Oedipus Personality

Oedipus’ hot temper was a major factor in his undoing. On many occasions, his quick bursts of fury backfired on him. For instance, when Tiresias keeps refusing to reveal the identity of the killer to Oedipus, Oedipus becomes aggravated. “‘You won’t talk? Nothing moves you? Out with it once and for all!’” (Fagles 276). The king’s prodding got under Tiresias’ skin, and Tiresias releases the truth. Oedipus is quick to deny the prophecy, but if not for Oedipus’ hasty temper the awful truth wouldn’t have been forced to the surface. Additionally, Oedipus accuses Tiresias of conspiring with Creon against him. “...‘I have such fury in me’…‘You helped hatch the plot, you did the work, yes, short of killing him’…” (Fagles 276). This creates a divide between the two lords, causing even more conflict. Ultimately,
His insistence on the truth is how he displays his wild curiosity. In addition, his inability to convey humility and his intense desire to solve the riddle of the murder demonstrate his inquisitiveness best. When the doomed king learns of the source of Thebes’ suffering, he takes it upon himself to find the truth. “‘I’ll bring it all to light myself!’” (Fagles 268). Moreover, he insists that he should be the one to find the killer since he is king. He seeks out the truth, yet his spirit of inquiry uncovers more than just the identity of the killer. “‘Apollo told me once―it is my fate―I must make love with my own mother, shed my father’s blood with my own hands’” (Fagles 304). Doomed, King Oedipus fails to grasp the fact that the entirety of the truth is more than he can handle; it consumes him and leads him to his ruin. On the verge of verifying the prophecy, the doomed king’s curiosity is still evident as he tells Jocasta “‘I must know it all, must see the truth at last’” (Fagles 307). His longing to find the source of Thebes’ suffering―his curiosity―causes him to figuratively and literally be