Oedipus, king of Thebes, was destined to have two things happen to him: he was to murder his father and marry his mother with whom he’d have children. Despite his and others attempts to avoid this prophecy from coming true, unfortunately he was unable to avoid his fate. While he is guilty of actually doing the crimes he desperately tried to avoid, he is innocent of having malicious intent to commit the crimes or knowledge that he had actually committed them. To begin with, Oedipus never had any intention to carry out the crimes of patricide and incest, contrary to the beliefs of many modern day people and one particular neurologist. Oedipus didn’t know who his true parents were, as he was given to Polybus and Merope as a baby and believed that they were his birth parents; however, he soon was filled with doubt over his true parentage and sought the truth. As he tells Jocasta, “I went, without my parents’ knowledge, on a journey to Delphi. Phoebus sent me away no wiser than I came, but something else he showed me, sad and strange and terrible: That I was doomed to mate with my own mother, bring an abhorrent brood into the world; That I should kill the father who begat me. When I heard, I fled from Corinth …show more content…
… ” (Sophocles, 31). Oedipus’s actions at hearing his fate and the words he uses to describe the prophecy shows that he had no goal of fulfilling it as he knew that doing one or both of these crimes were major sins in Greek culture. If he had any intentions of willingly committing them, he wouldn't have used such words as “strange”, “terrible”, “doomed”, and “abhorrent”, and he would have remained in Corinth, rather than departing as quickly as he did. Furthermore, Oedipus had no clue that he had actually had committed these felonies for, as previously mentioned, he didn’t know that his true parents were Laius and Jocasta.
When he killed Laius, he believed that it was simply a wealthy man on the side of the road who had decided to pick a fight with him that day. Also, he had no choice in marrying his mother, as, after he solved the riddle of the Sphinx, he was given the position of king of Thebes and Jocasta as his bride, both of which he accepted. Once they were married, they begun to have children so Oedipus would have an heir to take the throne after he died, the goal of all monarchs at that time and to this day. Thus, he was simply acting the way that any man in his position at that time period would
have. When Oedipus discovers the crimes he has committed, he blinds himself with Jocasta’s broaches, saying, “‘You shall not see again such horrors as I did, saw done to me, but stare in darkness on forbidden faces, meet those I longed to find, and pass them by.’” (Sophocles, 47-48). This shows the regret he has for his crimes and how he decides to atone for them himself. Oedipus never meant to kill his father and/or marry his mother. He even goes out of his way to keep from doing this by leaving his home and traveling as far away as he could to avoid his fate. Without having any hateful reasons for committing the crimes he is accused of or any understanding that he had done said actions, in the mind of this author, he should be viewed as completely and totally morally innocent.
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.
Oedipus the king is a play about a couple Laius and Jocasta who has angered the gods because they don't believe in fearing or respecting the gods. the gods set a prophesy upon their unborn son that he will kill his father and sleep with his mother. Not fearing the prophecy they had Oedipus, and gave him to a shepherd to kill but he ended up alive. the question is who's to blame when it comes to a chance to prevent his prophecy from being completed.
of a mother-son marriage. Greek law considers the act, not the motive. meaning that even though she nor Oedipus knew they were related, they committed. the crime of the.. & nbsp; Finally, Oedipus's guilt. In some ways, Oedipus was the most guilty of them all. Consider his 'hubris'. He regarded himself as almost a god, assuming. that since he alone had solved the sphinx's riddle, he was the one of the gods. favorites. He was very quick to judge, and judged on the most flimsy of evidence. He calls on Tiresias to tell him what he should do, and when he. doesn't like what he hears, Oedipus says, "Your words are nothing - futile".
Oedipus is guilty because, despite knowing the prophecy that he will commit parricide and incest, he yet kills an elderly gentleman and sleeps with an elderly women. The choice was his, and this accounts for his guilt.
When Oedipus was born, Jocasta and Laius heard a prophecy that their son would murder his father and sleep with his mother. They quickly sought to get rid of their newborn and, through the paths of a few messengers; he was given to the king and queen of Corinth. When Oedipus was growing up, he saw an oracle who told him of the very same prophecy and quickly fled the land of Corinth in fear of harming the ones he loved. Unbeknownst to him, on his journey, he still ended up killing his father, King Laius and marrying his own mother, Jocasta. Through a shepherd, Oedipus learns that King Laius and Jocasta are his biological parents. In the shock of learning what he had only recently started suspecting, Oedipus exclaims:
When Oedipus was born he was taken to an Oracle, this was custom for the rich. The Oracle was to tell his fate. The Oracle said that when Oedipus grows up he will marry his mother and he would also kill his father, "... Why, Loxias declared that I should one day marry my own mother, And with my own hands shed my father's bool. Wherefore Corinth I have kept away far, for long years; and prosperd; none the less it is most sweet to see one's parents' face..."(p36 ln1-6). When his parents herd this they gave Oedipus to a man and he was to get rid of the baby by leaving it in the forest, but an servant of Polybus, the king of Corinth, finds the baby and brings him to the king. The king falls in love with the baby and takes him in as one of his own.
