasta both defy the gods' authority, which in this case comes in the form of running away from a menacing prophesy. In the end, however, Jocasta dies and Oedipus is overthrown and ruined.

    Read More

  • Oedipus' Fate from the Gods and His Choices

    647 Words  | 2 Pages

    Many times in life, people think they can determine their own destiny, but, as the Greeks believe, people cannot change fate the gods set. Though people cannot change their fate, they can take responsibility for what fate has brought them. In the story Oedipus, by Sophocles, a young king named Oedipus discovers his dreadful fate. With this fate, he must take responsibility and accept the harsh realities of what’s to come. Oedipus is a very hubris character with good intentions, but because he is too confident, he suffers. In the story, the city of Thebes is in great turmoil due to the death of the previous king, Laius. With the thought of helping his people, Oedipus opens an investigation of King Laius’s murder, and to solve the mystery, he seeks advice from Tiresias, a blind prophet. When Laius comes, Oedipus insists on having the oracle told to all of Thebes showing no sign of hesitation or caution. This oracle states that he will kill his father and marry his mother. Oedipus must learn to deal with his terrible and appalling fate the way a true and honorable king would. Because...

    Read More

  • Who Was Responsible For Oedipus Downfall

    736 Words  | 2 Pages

    (sophocles 291-292) These two quotes show that Oedipus not only stood up for the Gods that gave him this opportunity, but he was humble in the word choice and the way he took order like a leader should. Hubris was not the essential cause of Oedipus downfall because of religious

    Read More

  • Fate against Free will in Oedipus the King by Sophocles

    1229 Words  | 3 Pages

    The purpose of this essay is to demonstrate that the events in Oedipus the King, written by Sophocles, are the result of the hero’s self determination and restless attempt to escape a terrifying destiny predicted for him by the oracle of Apollo at Delphi.
My intention is to prove that although the Fates play a crucial part in the story, it is Oedipus'choices and wrong doing that ultimately lead to his downfall.

    Read More

  • Fate in "Oedipus the King"

    1063 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...that fate. Events that lead to other events will eventually lead one to their fate. “Oedipus the King” is a great play that sets an example of what fate is. Oedipus chooses to flee from home, in attempt to avoid the god’s statement of his fate from coming true. However, Oedipus’s decision for fleeing is what was necessary to make his fate come true. Undoubtedly, this is what was meant to happen because Oedipus allowed it to. Perhaps if Oedipus ignored the god and never did a thing then perhaps the outcome could have been different for Oedipus. However it did not turn out that way and the choices that Oedipus made is what led him to his doom.

    Read More

  • Oedipus the King: Not Guilty of Any Crime

    517 Words  | 2 Pages

    Since Oedipus had no knowledge of his birth parents, he cannot be accused of knowingly fulfilling the prophecy. He had no understanding of Laius as his birth father upon killing him. One might say that Oedipus is then guilty of murder regardless, but if he had killed in self defense, that cannot be true. Likewise, if Oedipus had no understanding of Jocasta as his birth mother, then he cannot be guilty of incest. Neither can he be guilty of defiling Laius’s marriage bed, as he did not know that Jocasta was the wife of the man he had murdered.

    Read More

  • Ambiguous Character In Oedipus The King

    1083 Words  | 3 Pages

    This shows that he is not a purely evil character because he is saving a life and looking after others besides himself. However, running from what he believes is his fate causes him to run into his real fate which leads to his downfall as a leader. On the other hand, it causes Oedipus to take the position as king of Thebes. Being leader of the city, he is forced into

    Read More

  • Who Is To Blame In Oedipus The King

    470 Words  | 1 Pages

    I think Jocasta has some blame because she angered the gods and even after the gods told her that if she had a kid, he would kill his dad and sleep with his mother but she still had a baby.After blowing the chance of changing the prophecy for Oedipus, she still could have saved him if she were to see the baby be killed so she makes sure that the baby was dead. Jocasta could have also realized the prophecy was coming true as soon her husband Laius was dead. Over all Jocasta should have feared and listened to the gods in the first place like every other Greek citizen.

    Read More

  • Oedipus the King: Free Will or Fate?

    617 Words  | 2 Pages

    After discovering she married her son, Jocasta makes the choice to kill herself. Nothing intervened or predicted her death, it was her choice.

