Examples Of Virtuous Lens In Oedipus The King By Sophocles

Not only does Oedipus live, but he thrives and matures as a prince of Corinth. His royal upbringing has several consequences for the unsuspecting Laios and Jocaste. First, Oedipus is a noble young man. Upon hearing from the Oracle that his destiny is to murder his father and marry his mother, breeding children with her (205), Oedipus promptly leaves the Corinthian territory in a loving and noble effort to avoid committing this terrible deed upon those whom he loves.

Oedipus’ pride and a heightened sense of confidence is very conspicuous throughout the play Oedipus Rex. From the beginning of the play, Oedipus accepts the idea that he can avoid the prophecy given to him by the gods. Oedipus is also seen interrogating Creon and attempting to banish him with Tiresias towards the end of the play because they are saying facts corresponding to the prophecy. He tries to become like a god himself by thinking he could control his own fate. Although Oedipus’ pride can be justified by his accomplishments of being king; the tragedy of Oedipus is the pure result of his overwhelming pride because he killed his father, mocked Tiresias, and blinded himself.

Oedipus is very prideful, because of his role as King. He’s accustomed to his power and is spoken to with respect. Having someone assassinate his

Oedipus shows being very prideful when he leaves his adopted parents in Corinth. Oedipus leaves after hearing his fate from the oracle. The prophet tells Oedipus that he will one day kill his father and marry his mother. Fearing this, Oedipus decides to leave Corinth in doing this he is going against the gods. At this point his pride is taking over and he is trying to control his own destiny.

It is said that the truth will set you free, but in the case of Sophocles’ Oedipus, the truth drives a man to imprison himself in a world of darkness by gouging out his eyes. As he scours the city for truth, Oedipus’ ruin is ironically mentioned and foreshadowed in the narrative. With these and other devices Sophocles illuminates the king’s tragic realization and creates a firm emotional bond with the audience.

Throughout the tragedy by Sophocles, the king Oedipus relies on his personal glory to attain long lasting fame and balks when confronted with anything that might shatter this perception that he is the best. While both characters have done marvelous deeds in the past, their inherent arrogance, which is part of the tragic flaw of each of the characters,

Oedipus' pride is an essential characteristic throughout the play. Even before Oedipus came into power as the King of Thebes he allowed his arrogance to control his judgment and reign over his actions. Oblivious to his knowledge, Oedipus fulfills Apollo's oracle when he

One way Oedipus shows excessive pride is by running away from Corinth to escape his fate. Once Oedipus finds out that he is destined to kill his father and marry mother he tries to escape this tragedy by running away from his adopted family. In “Oedipus Rex” Fitts and Fitzgerald translates Oedipus’s feelings by stating, “Horrified, resolved to avert this fate, Oedipus determined never to return to Corinth.” Here we see that Oedipus is leaving his problems at Corinth, hoping to change his fate himself. Instead of leaving, he should have asked for mercy from the gods. He insulted them by rising above them and attempting to change their gift to

From a prideful, heroic king at the beginning of the play, to a tyrant in denial towards the middle, and finally to a fearful, condemned man, humbled by his tragic fate, Oedipus’ change personifies that which makes an unforgettable drama. When Oedipus is first introduced, he appears to be a confident, valiant hero and reasonably so. Taking into mind the background of the drama, we learn that this foreigner to Thebes arrives at the city limits, braves death, solves the Sphinx’s riddle and releases the city from the horrible terror. Only a man like Oedipus, a man possessing tremendous intelligence and self-confidence could have such courage. Although at times Oedipus questions the gods’ accuracy and authority, the people don’t mind because of the great deed he had done.

Throughout the play Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, Oedipus is faced with many problems. From the start of the play we are aware that Oedipus comes from a very messed up family line. As Lauren Silberman says, “Oedipus suffers the most grotesquely perverted family relationships imaginable”(Silberman 2). Oedipus has married his own mother after killing his father. Making Oedipus a husband and a son to Jocasta. Not only that, Oedipus also had four kids with his mother, making him a father and and a brother. When Oedipus found out what his prophecy was in the beginning of the play, he tried to avoid his fate by leaving Corinth and never returning because, he thought his parents were the king and queen. Ironically when he was leaving Corinth for good he

“Oh my children, the new blood of ancient Thebes, why are you here?” said Oedipus when addressing his people during his first appearance (1-2). Flamboyant, yes, well in Oedipus the King, the main character Oedipus is a boastful and pompous character faced with troublesome pasts and future predicaments. In actuality, he is king of Thebes and the rightful ruler, but when a plague strikes he is quickly led into a misfortune of events that ultimately leads him to dig his eyes out in attempt to relieve him from the truth he discovers. It then becomes a revelation to distinguish the characteristic fault which leads Oedipus through such tragedy. Only to become apparent, Oedipus’s excessive pride is the main culprit behind his tragic ending. In

Oedipus Rex is a form of literature that teaches life’s simplest lessons that people have trouble accepting today; the truth will always find its way out. Oedipus was just an ordinary man, raised by who he thought were his real parents, was strong and clever, saved the city of Thebes from the Sphinx and became the king. Though Oedipus might’ve seemed like a hero at first, accusations were made against him about the murder of King Lauis and that’s where everything unraveled. No matter how hesitant and neglective he was discovering the truth, it all started making sense to him. Oedipus had no idea he married his own mother and had kids with her as well. However, Jocasta thought she could outsmart the prophecy by sending Oedipus to his death, as a baby, but the messenger and the Shepherd saved him and Oedipus’s destiny had yet to come true. This proves that one cannot stop something from happening, and cannot hide from the truth

Oedipus’ pride regardless of the class he is born into has led him to ignore Jocasta’s warning believing that she will be dismissive of him if he was born of low social standing. This pride has also fueled Oedipus’ determination to discover who he is and to learn the truth of his parentage which as modern audiences know will lead to his own fall from grace to ruin.

The famed tragedian Sophocles is known for his unique ideas and intellect. Sophocles carefully utilizes of all of his intelligence and creative ability in order to make use of illuminating moments throughout the play which allow his audience to draw conclusions about free will, fate, knowledge, and power throughout perhaps his most iconic play, Oedipus Rex. the main character Oedipus experiences an illuminating moment when he gouges his eyes out at the discovery of the truth about his actions. This illumination is expressed in order to express Sophocles’ idea that fate overpowers free will.

Oedipus’s life and destiny was said to be set by the god’s, but together with his parent’s lies and his own ignorance, he brought upon his downfall foretold so long ago. It was only when he was born that a prophecy of Oedipus, who was to kill his father and marry his mother. Terrified and without much thought of the consequences, Iokaste and Laius abandoned the child to die. Oedipus did not die. Instead he became a strong and well respected prince, who believed his real parents were king and queen of Corinth. Oedipus’s adoptive parents kept him in the dark about his true identity. For this reason, when ignorant Oedipus hears of his prophecy, he runs away terrified. Ironically, on his journey away from home, he encounters his real father, Laius King of Thebes, which he kills due to an argument. Moreover, he goes on to become King of Thebes and husband of Iokaste, his biological mother. So, without realizing, the fate that Oedipus wanted to impede so badly occurs right before his eyes, showing that fate “lies within Apollo’s competence/As it is his concern” (Oed.