Who Is Oedipus Selfish

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“People of Thebes, my country, see: here is that Oedipus- he who “knew” the famous riddle, and attained the highest power, whom all citizens admired, even envying his luck!” (1530-1532). Oedipus the King, by Sophocles was performed in ancient Greece during a time when there was a great plague sweeping through the country, and people were sure the Gods were punishing them. Oedipus is the protagonist, abandoned on a mountain to die as an infant by his parents, saved and raised by another family, still cursed to kill his father, and marry his mother. Oedipus’ hubris and determination to find truth at any cost, while being blind to the many clues he is given until he is forced to see that he murdered his own father, lead to his ultimate …show more content…

His negative qualities are his impatience and short fuse, his lack of common sense, fascism, and persistence. He displays his empathy in lines 6-7 when he declares “I thought it wrong, my sons, to hear your words through emissaries, and have come out myself…” Which show that he wants the people to know he cares personally about what is going on, and will be there to help in any way he can, which leads to his sympathy “…that I’ll do anything. How hard of heart if an appeal like this did not rouse my pity!” (12,13). Oedipus’ is intelligent, being able to solve the riddle of the Sphinx which no man had previously been able to answer “You came to Cadmus’ city and unbound the tax we had to pay the harsh singer, did it without a helpful word from us…” (35-37). Unfortunately, his common sense lacks when he is bombarded with clues to who truly is. “You live, unknowing, with those nearest to you in the greatest shame. You do not see the evil” …show more content…

Regrettably, he is also a fascist who believes “Authority must be maintained” (634), and would kill his own brother-in-law/uncle for being a traitor, as he struggles to realize that he, himself, is the actual traitor. Oedipus has very little patience, which is evident in lines 75-77 when he tells the priest, “Too long, more than is right, he’s been away. But when he comes, then I shall be a traitor if I do not do all that the god reveals.” Moreover, he is angered easily with a short fuse that can be seen when he is accusing Tiresias the prophet of being a liar and traitor, “Nothing? You vile traitor! You could provoke a stone to anger! You still refuse to tell?”

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