15. How does Jocasta try to assure Oedipus that he is not guilty of Laius’ death?…
Oedipus believed that kicking laius chariot off the road was justice. He didn’t keep it a secret that he kicked the chariot off the road. He thought that since they are blocking my way and I need to get through the only thing to do is kick their chariot off the road. Oedipus didn’t think that what he was doing was a crime. He didn’t think twice about it because it was justice in his eyes.…
At the beginning of the play Oedipus proclaims justice for the death of Laius. Oedipus claims that he will avenge Laius’ death with the bloodshed of his killer. Being willing to fight for what is right for your people, or in this case your wife, is a more than heroic quality. Not only is he willing to fight for just but he is adamant about it. Throughout the entire play he is in search of the Laius’ killer. A hero overcomes the obstacles and brings victory out of defeat by strength of might and wisdom. Yet most of the Greek heroes had an Achilles’ heel that doomed them. Oedipus is no different. He runs away to protect those he loves, only to find he destroys those he loves as well as himself. He kills his own father with strength of might and ignores the wise warnings of Tiresias. When did he begin to realize that he was sitting on the throne of his own father, whom he had murdered? Oedipus fits the profile of a tragic hero because though he spent the whole play fighting for justice and searching for the answer he is longing for, searching for the cold killer of Laius and promising vengeance by spilling the blood of the murderer. He crumbles and becomes the fool when he finds out that his blood is the answer. In the end his people win their battle over the chaos, but he loses the fight inside himself. Oedipus realizes the metaphorical blindness that has been hindering him throughout the play and decides that the only way to make it right is to physically blind himself with Jocasta’s…
So we can see that because of Oedipus' excessive pride and determination to avoid his 'fate', he walked straight into it. He even mocks the fact that Tiresius is blind because in line 353 and 354, Oedipus says to Tiresius, "If you could see, I should have said the deed was yours alone. We can see this when he is talking to Creon, asking him to take him into exile (lines1525-1533). When avenging Jocasta's previous husband, and his true father, King Laius' death, he was blinded by his pride to the concept that perhaps he was the murderer. Now Oedipus not only sees how the prophecy was played out, but also is able to look beyond the surface of things. As the very last statement from the Chorus says, "we must wait, and see his end, scrutinize his dying day, and refuse to call him happy till he has crossed the border of his life without p!ain. law of Oedipus excessive pride, or 'hubris. This I do not see as a downfall, because had he not realized his fate, he would have lived in ignorant bliss for the rest of his life. Then, when Tiresius still declines to tell Oedipus of his fate, Oedipus starts to accuse Tiresius as being the one who killed Laius. He had fulfilled the prophecy because of his own actions, which he had believed were beneficial. His pride of conquering the Sphinx led him to the marriage of Jocasta, his mother. However, other events opened his eyes to the tragedy, which had taken place http://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/6780... ---------------- He was blinded (not literally) by his ego. His pride made him so conceited that he could not see beyond, and could not see to his past to learn from it. He committed the opposite mistakes as his father, whom he killed, his father believed too much in others; he didn't and believed too much in his own self but in a negative way. It wasn't that he knew who he really was but that he was who he wanted to believe he was and could not see past that image.…
“Tragedy is an imitation not of men but of a life, an action…” (Aristotle). Greek Tragedy was invented five hundred years Before Common Era, and focuses on the actions of characters. These actions emphasize the harsh reality in which the innocent mankind lives in. In Oedipus the King, Oedipus is defined as one with great potential, but has a hamartia leading to the ultimate demise of himself. Oedipus’ actions are tragic, as he tries to make the right choice but fails. He was dealt a hand that would only lead him to lose. Furthermore, Sophocles develops Oedipus as a relatable character which allows for catharsis to occur. Aristotle’s, The Poetics, explains the necessary components to create a powerful Tragedy. Oedipus the King is a powerful representation of Aristotle’s ideas on tragedy, so the purpose, protagonist, fall, and plot elements in Oedipus the King demonstrate the concepts of tragedy written in The Poetics.…
Oedipus believes that he is married to a woman he has no relation to, and that the parents he left behind are in fact his own. Teiresias, no longer willing to allow Oedipus to be blind says, " he shall be proved father and brother both to his own children in his own house; to her that gave him birth, a son and husband both; a fellow sower in his father's bed with the same father he murdered" (535- 539). Oedipus himself was ignorant to the fact that he married his mother and then is by blood the father and brother to his children. Regardless to the fact that, Oedipus is unaware of such circumstances they are still the true. In fact ignorance can not inhibit truth from being true. There is only so long Oedipus could be blind to the facts in front of him before he is truly able to see. After Teiresias' words Oedipus begins to question his wife, Jocasta, about her previous husband's murder. All she says leads him to fear that in fact he killed him. Jocasta mentions a shepherd who was still alive that witnessed the murder, so Oedipus decides that in order to figure out if he was the murder he would question the Shepard. In refrence to questioning the shepherd, Oedipus says to Jocasta, "I'll tell you; if I find that his story is the same as yours, I at least will be clear of this guilt" (974-975). Oedipus has guilt inside himself because he is aware that he killed the king. His…
King Oedipus tried to find out what killed Laius the King before he came to power, because the oracle told them that his murder needed to leave to free the city from disease. So the King used Creon to find men he needed to speak with in order to find out who killed Laius. King Oedipus did whatever he could to find out who killed Laius which was why he was thought of as a good king. I thought that he tried hard to help the people of Thebes, but it would come to haunt him in the future. Oedipus' wife Jocasta tells him where Laius was killed; she said it was at crossroads were Oedipus remembers killing a few men that were bothering him on the way to Thebes. Jocasta dreads telling Oedipus about the crossroads because without this information I believe Oedipus would never have found out the truth and would have given up his search. Oedipus then realizes that he was most likely the one to kill Laius.…
