Analytical Essay Example: Oedipus the King

In the opening of Oedipus the King, Oedipus is portrayed as a caring and compassionate person. He seemed to be very concerned that the people of Thebes are suffering and wanted to find out why and how to fix as fast as possible. He declared that he would fix the problem regardless of what or who it was. However, within that same scene when Creon came back with the reasoning behind the suffering, it became more obvious that Oedipus was more arrogant than he was caring. He felt as though he could fix everything regardless of what it was. He was so confident that he could that even when Creon tried to tell him that it was best to discuss the problem in private, he insisted that it be told publicly in front of all the citizens of Thebes. Even after it was told what the problem was, he still felt as though it could solve the problem. His arrogance shows again when Tiresias tells him that he was the murderer. Instead of asking why Tiresias thought this, he immediately began to criticize and insult him. He also began to accuse Tiresias of conspiring with Creon to overthrow him. Although we know the truth now, at that time Tiresias could very well have just been telling him that something he did indirectly caused the death of Laius. Instead of trying to find out why Tiresias thinks he is the murderer, Oedipus immediately decides to doubt the powers of the prophet that he and all the other citizens have always believed. It wasn’t until Oedipus was told the truth about who he murdered and then his background that his arrogance began to become somewhat suppressed. At this point in the story it seems as though Oedipus has become shameful and full of embarrassment. He was ashamed fist that he was not the biological son of those he had always thought to be his parents. He was then ashamed that he had killed his father who was also the previous king of Thebes. Once he found out that the woman he was married to and had fathered children with was actually his mother, was