Justice In Oedipus The King

Oedipus didn’t realise the significance of laius’s death until later when he remembered the crime he had committed and confessed it all to Jocasta. when confessing he told jocasta “I killed him. I killed them all. Ah! If laius is this unknown man, there’s no one in this world so doomed as I” (Sophocles 45) He realized that he went too far and now the gods were trying to punish him for testing their power, and he made this clear when he stated “And who but I have done it all?

Oedipus has sight but lacks the ability to fully comprehend situations in multiple scenes. He is unable to interpret many clues given to him along the way, ultimately leading to his wife’s (and mother’s) death along with his own downfall as well. Oedipus requested Tiresias to help him stop the plague by figuring out who killed Laius, the past king of Thebes. When Tiresias was hesitant to tell Oedipus that he was the true murderer, he recanted all the praise he gave the prophet and said, “You will not explain / what you understand, but rather intend / to betray us and destroy the city. / … You worst of wicked men!” (Sophocles 348-350, 353). With this, the wise Tiresias said, “You have found fault with my anger, but your own, / living within you, you did not see, but blamed me” (Sophocles 356-357). His anger for not receiving what he asked of Tiresias was blinding, even though in the end it brings his Fate to the

While Oedipus and Teiresias are quarrelling, Oedipus says, “You’re nothing but a nuisance here, and one I can do without” (Sophocles 26). Clearly Oedipus is not thinking straight and knows that Teiresias is correct. However, Oedipus is failing to recognize that he is making a fool of himself instead of just accepting the fact that Teiresias says that Oedipus is the murderer of his father King Laius. Oedipus’s pride continues to cause him to not accept the truth, which is another flaw of his until he learns to accept the truth. When Oedipus learns that the details of Laius’s death match up with details of an encounter he had with an older man he starts telling his backstory. Oedipus was talking with Jocasta, his wife and mother and tells her the entirety of where he came from. Oedipus was so caught up in his story that he claims, “I killed him. I killed them all,” (Sophocles 45). This release of emotions allowed Oedipus to finally recognize and accept the truth that he is the one who killed King Laius. Oedipus demonstrates catharsis in

Details align with his upbringing with his parents, Merope and Polybius, however, one aspect of Jocasta's story sparks thought into his mind. The location of where Laius' murder occurred coincidentally matched up with his whereabouts before becoming the king of Thebes. Oedipus questions Jocasta on every detail of the events of the murder. From the number of people killed that day and the looks of Laius, Oedipus begins to piece together the story and where he fits into it. From that, he states, "Can we bring him back, quickly?

While investigating into the murder, Oedipus finally starts to recognize that it was his own tragic flaws, or hamartia, that caused him to murder his father and to marry Jocasta, his mother. Oedipus would have never married Jocasta if he didn’t want power as much as he did. Laius would not have been murdered if Oedipus was only able to control his short temper. Oedipus figures out that his bad luck was the consequence of his own sins and not because of

As a precursor to the story, King Laius of Thebes was told that he would one day die at the hands of his son. In an attempt to ensure this fate would not come true, Laius ordered that his and his wife, Jocasta’s firstborn child’s feet be pinned together and the child be abandoned on a mountain. Behind Laius’ back, the child was saved and brought to Polybus, king of Corinth, whose childless wife, Merope, took the child as her own, naming him Oedipus. Another fate enters into the story when the Delphic oracle tells Oedipus that he would one day kill his father and marry his mother. Believing the oracle was referring to Polybus and Merope, Oedipus vowed to never to return to Crointh and instead traveled to Thebes.

King Oedipus’ problem is that he is too arrogant. His arrogance is what causes him to be “blind”. Not knowing he was the killer of Laius made him blind. He was also blind to the fact that Jocasta, his wife, who actually his mom, and Laius was his dad. Although people kept dropping hints to him, but his ignorance and his overbearing attitude didn’t allow him to see the truth. For instance, a blind prophet named Tiresias tried to point out to Oedipus who the killer was, hoping he’d catch on. While having a conversation about the killer with the seer Tiresias, Oedipus states, “All right King, you mock my blindness…You think you know your parents, but you are blind to the fact that you are their worst enemy!” (Oedipus the King 46). Even though the blind prophet basically told him everything, his arrogance got in his way. Therefore, Oedipus is torn when he finds out about his parents.