Even before his birth Laius and Jocasta have been told that their son's fate is to kill his father and marry his mother. They are determined to save themselves and decide that Oedipus must be killed before he is old enough to carry out the prophecy. This attempt to beat the gods immediately begins Oedipus' journey to ruin as he grows up in nearby Corinth thinking that his parents are King Polybus and Queen Meropé. By assuming Polybus and Meropé are his true parents Oedipus is in a situation where he can unknowingly kill his true father and marry his true mother. At the same time Jocasta and Laiu...
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.
The two crimes being patricide and the other incest. Although the fact that he may have not been able to escape these crimes shows a glimpse of innocence. It is likely true in the eyes of a spectator is that Oedipus committed these crimes not by any reason other than free will. Murdering his own father Laius constitutes free will of its own as he was not forced into doing it. That being true what are the coincidences that he would also end up marrying his own mother as well. Both coincide directly after another as though it was pre-determined by some other source of power. It is possible that fate, light and darkness, and knowledge will develop the potential of innocence and are major factors in this
Sophocles’s tragic play Oedipus Tyrannus induces catharsis in the audience and rouses exciting debate revolving around the morality concerned with Oedipus’s crimes. It is often argued whether Oedipus is truly responsible for the loathsome crimes of patricide and incest. Some may argue that Oedipus was merely an unfortunate victim of cruel fate but this would be an incorrect assumption. It is clearly demonstrated throughout the play that a product of blind pride and deeply questionable choices make Oedipus responsible for his crimes. From his dealings with the Oracle at Delphi and his actions while traveling to Thebes one can determine Oedipus’s terrible decisions make him undeniably responsible.
It seems that fate’s reach stretches only so far and that many Oedipus’ decisions were his own. Oedipus may have been destined to share an incestuous relationship with his mother and to kill his father, but the other aspects of his life were a result of his choices. While every path led in one direction, there remained paths from which to choose. As a result, Oedipus maintained the freedom to choose how his life would end. He could have merely accepted his banishment, leaving to lead a meaningful life elsewhere. Instead, he blinded himself, thus ensuring a life of pain and suffering.
Ironically, had he not been ignorant to the identities of his parents before leaving Corinth, Oedipus wouldn 't have killed Laius, and therefore couldn 't marry his mother; also Oedipus is blissful not knowing the truth. In a conversation between Oedipus and his wife/mother Jocasta, Oeidpus reflects on his day, still wondering more; as he speaks with his wife, Oedipus slowly begins to put pieces together and powerfully comes to the realization that he is the corruption which he has cursed. "Strange, hearing you just now... my mind wandered, my thoughts racing back and forth. (Sophocles, 293)" This marks the point where Oedipus conveys that he is putting the pieces of his prophecy together (the prophecy called for him to murder his father, and marry his mother). His mind 's wandering and thoughts ' racing relate to his actions, wandering away from his home to escape marrying his mother, and hastily killing his father unbeknownst to him. "Oh no no, I think I 've just called down a dreadful curse upon myself - I simply didn 't know! (Sophocles, 294)" Oedipus stutters again, this time on the word "no," indicating his bewilderment when he sees his ego is being tarnished. He had made up a curse to
To destroy Oedipus, the gods granted the power of prophecy to oracles that delivered these prophecies to Laius and Jocasta. As a result, they kill their child to get rid of him and his terrible prophecies. Unfortunately, these prophecies came true because Oedipus didn’t know his real parents. If he had known his real parents, he wouldn’t have killed his father and married his mother.
Sophocles demonstrates in the play Oedipus the King that a human being, not a God, ultimately determines destiny. That is, people get what they deserve. In this play, one poorly-made judgment results in tragic and inescapable density. Oedipus fights and kills Laius without knowing Laius is his father. Then, Oedipus's pitiless murdering causes several subsequent tragedies such as the incestuous marriage of Oedipus gets into the flight with Laius. However, Oedipus's characteristics after Laius's death imply that Oedipus could avoid the fight as well as the murder of his father, but did not. Ultimately, Oedipus gets what he deserves due to his own characteristics that lead him to murder Laius: impatience, delusion, and arrogance.
“…[Oedipus] never saw, [n]or knew what he did when he became [his kids] father.”(Sophocles, 1485-1486). The gods are not only punishing Oedipus of the crimes of his parents, but also Oedipus’s kids since “[t]he scandal [will] cling to all [his] children.”(Sophocles, 1494). Not only did Oedipus have to suffer the loss of sight and his mother, but also the knowledge that “..for [his children]; [their] days, can only end in fruitless maidenhood,”(Sophocles, 1498-1499), all because he had no control over his fate, to control the actions the gods had set for him. Though Jocasta’s and Laius’s children and grandchildren had nothing to do with their sins, the god’s had punished both generations. The gods were not punishing Oedipus for conducting treasonous acts with his mother and father but instead because they had wanted to make a fool of Oedipus which is why they had him decree to the citizens of Thebes that for the person who murdered Lauis “[their] fate will be nothing worse [t]han banishment.”(Sophocles, 228-229). The gods knew that Oedipus would fulfill his fate since he was born, which leads one to believe that they must have also known that Oedipus would