Oedipus Character Analysis

As the new leader of Thebes Oedipus is overly confident in himself and believes that he knows all he needs to about himself along with the land he rules over. So when plague strikes the peaceful city the, priest goes to Oedipus asking for the king to find a cure for this sickness. Oedipus states “You are all sick, I know it; and in your sickness There is not one of you so sick as I. For in your case his own particular pain Comes to each singly; but my heart at once groans for the city… By many ways through labyrinths of care; And the one remedy that I could find By careful seeking-- I supplied it” (Sophocles 3). As king Oedipus plays a role where he is supposed to know everything, along with find the answers to all of the problems that the city faces. Yet, Oedipus is far from finding the remedy since he is unknowingly the cause for the plague in Thebes. Then when Oedipus finds out that in order to put an end to the plague he must find the murderer of the last king of Thebes he states “ I shall dispel this plague-spot; for the man, Whoever it may be, who murdered him, Lightly might hanker to serve me the same. I benefit myself in aiding him”(Sophocles 6). This scene is extremely ironic, Oedipus vows to dispose of the murderer which is actually himself. Along with this Oedipus states that the man may also want to kill him as well and he would be helping himself by finding out who killed the last king. Shedding to light that Oedipus is actually the man that killed Laius is what actually led to Oedipus’s downfall. Without knowing that it was actually him who killed the king, Oedipus is shown have a strong passion for putting this man to justice, yet the closer he gets to

Those who believe they can triumph over fate deserve to be crushed by the overwhelming weight of reality that will come crashing down on them. Ordinarily confidence yields benefit in moderation, however, it proves damaging when used excessively. Oedipus the King was written by Sophocles thousands of years ago as a cautionary tale about hubris. As a king, Oedipus rules over the city of Thebes with an arrogant attitude and believes that he can defy the gods. Through the events of the novella, Oedipus lost everything after uncovering that he killed his father and had children with his mother. Conversely the real downfall of Oedipus came from his pride and failure to handle the situation carefully. Oedipus fills the archetype of tragic

At least once in their lifetime, everyone will hear something that they do not necessarily want to hear. A person’s natural instinct is to deny information they do not like or that contradicts their beliefs. In the Greek play, Oedipus the King, by Sophocles, the main character, Oedipus, is confronted with information that contradicts his beliefs. In the play, the three instances that Oedipus is confronted with information that contradicts his beliefs is when he is blamed for the murder of Laius, when he meets with Creon, and lastly when he was told the prophecy about marrying his mother and killing his father, and in all of these instances his attitude changes in a bad manner.

In his essay, “Introduction to Oedipus the King”, Bernard Knox supports free will by stating that Oedipus’ downfall was not caused by fate. According to Knox there is not a doubt that, “Oedipus is the free agent who, by his own self-willed action, discovers that his own predicted destiny has already been fulfilled” (86). He clearly states that Oedipus is responsible for his free actions during the play. He insists that Oedipus’s made the decisions to discover the truth about himself.

The theme of sight and blindness is undoubtedly important to notice while reading Oedipus the King. The number of times the words “see” or “blind” are in the play make it make it undeniably obvious that they are significant. The theme is developed throughout the dialogue, through characters such as Tiresias and Oedipus, and also directly in the irony of the play. It is important in a play about the truth because almost every character was “blind” to the truth. All of the characters, except one, can physically see, but mentally cannot see the truth.

At the beginning Oedipus is characterized as a great leader. For example, he solves the riddle of the Sphinx, which is the winged female monster that terrorized the city (Sophocles 487). Here we can see how Oedipus is clever and smart. In result the people of Thebes respect him for his cleverness and reward him as King. People even look at him as being almighty when it comes to handling problems such as, when there is a plague that is killing people, animals and made women give birth to nothing. They knew he would help as long as he was aware of the situation. “We’ve come because you are the best man at handling trouble or confronting the gods” (Sophocles 487). This statement shows how people depend on him and look at him as a great leader. It also shows how he is a man of action and looks after his people as a king should. With that being said, he is told to find the killer of Laios and either banish them or kill them to stop the plague. Likewise, he did what he is commanded to do, he obeys the god and search for the killer that killed the previous king. Furthermore, he follows instruction and is concerned for himself and the people of Thebes. “My heart grieves for you, for myself, and for our city” (Sophocles 487).