Jocasta tells Oedipus the prophecy of her husband's death when she claims” he still would not make the death of Laius what is was supposed to be-for Apollo said clearly that Laius was to be killed by my so.” (pg 47). Although Oedipus was somewhat concerned that he would have been the murder Laius, But he never considered the possibility of him being Laius’s son. They both heard the shepherds story and Jocasta realised the truth “ In God’s name, if you place any value on your life, don't pursue the search. It is enough that I am sick to death.”

When the Greeks received bad prophecies, they often tried to avoid their fate through actions of their own. When Laius hears that his son will kill him, he tries to avoid it. He, along with Iocaste, pins their child’s legs together and gives him to a messenger to be disposed of on a mountain. However, out of pity for the boy, the messenger gives the baby to a shepherd of a nearby town, Corinth. Thus the boy grows up to become Oedipus. Later in his life, Oedipus learns

Even Though Laius got Oedipus out of his life, Oedipus still ends up fulfilling the prophecy and kills Laius and marry his mother. The character's behavior changed significantly after they found out their destiny. Using king Laius for an example, when he was informed of his destiny he immediately started acting insane and gave his

Oedipus the King is a tragedy that displays irony throughout the play. In the play, King Laius and his wife Jocasta learn that in the prophecy their newborn son, Oedipus, will kill his father and marry his mother. In order to prevent the prophecy from occurring, they decide to bind and tie his ankles and then abandoned him. When Oedipus grew up, he eventually learned about this prophecy and decided to leave his parents. What he did not realize was that the parents who raised him were not his biological parents. On his voyage to Thebes, Oedipus ended up in a chariot accident

Oedipus did not know that his mother was going to be his wife. He was told from when he was only the prince of Corinth that he will end up sleeping with his mother. During the investigation of King Laius, the blind prophet is providing a detailed crime scene and interviewing the only eyewitness to his murder. In curiosity, Oedipus asks about who his biological parents are so he can finally know the truth and settle the rumors. The Theban Shepherd confirms that his parents are in fact Laius and Jocasta. Oedipus and Jocasta have not seen each other since the day he was born. Many years ago, she gave her three-day-old infant to her servant to be killed because she knew about the prophecy. Behind her back, the servant gives Oedipus to a childless royal couple living their separate lives without knowing each other. Jocasta tried to change their destiny, but their fate was already chosen for them. Regardless of Oedipus knowing that his wife was his mother, he still committed incest. “But now all god-deserted, born in sins, in incest joined with her who gave

Justice is when someone does something to prevent an event from happening or to make something right. Oedipus thought running away from his non-biological father was justified because he was told he would kill him and marry his mom so, he did not want that to happen so he ran away. He then killed his biological father and married his biological mother. Oedipus defines justice because when he ran away from his non-biological father he was trying not to hurt anyone or marry anyone he did not want to.

Often the past will present answers to questions about the future as well as questions of the now, and in Oedipus Rex, Oedipus’ past plays an integral role in his pursuit of righting the wrongs that are affecting him in the present. In the play, Oedipus must identify who has killed Laius in order to exile them to solve the qualms of his people, and in a dialogue with Jocasta, who happens to be his wife as well as his mother, she reveals to him details of the death of Laius that seem far too familiar for his comfort (Sophocles 27). This revelation of information acts as a catalyst that forces Oedipus to make the connection between his past and what Jocasta is telling him. This realization that he may have been responsible for Laius’ death exposes him to the weight of the pursuit of justice sometimes hold for humans. Through this dialogue, Oedipus comes to fear that he is the culprit of the scandal that is plaguing the situation, thus putting him in the position of a criminal who will face the due punishment for the crime. This internal conflict that Oedipus experiences creates and

Oedipus rises as a hero, but eventually loses his power when he faithfully commits to terrible deeds. Jocasta, the wife and mother to Oedipus, doubts that the oracle of Apollo is genuine. Since she and her previous husband, King Laius, left Oedipus to die in the mountains, they refuse to believe the oracle. She claims that “ ..It was fate that he should die a victim at the hands of his own son, a son to be born of Laius and me. But, see now, he, the king, was killed by foreign highway robbers at a place where three roads meet” (Sophocles, 493: 791-796). Despite Jocasta and Laius’s intentions to change their fate, the prophecy remains unfeigned. The fact that Oedipus is alive even after being abandoned, is evidence that their fates are