    Read More

  • Oedipus the King: The Tragic Flaws Of Oedipus

    1052 Words  | 3 Pages

    The great Sophoclean play, Oedipus Rex is an amazing play, and one of the first of its time to accurately portray the common tragic hero. Written in the time of ancient Greece, Sophocles perfected the use of character flaws in Greek drama with Oedipus Rex. Using Oedipus as his tragic hero, Sophocles’ plays forced the audience to experience a catharsis of emotions. Sophocles showed the play-watchers Oedipus’s life in the beginning as a “privileged, exalted [person] who [earned his] high repute and status by…intelligence.” Then, the great playwright reached in and violently pulled out the audience’s most sorrowful emotions, pity and fear, in showing Oedipus’s “crushing fall” from greatness.

    Read More

  • Justice in Oedipus the King

    459 Words  | 1 Pages

    under our modern laws.  It was every Greek's duty to harm his/her enemies, and as far as Oedipus knew, King Laius was an enemy. & nbsp; Queen Jocasta wasn't exactly guiltless, either.  The great Queen had also. tried with King Laius to kill their son, and had no respect for the prophecies. of Apollo:  "A prophet?  Listen to me and learn some peace of mind:  no skill in. the world, nothing human can penetrate the future. She was also the other half.

    Read More

  • Oedipus' Tragic Flaws: Prophecy and Downfall

    1946 Words  | 4 Pages

    Oedipus the King tells the tragic story of Oedipus and how Oedipus unwittingly fulfills his prophecy. Oedipus prophecy was that he would murder his father and marry his mother. Oedipus grew up in the kingdom of Corinth where he believed that he was the son of the Kings of Corinth; when Oedipus discovered that he is destined to kill his father and marry his mother, Oedipus decides to leave Corinth and try to prevent the prophecy from happening. Unknowingly to him during his escape from his destiny, Oedipus murderers his father and eventually marries his mother and fulfils the prophecy. After reading Oedipus the King I believe that one of the main ideas of Oedipus the King is that Oedipus own tragic flaws lead to the fulfillment of the prophecy and his eventual downfall.

    Read More

  • The Role of Women in Oedipus Rex

    2000 Words  | 4 Pages

    Jocasta’s compliance to the demands of the men around her is revealed through her constant role as a nurturing mother, one who provides emotional connections, but cannot make decisions. This role spans throughout the entire prophecy, throughout her entire life, and throughout her roles as Oedipus’ mother and then his wife. With the arrival of the prophecy that her and Laios’ son is destined to kill his own father and marry his own mother, Jocasta had to leave her child to essentially die in order to evade the prophecy. A mother’s first instinct is typically to protect her child at all costs; however, Jocasta goes against this by actually putting her child in danger in order to protect her husband. This instance proves that the husband seems to be the main focus. Every action seems to be to p...

    Read More

  • Theme Of Guilt In Oedipus The King

    997 Words  | 2 Pages

    In attempting to leave Corinth and prevent the prophecy to the best of his abilities Oedipus alleviates some of the guilt that he could carry. Oedipus’s true defense is his ignorance in not knowing that “Polybus was no kin. . .in blood” (1016), believing that he was doing the right thing to prevent the prophecy and leave Corinth, he hurt himself and unfortunately put into motion the elements needed for the prophecy to come true. One may also be tempted to blame Jocasta for her role in the prophecy coming true, however that is also unfair. Firstly it is important to remember that women had little to no power in ancient Greece, even if they were queens. It is a fair assumption to make that Jocasta had no choice in the matter of marrying Oedipus when he came to Thebes, he was the new king so she would marry him to maintain her power. In considering Jocasta’s innocence it is also important to remember that she did try to kill Oedipus as a baby, which, while morally is a grey zone, shows that she should not be held solely responsible for the prophecy coming true. Jocasta’s innocence could be

    Read More

  • Free Essays - Jocasta is Not to Blame in Oedipus the King (Oedipus Rex)

    471 Words  | 1 Pages

    Oedipus choses to seek the truth about the murderer of Laius, honourably indeed to save the people of Thebes, but through this choice he in a sense administers his own lethal injection. Oedipus is warned about the consequences of his actions by Teresias when he prophesises the outcome of the search for truth. Due to Oedipus' ego which is built up by the pedestal that the people of Thebes have put him on, he does not accept the help of Teresias and continues to search. His opinion of himself being above the Gods leads him to then again shun the help of Jocasta who once again warns him of the consequences of the search for truth. Oedipus' persistence lands him our criticism, at this point we cannot criticise Jocasta as she tries to help him, and warn him about what will happen is he persists.

    Read More

More about To What Extent is Oedipus Responsible for His Own Downfall?

Open Document