Learning Through Experiences in Oedipus Rex by Sophocles

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’ character speaks the truth, acts openly, and is concerned with honor, but he did not have the gift of fortune. He acts rash and takes swift action that had consequences on his fate. Oedipus acted swiftly in finding Laios’ killer and more evidence led to himself, even though his wife told him to stop investigating his past. In today’s society it is tough to see any one worthy of being labeled “High-Minded”. People care more of what others see in them, than truth itself. Oedipus fought to find the truth of his past, though he knew there could be dire consequences. His honest approach proceeds to make him fit more high-minded qualities than most people would in today’s

Throughout the story Oedipus feeds his ego with either power or pride. In the opening passage Oedipus addresses the people of Thebes with these words. “I thought it wrong, my children, to hear the truth from others, messengers. Here I am myself—you all know me, the world knows my fame: I am Oedipus” (Oedipus Lines 6-9). In the opening passage his referring to his fame and power. This continues to be a problem throughout the story and inevitably be his down fall. In Oedipus, Sophocles shows you that having too much power and pride can cause your down fall.

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 Rex was not the abominable person that some people make him out to be. What happened to him was by the virtue of the gods of Ancient Greece, and he had no authority over his own life. The true antagonists in this play are the gods, tricking Oedipus into thinking he actually has control of his life, but really allowing Oedipus to spiral into a pit of depression and dolefulness because of his mild actions. Even at the start of the play,

Oedipus was a powerful man that had his life ruined by his excessive pride and selfishness. The same qualities that helped him to rise and become the king of Thebes also caused him to feel a lot of pain. He lost everything that he had gained in a short period of time. Oedipus learned that having power was not all that he thought it was. His life had been a lie and he actually didn’t know anything about the place he was born until he was instructed to save it. Oedipus himself caused his downfall with his selfishness and pride.

In short, Oedipus is a poor leader. He is irrational which leads to him being hot headed, and ultimately leads to him being naive and blind to the truth. The irrationality of this character shows readers that negative actions will lead to someone’s

Oedipus Rex is what is known as a tragedy of destiny, its tragic effects is said to lie in the contrast between the supreme will of the gods and the vain attempts of mankind to escape the evil that threatens them. (Knox, 1982,

Oedipus is a man of unflagging determination and perseverance, but one who must learn through the working out of a terrible prophecy that there are forces beyond any man’s conceptualization or control. Oedipus’ actions were determined before his birth, yet Oedipus’ actions are entirely determined by the Gods who control him completely. In the beginning of this tragedy, Oedipus took many actions leading to his own downfall. He tried to escape Corinth when he learned of the prophecies that were supposed to take place in his life. Instead, he

The first incidents of Oedipus’ arrogance and pride were when he went to the Oracle of Delphi about his lineage. Even though the Oracle did not answer the question about his lineage, the Oracle did give him a prophecy that he would kill his father and marry his mother. Thinking that he was doing the right thing by putting as much distance between his parents and himself, it was arrogance and pride that ruled him. He believed that he could out run the gods and defy prophecy. Another example of Oedipus’ arrogance was when he was forced off the road by another chariot; he lost his temper when the old man angered him causing the death of the old man and his aides. Because of his intelligence and his keen sense being able to solve riddles; again, his arrogance was when he solved the riddle of the Sphinx. The Sphinx was so distraught that

Oedipus is introduced as a caring king, with the flaw that he’s always priding himself for what he does for the people. Like this we can relate to him, because no human is perfect and we make mistakes when we try to find ourselves. By trying to be a good man he leads himself to his own ruin although he doesn’t know it yet. His pride blinded him from the truth. When he finds the truth, he recognizes his actions and feels guilty. If he wasn’t responsible

Oedipus was a man of rapid, impulsive actions and an unlimited awareness of the things going on around him. These qualities made him an excellent king who valued his subject’s needs. But, later on in the play I saw that his habit of acting quickly and irrationally had a hazardous side to it. He has shown that he behaves impulsively, for example when he had told the story of himself killing the band of travelers who had attempted to shove him off of the three way crossroads. Oedipus is overly confidant. This confidence comes from when he had saved Thebes from the curse of the Sphinx and had basically become the king overnight. Oedipus’s speediness and self-confidence weaves its way through to the very end of Oedipus the King, he is continuously in motion, trying and failing to keep up a pace with his fate, even if fate is well beyond his reach. He seems to have begun to accept this and appears to accept that his life is actually out of

Pride like that of Oedipus had been the downfall of many great leaders. Oedipus is blinded by his arrogance and won’t accept the fact that he can’t avoid his fate. His pride first affects him when he is told about what his fate has in-store for him. Oedipus

In the opening scene of the first play in the trilogy, Oedipus the King, Sophocles depicts Oedipus as a man of great stature, ruling his lands justly but hints at his own catastrophic fate condemned by his overly arrogant conduct. Initially, Oedipus exhibits intelligence, love and concern for his subjects, and deep-rooted wisdom, upholding a reputation of high moral standards. His wisdom, however, becomes self-righteous, his arrogance becoming very clear on the eighth line of his opening monologue, “Here I am – myself – you all know me, the world knows my fame: I am Oedipus. ” (159). The irony of this statement rests behind the notion that Oedipus’s fame will be known and surpass the ages, but it is

Humbleness is a trait that Oedipus lacks. Oedipus does not possess an ounce of humility in him and is very unaware of his surroundings, causing him to make scenes. This is displayed in the play when Tiresias says to Oedipus, “You yourself are the pollution of this country” (Sophocles 19). Tiresias is hinting at the fact that Oedipus is the actual killer of the King. Shortly after this has been said, Oedipus bursts into rage, claiming that Tiresias and Creon were conspiring to overthrow him. By making a scene, he is admitting that he cannot be humble and shows his arrogant side. If Oedipus would have continued to rule, he would be a king without any subjects since he would distance himself from those closest to him.