While reading the play, a first impression of Oedipus can be portrayed as a compassionate and caring ruler and person. He wants the kingdom to be well and not to suffer. He shows confidence and intelligence to the people due to his previous encounter with the Sphinx. Furthermore, Oedipus wants to learn of the cities troubles himself as he stated "it would not be appropriate for me to learn of this from any other source, so I have come in person" showing his concern for his citizens. He is already showing his interest to aid in the troubles because the people "can be confident that [he] will help...[to] assist" them in any way that he can.…
A person of noble birth with heroic or potentially heroic qualities, defines a tragic hero. A young man known by the name Oedipus, died a tragic hero. Throughout his life, he was faced with situations that he just could not surpass which led to his gruesome destiny. He was born into a world where the future held nothing but lies and despair.…
According to McManus (1999), “In a perfect tragedy, character will support plot, i.e., personal motivations will be intricately connect parts of the cause-and-effect chain of actions producing pity and fear in the audience” (Paragraph 5). The pity and fear in Oedipus is apparent throughout the story. Peter Struck (2009) states, “Oedipus dynamic and multi-faced character emotionally bonds the audience; his tragic flaw forces the audience to fear for him, without losing any respect; and his horrific punishment elicits a great sense of pity from the audience”(Paragraph 5). This pity helps reinforce the idea of a tragic hero, because Oedipus is not responsible for his flaws. Pity is displayed through multiple actions. One way pity is displayed is through Oedipus’ pleas to the god’s for forgiveness. Pity is also displayed as Oedipus punishes himself as well as receives punishment from Creon. According to Struck (2009), “In effect, Oedipus is dead, for he receives no benefits for the living; at the same time, he is not dead by definition, and so his suffering cannot end” (Paragraph 4). Despite atoning for his wrongdoings, Oedipus continues to suffer when the play ends. He suffers in the fact that he is blind and everything he once had and knew is no longer true for him. Oedipus blinds himself in order to pay for the sins that he committed against his family. This shows that Oedipus is not a coward and is able…
The main concentration of Oedipus was preventing his downfall in the story, but due to his inner blindness and the rest of his character flaws he was unsuccessful in this journey, which is the reason that Oedipus was a static character throughout the whole story. He has various flaws, which always started multiple conflicts in the story, all of which gradually directed him to his downfall in the plot of the play. All of the shortcomings of Oedipus are the reason for his quick, horrific downfall from his kingliness into poor, ever-wandering blind man he has become by the conclusion of the story.…
Sophocles' Oedipus Rex revolves around the story of Oedipus, who now is King of Thebes, searching for the murderer of the past king. The tragedy is not so much that Oedipus is the murderer and committing incest with his mother. After all, he was fated to do so, and Oedipus commits these crimes unknowingly. The real tragedy of Oedipus is his trying to defy his destiny and compounding the troubles with his pride. Oedipus has the chance to stop the search for the murderer before the investigation starts. Even blind Teiresias, who tells Oedipus that he is the guilty party, wants Oedipus to stop although Teiresias can see the outcome and knows Oedipus' destiny. It is Oedipus' pride that, in telling the members of his court that he will search for the murderer, leads him down the ever narrowing path to the truth and his pride that will not allow him to stop the search.…
* showcase your critical thinking skills through analysis and insight and must demonstrate control of the topic at hand.…
“Oedipus the King” is a drama that portrays misfortune that dwells among mankind. The tragic sequence of events first starts with the birth of Oedipus. His biological parents are stricken with grief when they discover a secret that causes them to banish their son from the city of Thebes. Little did they know that, despite their actions, fate would still play out which would, in turn, cause the society of Thebes to be stricken by the plague. Although many people suffered from the unfortunate destiny of Oedipus, perhaps the person that suffered the most was Oedipus himself. Oedipus endured an unforgiving reality check after being blindsided by the current state of his life.…
