Oedipus Rex: Innocence vs Guilt

Oedipus is a very ignorant character. The play reveals that he killed his father and slept with his mother. To make matters worse, he has no idea that he has done either of these things. As the play progresses, hints of Oedipus’s wrongdoings pop up sporadically, yet he does not catch on until the end. Other characters realize what is going on before Oedipus does. It is Oedipus’s ignorance that prolongs his search for King Laius’s killer and his realization of his

This brings the audience to the third and fourth characteristics of Aristotle’s tragic hero: the reversal of fortune and the recognition that it was self-inflicted. In a rush of realization, Oedipus sees the truth that was in front of him and the audience throughout entire play. Oedipus, in utter agony, cries out and starts cursing the shepherd who had freed his ankles as a child. (lines 1481-1487) He then sees the correlation that marks him the killer of King Laius. The most horrifying realization to Oedipus was that he in fact had wed and procreated with his own mother. At this point heroic Oedipus has been

In the book Oedipus the King by Sophocles, there are many controversies on whether Oedipus is guilty of his actions or innocent. Oedipus is a guilty man and his action proved so in the play. Oedipus should be held liable for his crimes of patricide (killing his father) and marrying and having a sexual relationship his mother. Oedipus knew nothing about the past of Thebes however, what was done cannot be taken back. His actions were wrong because incest is unethical, and murdering someone is a crime. He guilty because guilt lies in the act of doing, not in intention. In addition to the prophecy, Oedipus is also guilty of hubris because he displayed excessive pride. The choice was his, and this accounts for some of his guilt. Oedipus is

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.

           Oedipus has spent all his life running from his fate. He has, we learn, been told that he is fated to kill his father and marry his mother. And he refused to accept that fate. He has spent much of his life moving around, so as to avoid his fate. It was a

There is something powerful about knowledge. Knowledge makes one know things that they did not know before. It helps them gain insight about issues that are seen in the world. It opens up eyes to see things through a different perspective, a perspective that they never thought of or seen without getting a gaining an understanding of that certain type of knowledge. Knowledge helps one make decisions and how to handle certain situations. Knowledge allows one to succeed in school and get acceptable grades, discern what is right and wrong, and leads to wisdom. When knowledge is limited; children and society are being naïve and lazy, people are not able to express the freedom of speech that is possible in this nation, and it ruins countries.

Knowledge can do many things both good and bad. However, having knowledge is said to always be good. People use knowledge for good and evil depending where they stand and the way people are viewing the person. The use of knowledge for good and evil can be seen throughout the book Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Victor Frankenstein and the monster both use their knowledge to their advantage both good and bad.

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

Innocence: the state, quality, or fact of being innocent of a crime or offence (Dictionary.com, 2015). Innocence is what Macbeth lacks and for what knowledge is present to display that I can be innocent of? I have the eyes of one who has witnessed the corpse of a king; I have the eyes of one who saw the body and the pool of blood that lay with it as well as the blood that forever stains my hands. Knowing that it was those eyes, my own eyes, that witnessed such a traitorous act come to pass makes me question myself. Was it really worth it? Am I truly happy now? How can these delicate small hands ever be unsoiled of guilt? I can still feel the warmth of the blood, upon the sleeping innocents. I held that bloody dagger that slashed an innocent life to shreds.

Finding out who his true father is seems important for someone who has just been told he will kill his father. Nor is Oedipus particularly intelligent about the way he conducts himself. Even though he did not know that Laius and Jocasta were his parents, he still does kill a man old enough to be his father and marry a woman old enough to be his mother. One would think that a man with as disturbing a prophesy over his head as Oedipus would be very careful about who he married or killed. Blindly he pursues the truth when others warn him not to; although he has already fulfilled the prophesy, he does not know it, and if he left well enough alone, he could continue to live in blissful ignorance. But instead he stubbornly and foolishly rummages through his past until he discovers the awful truth. In this way, Jocasta 's death and his blindness are his own fault.

Having a surplus amount of knowledge is often seen as something that is desired. But, sometimes having knowledge that

The speech of Oedipus (“Tell me not……. can under bear”-48-50) in Oedipus Rex by Sophocles depicts guilt and shame and action versus reaction when he realizes his own misdeeds. Although Oedipus committed the sin of murdering and incest unknowingly, he could not forgive himself for violating two basic rules of human civilized world-taboo against murder and incest of own parents. Oedipus promised to bring justice by punishing the killer of King Laius and save Thebes from plague. The helplessness of Oedipus for the unbearable shame is vivid when he says, “I know not how with seeing eyes I could have looked upon my father-coming to the underworld, or my mother, when against them both I have sinned sins, worse than a halter’s meed” (48). The agony

The first quality of Oedipus that justifies him as a tragic hero is in his lack of self-knowledge. Oedipus can be seen has someone who is not genuinely satisfied until he or she solves all of his life’s puzzles and the last riddle of his life. Oedipus physical strength gave him a great opportunity to be the king. This physical strength which he possesses and misuses also marked the beginning of his downfall. In the beginning of the play Oedipus has perfect vision; however, he is blind and ignorant of the truth about himself and his past. As a result; he gains too much pride and confidence and starts to believe he is impalpable. He desperately wants to know, to see, but he can’t. His actions must somehow overcome his blindness. Ironically, into the play a prophet was introduced, a seer, Teresias, who is physically blind, but who is clairvoyant. Teresias says to Oedipus, I tell you, no man that walks upon the earth/ shall be rooted out more horribly than you (S1. .1117). This describes Oedipus as a man ignorant to the true appearance of things, this blind man could see the truth about Oedipus, yet Oedipus in all of his physical strength cannot.

Oedipus is victim from his own innocence because of his mistake about leaving his adoptive family, thinking he can no longer make the prophecy come true, he think he can do what he want to do like marrying and ruling a kingdom. He don’t realize what he did.