victim of fate and his own psychology. His curiosity brings about his downfall. Ancient Greek plays weren't just portrayals of some obscure tale, but were insights into human nature. Oedipus, although a victim of circumstances, digs his own grave by curiously unravelling his past. Jocasta foresees his doom and begs him to stop, but to no avail. The curiosity of Oedipus forces him, almost like a drug, to explore the mystery regarding his birth. This curiosity is not something extraordinary in Oedipus - it is an intrinsic attribute of human nature.Knowledge is not always desired - whether it is Adam or Oedipus, their curiosity caused their eventual downfall. Oedipus was ill-fated since birth. He did not know that Laius was his biological father and therefore killed him. He arrived at Thebes, solved the riddle of the Sphinx, and married Jocasta without knowing that she in fact was his biological mother.He begot children and was living happily with his family when a sudden calamity struck Thebes. The calamity, though at first seemed public in nature, but later proved to be very personal for Oedipus. It drives home the fundamental truth about uncertainty of human life. That Laius was slayed by his own son, even after much precaution, proves the helplessness of humans in front of the designs of fate.Oedipus's mutilation of his eyes is also fated. It was committed by him in the heat of the moment and was certainly not a rational decision. It is evident to any modern reader that

I believe this was a key passage as it is revealed to the readers just how cunning Creon really is, taking advantage of being powerful without having to live up to the people’s expectations.

Oedipus may be a foul mouthed character, but Tiresias is just as absurd. Oedipus’ short temper and stubbornness is exploited when he talks to Tiresias. Another trait that is revealed is impatience. When Oedipus insulted Tiresias in public, questioned his power to foresee, and accused him of lying to his fellow citizens, he replied back promptly and accused Oedipus of “scourging his own flesh and blood”(474), and said he will be “rooted from the earth brutally.” (489). Oedipus does not take this in well and kicks Tiresias out of his castle. Even though Tiresias wasn’t trying to accuse Oedipus of murder, Oedipus insulted

In Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex, Oedipus is tasked with finding the murderer of Laius. In order to find answers, he looks to the prophet Tiresias. However, when Tiresias does not tell Oedipus what he wants to hear, Oedipus becomes livid. Oedipus’ extreme reaction to the truth is a clear display of his hamartia. By showing the audience Oedipus’ rage and denial, Sophocles reinforces Oedipus’ tragic flaw: excessive pride, or hubris.

Oedipus Rex, or Oedipus Tyrannus as it is in Latin, could be what we call today a Freudian work of literature. The Oedipus Trilogy was originally written by Sophocles and is meant to be told in a story-telling fashion. But this Grecian tragedy was revised and translated into English by Paul Roche and put into a novel form.

Through history, everyone is trying to rise to the top. However, the ones at the top are not always the most suitable. This becomes evident in Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex, where Oedipus becomes the ruler of Thebes after defeating the Sphinx. Throughout the story, Oedipus fails to meet the characteristics of a good leader, including: humbleness, selflessness and patience.

There are many facets of personality of a minor character that authors may utilize to supply contrast to the main character of their work. Some of these contrasts are extremely noticeable and some are not. One such facet is with the use of a neutral character; to not only showcase the main character’s flaws, but so not to detract from the moral of the story. Creon, from the play “Oedipus the King” by Sophocles is used for both of these reasons. Sophocles wished to show that one cannot escape fate, yet did not want to cloud this issue with a possible coupe against his main character Oedipus. He also showed how, at times one character can act completely irrational, while one remains calm in the face of serious accusations.

   The stories of Oedipus, as told through Seneca's Oedipus and Cocteau's The Infernal Machine, contain both similarites and differences. Both authors portray the character of Oedipus as being obstinate, ignorant, and inquisitive. Yet Seneca and Cocteau differ on their interpretation of the motives that propelled these characteristics of Oedipus. Seneca portrays Oedipus as a mature man who, in seeing the troubles of the plague that has descended upon Thebes, feels true sorrow for his dying people and wishes to cure his moribund city. On the other hand, Cocteau's Oedipus is a pretentious, immature, and overweening young adult who seeks to indulge himself in the fast and

Oedipus the King is a Greek tragedy play written by Sophocles, and it made its first debut