Oedipus is innocent because he sinned unknowingly. If Oedipus had not received a prophecy from the gods saying that he would kill his father and marry his mother, he would never have left Corinth. The prophecy would never of happened if it was not said. The same goes for Laius’s prophecy. It is not Oedipus’s fault that he killed…
“ I hate the murders who killed my father. O, can this be justice, ( pg 128 ).” Oedipus finds out that he has murdered Laius, who was his father, and that he married his mother. The plot goes on to describe how he came about doing such horrific things. At first, Oedipus seems to be the villain, but it can't be so, because he did not know that he was adopted, and that the person he killed was his father. of course, he didn't know that he is marrying his mother either. A prophet named Teiresias enters next and Oedipus asks him for help discover who has killed Laius. However, the prophet is extremely reluctant to speak and begs Oedipus to let him go without saying what he knows. He then gives him some disturbing news, that Oedipus is the person whom he seeks and who killed Laius. Oedipus does not want to listen and calls the prophet a liar and a traitor, even saying that Creon, who sent him, was the designer in a plot against him to gain the throne. The prophet warns Oedipus that even if he doesn't want to hear the truth, it does not make it any less truth that he speaks. Several characters are willing to sacrifice themselves to save Thebes from destruction or for what they believe is right and just. Creon, for example, is ready to die in order to save the city. Teiresias offers to have himself killed when Oedipus suspects him of betraying the trust of…
What is the effect of Oedipus' insistence and promises regarding the hunting down and punishing of the murderer of Laius? What does this suggest concerning his character as well as the meaning of Sophocles' play?…
When Oedipus realized that he may have committed the very crime he is trying to solve, he says “I think that I myself may be accurst by my own ignorant edict.” (Pg. 40) Here, he even finds himself ignorant. Oedipus was unknowing of many things prior to this discovery; one which was who did it. Who killed Laius? When he found out it was himself it all fell into place. Oedipus killed his father and was sleeping with/had children with his mother. Ignorance was the only way for him. Ignorance was the best…
In The Oedipus Cycle, all the characters are constantly faced with situations that challenge their judgement and morality. While they all encounter similar ethical questions, the characters in The Oedipus Cycle all resolve their dilemmas in different ways. From the logic-minded nature of Antigoné to the overconfident nature of Oedipus, the way each and every character of The Oedipus Cycle deals with major moral dilemmas is an insight into not only their unique personalities, but also their status in society. The Oedipus Cycle, in short, is a comprehensive analysis of the relationship between power and morality.…
When Oedipus calls on Teiresias to reveal the identity of King Laios' killer, Teiresias reveals the murderer is Oedipus and Oedipus himself reacts in anger, rage, and denial. The chorus as well as Oedipus himself refuses to believe this, understandably. Instead of assessing the situation with level-headedness and a clear mind open to all possibilities, his anger blinds him as to what truly could have happened and, in his rage, he accuses both Creon and Teiresias of plotting against him.Oedipus was blinded from the start, ignorant to his true origins, thus, causing him to trigger the unavoidable chain of events that would lead to the fulfillment of the prophecy. He could not have made a conscious, well-informed decision on how to avoid the prophecy because he lacked the insight to do so. However, even if he had known beforehand, fate itself is unavoidable, rendering insight useless. The irony here lies within the themes of sight and blindness when applied to Teiresias in comparison to Oedipus. Oedipus, with both his eyes, as well as his knowledge and comprehensive skills, could not see the true nature of his actions in killing the…
When all else fails and his throne is taken out of his hands, his last hope is his children, specifically his daughters, - Antigone and Ismene. As Oedipus is dragged out of view, he exclaims,”No, don’t take them away from me,” (107). Even though Oedipus has nothing left, he still holds a place of love for his children in his heart, showing that he is not all arrogant as he seems. Furthermore, he is shown in complete sadness, being at the side of the deceased Jocasta. After barging into the room where Jocasta lay, he sees her and gives a “deep dreadful cry of sorrow and loosened the rope round her neck” (93). Believing that everything is his fault, he stabs himself in the eyes with sorrow. On the other hand, during the time Oedipus is unaware of the truth, he pledges to his people that he will most certainly catch the murderer who brought upon the demise of Laius. He acknowledges that under any circumstance the murderer will be caught, even if he/she resides in his own household. However, if with his own knowledge, the murderer stays in the house of Oedipus; “in that case he, himself, be subject to all the curses that he called down on the people” (15), This shows his determination to catch the murderer as cursing oneself is a courageous feat in that one must have complete confidence that they are doing the right thing. This act of bravery, once again, shows the genuine emotion of need to…
Jocasta’s advice worries Oedipus even more because on his way into the city he killed a man who resembled Laius. Oedipus every since he was a child was fated, when an oracle told him that he would kill his father and marry his mother. A messenger tells Oedipus that his father passed away from old age. The messenger also tells Oedipus that Polybus and Merope are not his biological parents, that he was the one who gave Oedipus to them. The messenger told him that it was a shepherd who gave him the baby. Oedipus anxious to find the truth decides to track down the shepherd to find out the truth about his real parents. Oedipus finds the shepherd and forces him to talk or he will kill him. The shepherd tells Oedipus that he is the son of Laius and Jocasta.…