Preview

Oedipus Rex Persuasive Essay Example

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
841 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Oedipus Rex Persuasive Essay Example
Oedipus Rex Persuasive Essay

I believe the main point Sophocles was trying to convey in the story “Oedipus Rex” was that you have to be accountable for your actions. He shows this by the use of dramatic, situational, and many more different kinds of irony. Sophocles also uses foreshadowing to show how Oedipus needs to be accountable for his actions. Sophocles is teaching his audience an important life lesson.
Sophocles shows his audience that you have to be accountable for your own actions. He does this by showing the audience that no one could have stopped Oedipus from fulfilling his life’s prophecy. In the play “Oedipus Rex” Sophocles tells the story of a man, who is now king of Thebes. He was born in a different land and was told a prophecy that he would kill his own father and wed his mother. When he heard this he fled from the land and came to Thebes where he claimed the throne and became their king.
Oedipus is a head strong person. Who often doesn’t think before he speaks, such as when he says, “And for myself I pray that if he should, with my knowledge, become a resident of my house, I may suffer the same things which I have just called down on others.” Oedipus says this not knowing that he himself is the murderer and that he will punish himself. Oedipus also makes judgments and decisions before he knows all the facts. One example of this is when Creon says, “Kinswoman, Oedipus, your husband, wants to do one of two terrible things to me, either thrust me from the land of my fathers or to arrest and slay me.” Oedipus is so angry with Creon that he does not think before accusing him even though Creon is trying to protect Oedipus.
Since Oedipus’ character is flawed it helps support Sophocles’ point of saying that you are accountable for your own actions. This is shown the best when Oedipus tells his wife, Jocasta, that while he was traveling to Thebes he ran into a man on the road who tried to push Oedipus from the path. Oedipus, having a short temper,

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Consequently, Oedipus can no longer be called a tyrant, let alone a king, after being humiliated in this way, unable to see or even walk without assistance. His attitude toward Creon also seems dramatically altered when the new king approaches Oedipus, who implores the audience: "Oh no, what can I say to him? How can I ever hope to win his trust? I wronged him so, just now, in every way. You must see that-I was so wrong, so wrong". In this way, Oedipus, who greatly humbles himself before Creon…

    • 90 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Pride In Oedipus Rex

    • 316 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The people believed at the time of Sophocles that an individual achieves his destiny as a result of his own fate. This is true in the case of Oedipus the king, whose anger; pride and blindness towards the truth bring his tragic downfall. At the start of the play, Oedipus is depicted as a confident ruler, who saved Thebes from the curse of Sphinx, furthermore, he becomes the king overnight. He declares his name gladly just as it were itself a recuperating charm: “Here I am myself— / you all know me, the world knows my fame: / I am Oedipus” (7–9). At the end, this pride becomes the curse for him (Sophocles, 1882).…

    • 316 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    As a result of his uncertainty and lack of knowledge, Oedipus’s actions become brazen and unjust. Showing his lack of knowledge of all the facts, he accuses Teirisias and Creon of conspiring to dethrone him, even though they are innocent. Creon tells Oedipus, “If you think that stubbornness without sense is a good gift you are not wise” (126). Here, Creon points out Oedipus’s rash judgment and persistence, yet Oedipus continues to be stubborn. Oedipus’s refusal to stop and admit that he is wrong exemplifies his hubris and contributes to his…

    • 691 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Oedipus Rex the character of Creon serves as a foil to Oedipus. Creon is portrayed as a rational, ethical, and dutiful leader who represents the need for a stable society. All the while Oedipus is portrayed as a rash, unreasonable, and overly confident king, who is constantly trying to keep up with his unavoidable fate. Creon shows his rationality when he replies to a question Oedipus asks by stating, "I don't know. And when I don't, I keep quiet" (line 635 page 670). This shows Creon's non-judgmental character and his desire to be just as a ruler. Creon also demonstrates that he is an ethical leader when he says, "Look, if you think crude, mindless stubbornness such a gift, you've lost your sense of balance" (line 615-616 page 669). Creon states this to Oedipus when Oedipus accuses Creon of being a traitor. Creon remains detached and does not over react to Oedipus's emotional outburst while and we get another glimpse of Oedipus's impetuous nature. Creon lastly shows his dutiful personality when he boldly states to Oedipus "Who in his right mind would rather rule and live in anxiety than sleep in peace?" (Line 654-655 page 670). This shows that Creon is an honorable man who follows his destiny to rule. This also once again points out Oedipus's flawed perspective.…

    • 547 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the study of Greek plays, one tries to recreate for an experience, to recapture something of what is meant to those for whom it was written. We know more about the life of Sophocles than we know do about the lives of any other Greek playwright, but this still is not a lot. Sophocles’ work has been said to be the pinnacle of Greek tragedy. Oedipus the King is something like the literary Mona Lisa of ancient Greece. It presents a nightmare vision of a world turned upside down; a decent man, Oedipus, becomes the king of Thebes, whilst in the process unknowingly fulfilling a prophecy that he would kill his father and marry his mother. As scholars, we are bound to relate this story through history, to ask what the writer really meant, how…

