Suffering In Sophocles Oedipus The Tyrant

For the Greeks of ancient times, a source of entertainment was often found in the theaters, where great tragedies were performed. The narratives of these tragedies evoked in the audience feelings of pain and fear that were built up as the plot progressed; but were released as the tragic events transpired. The Greek audience not only obtained pleasure from this catharsis, or purification of emotions, but also acquired gratification from the ability to understand and connect with the hero. In the tragedy, Oedipus the Tyrant, the Greek philosopher Sophocles presents a paradigm of men that people can pity and identify with as he encounters his disastrous fate and experiences immense suffering. The character Oedipus was a tyrant, having seized the power
of Thebes by using his intelligence to answer the riddle of the Sphinx. He was symbolic of a man that was ambitious to take control of his surroundings, choose his own destiny, and even become equated with the gods. However, the gods had already determined an ill-fated future for Oedipus, hence he was ultimately defeated. Nevertheless, his heroism is evident when he comes to accept the truth of his existence, recover from his despair, and move on with determination.

When Oedipus is first presented in the play, he is established as a confident, concerned ruler that is esteemed by his subjects. He makes it clear in his opening speech that he is superior, stating “I Oedipus whom all men call the Great” (Oedipus 8). Furthermore, when the chorus comes to ask him if he could help them get rid of the plagues, he exuded the qualities of a knowledgeable king with great leadership attributes such as taking interest in his people’s affairs and accepting responsibility, “…sick though you are, that is as sick as I myself…My spirit groans for city and myself and you at once” (Oedipus 60). Although Oedipus is dedicated to ensuring that what they ask of him is resolved, he talks down to them full of pride, almost as if he was their savoir, “I sent Menoeceus’ son Creon…that he might learn there by what act or word I could save this city” (Oedipus 72). He feels overly confident in his powers and believes that he is capable of doing anything to ameliorate his city’s miseries. Oedipus’ passion and drive for rescuing Thebes will ultimately lead to the fulfillment of his fate because he will stop at nothing and will not let anyone get in the way of his motives.

One of Oedipus’ greatest attributes is shown through his determination and vigorous courage in searching for his identity; he displays a willingness to know the truth despite the consequences.
In his quest for the answer of the source of the plague, he sometimes encounters characters that are hesitant to reveal the truth. His first confrontation is with Teiresias, a blind prophet that he seeks for assistance. Teiresias, despite threats and insults from Oedipus, refuses to give him the answer to the mystery of Laius’ death, which is critical to resolving the problem of the plagues. As a result, Oedipus’ temper escalates and his persistence to know the truth drives him to press forward for the answer, which finally leads to a revelation from Teiresias, “I say that with those you love best you live in foulest shame unconsciously and do not see where you are in calamity” (Oedipus 367). The irony of this statement is that at the time it was said, Oedipus is mentally unaware of the circumstances in his life, but physically able to see. By the end of the story when he realizes the plague was brought on by his own misdoings, he carves out his eyes: he then becomes literally blind, but mentally conscious of his
situation.

As Oedipus’ weaknesses begin to emerge, his limitations as a human become clear and so does the imminence of his dreadful fate. The play initially foreshadows his shortcomings as a mere mortal when a priest begs the king to rid Thebes from the plagues: “We have not come as suppliants to this altar because we thought of you as of a God, but rather judging you the first of men in all the chances of this life and when we mortals have to do with more than man” (Oedipus 31). In this statement, Oedipus is acknowledged as a mortal figure that is a subordinate to omnipotent gods and thus susceptible to human faults. Later, when he is agruing with Teiresias, he exhibits arrogance and contempt for prophecy by claiming his greatness in intellect over the prophet, “…where have you seen clear, Teiresias, with your prophetic eyes? When the dark singer, the sphinx, was in your country, did you speak word of deliverance to its citizens?...I solved the riddle by my wit alone” (Oedipus 390). He foolishly believes that his own knowledge could be greater than that of a prophet who can reveal divine truths. Furthermore, Oedipus’ impulsive mind leads him to frequently make hurried conclusions about the people around him. He falsely accuses Creon of betraying him without baring any existing evidence, “…if my friend Creon, friend from the first and loyal, thus secretly attacks me, secretly desires to drive me out…” (Oedipus 385). Sophocles’ play in this sense attempts to demonstrate that a human’s intelligence cannot overcome all obstacles.

Oedipus’ quest to find former king Laius’ killer becomes a quest to find himself as the story progresses. His search however takes an unexpected turn as the story continues to evolve. After Oedipus has dismissed Creon and declared him a traitor, Jocasta, his wife, (and unknowingly his mother) tells him of a prophecy that she speculates was never fulfilled; that her son would grow up to kill his father. Oedipus knows his prophecy is to kill his brother and marry his mother, however he cannot make the connection between the man that he killed and Laius. He mistakenly believes that the more control he hoards in his present, the greater power he will have over his fate. In reality however every prophecy told to Jocasta, Laius and Oedipus comes true even while the characters are trying to figure everything out, more prominently Oedipus. What is ironic is too take note that such a knowledgeable man has refuge in his ignorance about his own past and present actions. When he finds out that all the prophecy’s have taken place and they are all centered around his malices’, he gouges his eyes out. He does this not only to punish himself, but Sophocles writes about a man who understands the graveness of being intellectually aware. If he couldn’t see what was right in front of his eyes, then in retrospect he does not need his eyes for they deceived him and led him to wrongdoing.

The motif of free will is strong in this play, we believe that the intent Sophocles had for his audience was to show the overpowering presence of greater powerful Gods and in essence our inability to disregard or avoid them. That is why Oedipus is a true model for mankind, he is determined to create his own destiny because he believes he has power over himself. He is able to attain this success and power through his intelligence and exertion. However, he quickly loses himself because he lacked the knowledge of his true identity and had already been destined to a conflicted life. When he learned the truth of his existence, he displays a sense of defeat. Nevertheless, he is able to quickly regain his composure and reconcile with his fate. Oedipus shows that the greatness of man is presented when he acknowledges his faults and learns from them, while accepting the consequences. The Gods are never mentioned, however their quite yet extremely powerful presence over Oedipus and the whole population serves as a perfect example of how the greater powers work, and their influence on even the most prominent actors in society. Oedipus is limited as a hero because only the gods possess the qualities of infinite existence and perfection. In spite of this reality, he shows his heroism as a mortal being that can handle struggles as well as adversity. These conditions do not apply to the Gods because their mere existence is victory in itself.