Oedipus The King is most likely one of the greatest tragedies ever recorded. This play tells the story of the great downfall of a once honored king who by the end of the story, becomes a great curse. This is mainly due to his great sense of pride. It was believed by the Greeks that people with this immense pride thought that they were above the gods. Aristotle believed that the protagonist of every tragedy must have some type of tragic flaw that will eventually lead to his demise. To Oedipus ,of Oedipus The King, pride is his tragic flaw that leads to his downfall. Some examples of his pride taking over him were: when he correctly answered the Sphinx’s riddle, when he abandoned his adoptive parents in Corinth, and when he killed Laius in the crossroads.…
rule of thebes: "What is it that walks on 4 feet and 2 feet and 3 feet…
Of all the tragedies that Greek playwright Sophocles created in his illustrious career, the one that stands out as his masterpiece, and quite possibly one of the greatest of all the Greek tragedies is Oedipus the King. The tragedy focuses on the life and downfall of the unfortunate King Oedipus, who was condemned by the oracle at an early age to murder his father and marry his mother. Despite the oracle’s grim prediction, Oedipus was responsible for his own downfall due to his overly proud and impetuous attitude, and his own intellect and diligence.…
"What walks on four legs at dawn, two legs at noon, and three legs at nightfall." This was the riddle posed by the Sphinx who at the time was destroying the city of Thebes. The riddle was solved by none other than Oedipus who was made king for ridding the city of the Sphinx. Ironically though, Oedipus in his life comes to embody the riddle of the Sphinx and its soulution. Firstly, the Sphinx is percieved as a curse on Thebes and Oedipus also becomes a curse by the end of the play. Secondly, Oedipus's physical health embodies the riddle. Thirdly, Oedipus's emotional state also resembles the riddle. Lastly, the events of Oedipus's life relate to the theme of identity in the play.…
Oedipus the King by Sophocles is about Oedipus, a man doomed by his fate. Like most tragedies, “Oedipus the King” contains a tragic hero, a heroic figure unable to escape his/her own doom. This tragic hero usually has a hamartia or a tragic flaw which causes his/hers’ downfall. The tragic flaw that Sophocles gives Oedipus is hubris (exaggerated pride or self-confidence), which is what caused Oedipus to walk right into the fate he sought to escape.…
“Oedipus the King” was a tale depicting the human experience; each human has a great victory, shortly accompanied by a great demise; the rollercoaster of life. Oedipus had his great success soon become the reason for his fall. With Oedipus’ deadly flaw being ‘hubris’; his excessive pride led him to believe he was on the level of ‘gods’. Once he paraded that he was invulnerable (untouchable by even the gods), his fall would be all the more tragic. Throughout the tale however, Oedipus uses many rhetorical devices towards all his subjects without even recognizing.…
The development of Oedipus’ character is essentially lead by a family secret. A secret can misguide our lives; it can mix up our identities and mold them into something we would not normally be. Also this clouds his mind and makes it difficult to make clear choices. [Evan Imber-Black pg2] Oedipus’ character is filled with fear and pride. The fear of Oedipus is fuelled by the frightening possibility of the prophecy being fulfilled. This makes him feel like the only option is to run away from his problems. After running, Oedipus is left feeling like he has forgotten his problems behind him and there is nothing that will be able to stop him so his pride starts to swell. Oedipus’ pride is starting to grow is because he has become a great king and feels like the prophecy is long gone. Problems within the city begin to arise at Oedipus’ feet he is lost in what actions he should take because he is blind to the truth, because he is the problem. When Oedipus seeks help through is pride he lashes out at Tiresias because in Oedipus’ mind the prophecy has been avoided. In the end Oedipus’ fear and pride could have been minor or not at all if he had known the truth about his heritage.…
The scholar Vellacott writes on Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex that “if [Oedipus] was to avoid heinous pollutions, he must make for himself two unreadable rules; never to kill an older man; and never to marry an older woman.” This is a highly unfair assessment of Oedipus’ character, and expects too much of any human. Oedipus’ innocence is shown in the fact that he was ignorant of his true origins, he was only human, and he was subject to fate. According to Polybus and Merope, Oedipus was their son.…