    • 869 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Although ruling with an iron ego, Oedipus has the admirable qualities that a leader of any place would and should possess; he has a deep devotion to the Theban population, “whose fame all men acknowledge” (Sophocles, 8). At the outset of the play, Oedipus’ intentions were honorable; he was determined to find Laius’ murderer and went to such lengths to end the plague on his people. His intentions were there and good. As a man of such noble status, he was dedicated to his people. Despite his dedication and apparent likability, it is his immense pride that disallows him from seeing his true nature: a hot-tempered, proud and cocky individual who ends up, in a paradox, blind as he “sees” the truth that he murdered his own father and has married and procreated with his mother, however unaware of that fact he was. Even in seeing his own truth, no pun intended, Oedipus begs for exile as a way to escape his cursed family; he asks his brother-in-law Creon to protect his daughters/half-sisters Antigone and Ismene in a move of selflessness counteracting his normally proud…

    • 1447 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Oedipus Rex is an Athenian tragedy by Sophocles. It tells the story of a man named and Oedipus who runs away from Corinth becoming the King of Thebes unintentionally fulfilling a prophecy he was trying to avoid. When Oedipus is told that he has fulfilled the prophecy he was desperately trying to run away from he goes through stages of denial before finally accepting his fate but even then he hasn't fully accepted what he has done.Sophocles develops the theme that the truth is hard to accept.…

    • 878 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Sophocles intertwines the contrasting ideas of fate and free will throughout Oedipus the King, and conclusively leaves it to the audience to determine the reason for the tragedy that occurs in the story. The Oracle informs Oedipus of his destined future, which is to eventually shed his own father’s blood and marry, as well as conceive children with, his mother. As the story plays out, Oedipus comes to the realization that he has indeed fulfilled the prophecy given to him. While he has an honor to uphold as King of Thebes, he disgraces his people with his actions of murder and incest. Ultimately, Oedipus’ character flaws are responsible for the disaster that takes place in the story, including his lack of self-control and anger, impulsive decision to marry Jocasta, and self admittance of fulfilling his destiny.…

    • 869 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Oedipus And Fences

    • 725 Words
    • 2 Pages

    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.…

    • 725 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Oedipus Vs Creon Essay

    • 856 Words
    • 4 Pages

    People began to get irritated with Oedipus and think differently about him when he acts sing-minded. One man was trying to help Oedipus figure something out, and Oedipus was not wanting to hear of his wrongs the man said to him:”You blame my mood and see not your own Which overcomes you; no, you’re bothering me”(lines 347-348). What is spoken to Oedipus shows how the one speaking, is irritated that Oedipus is blaming everything on others and not considering of what he could be doing mistakenly. Oedipus did not like to hear people's opinions on matters of his life; he only wanted people to believe what he thought to be true. While speaking to Oedipus a man says: “Your words, O king, are ill-spoken” (Oedipus The King 334) By saying this, he is doing his best but struggling to show Oedipus how ignorant he is being and how he is breaking up relationships with other by not listening to what people have to say about him. Oedipus is not intentionally trying to ruin his relationships with others, but his pride keeps him from repenting from his wretched…

    • 856 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Sophocles’ Oedipus The King is a great tragedy, possibly one of the best. It is with pride that Oedipus in a way contributes to his downfall. Pride is the greatest factor when it comes to identifying his tragic flaw. His pride is what lead him to kill his father, leave Corinth, marry his mother, to answer the Sphinx’s riddle and etc. Oedipus did indeed possess a tragic flaw that lead to his downfall. This is how his tragic flaw lead to his…

    • 526 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex, Oedipus and others suffer because of his self-centeredness and his irreverence. Oedipus thinks that he is caring about everyone in the city, but he is only caring about himself, in reality. Oedipus has an act of only thinking about himself in a way like nobody else does and thinks that he is the only thing that is good in the city. Oedipus hurts people because of his self-centeredness.…

    • 699 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Fate vs Free Will

    • 1655 Words
    • 7 Pages

    This play shows an underlying relationship of man 's free will existing within the cosmic order or fate that the Greeks believed guided the universe. Man was free to choose and was held responsible for his own actions. Both the concepts of fate and free will played an essential part in Oedipus ' destruction. Although he was a victim of fate, he was not controlled by it. One example of Oedipus showing his free will is in the beginning of the play when there is a plague in Thebes that can only be stopped by finding King Laius’ killer. Oedipus tells Creon that he curses the killer of Lauis to live in exile, “Now my curse on the murderer, Whoever he is a lone man unknown in his crime or one among many, let that man drag out his life in agony, step by painful step” (Line 280-283). This quote shows free will because Oedipus tells Creon that whoever is the killer of Lauis, he is going to send him to exile in the mountains. He could have investigated the murder, but in his hastiness, he condemns the murderer, and in so, unknowingly curses himself. This example shows that although his fate is predetermined, he has the power to change its direction.…

    • 1655 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Many questions were raised against Oedipus in class argument about his character flaws, running from the fate, killing his father, marrying his mother, and insulting prophet etc. Here I would try to answer as much I can.…

    • 1505 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Oedipus Rex

    • 2535 Words
    • 11 Pages

    In Sophocles' Oedipus Rex, the theme of irony plays an important part through the play. What Oedipus does, what he says, and even who he is can sometimes be ironic. This irony can help us to see the character of Oedipus as truly a 'blind' man, or a wholly 'public' man.…

    • 2535 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays