Oedipus The King, By Sophocles

The first thing he says in the play encases his personality of arrogance: “here I am myself- you all know me, the world knows my fame: I am Oedipus” (7-9). This display of confidence shows that Oedipus knows he is one of the most well-known men in Ancient Greece. He should “act now- we beg you, best of men, raise up our city! Act, defend yourself, your former glory! Your country calls you savior now for your zeal, your action years ago”(57-68). The chorus describes pride in breeding the “tyrant, violent pride, gorging, crammed to bursting with all that is overripe and rich with ruin- clawing up to the heights, headlong pride crashes down the abyss-sheer doom!” (963-967). The chorus is foreboding the downfall of Oedipus, stating that too much pride in a person can crash into the abyss-sheer doom. Once he does become too arrogant, the gods strike him

Teiresias the blind prophet arrives led by his Page as Choragos explains Teiresias will be able to determine the criminal Oedipus seeks. Now that Teiresias has arrived he refuses to tell Oedipus what he has seen in his vision “No; I will never tell you what I know” (Oedipus, Scene 1, 110). Oedipus now angry response with “you planned it, you had it done, you all but

Throughout the play Oedipus the King written by Sophocles, there are many themes portrayed, however hubris appears to be a prominent trait. Oedipus, the main character displays such pride that impacts his ability to perceive and understand the past as well as interact with others. When pronounced King of Thebes, he is filled with pride from such honor. The citizens of Thebes glorify him and come to him for help and comfort in their time of need. However, Oedipus doesn't treat them with the same respect, referring to the townspeople as his "poor children" (Sophocles 65) even though they are all adults. Oedipus also believes he is more valuable than everyone else for "his suffering is greater" (Sophocles 67) and he "suffers the most" (Sophocles

Oedipus, the model Greek hero in Oedipus the King, was the protagonist that saved Thebes from the curse of the sphinx. Accomplishing this task gave him favor in the people's eyes and absolute power as the king of Thebes. This power did not last long and in time, this led to his downfall because of his hubris. He was prideful, steadfast in his strength over Thebes and the foreboding prophecy the Oracle had warned him about. After becoming the king of Thebes, he values power over family and

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

Oedipus coming into Thebes defeated the Sphinx and saved the city. The people of Thebes praised him for this feat and made him their king. They viewed him as their great savior who could was so magnificent he could do anything. Obviously, this could boost a person’s ego and make them very proud. Oedipus is very aware of how important he is by announcing “Here I am myself- you all know me, the world knows my fame: I am Oedipus.” This is ironic because everyone will know his name for different reasons at the end of the play. In addition to this, Oedipus put himself above his people by stating “…you are sick to death, all of you, but sick as you are, not one is sick as I.” Which is also ironic because he is the reason for his people’s sickness.

Oedipus is full of knowledge and at the same time very ignorant. Due to his lack of knowledge it leads him to his blindness of the truth that lies within Thebes in being able to solve the riddle from the Sphinx. His ability to solving the riddle and destroying the Sphinx causes a spike in his hubris, believing that he is more advanced than everyone else. “Say, sirrah, hast thou ever proved thyself / A prophet? When the riddling Sphinx was here / Why hadst thou no deliverance for this folk? / And yet the riddle was not to be solved / By guess-work but required the prophet’s art; ? Wherein thou wast found lacking; neither birds / Nor sign from heaven helped thee, but _I_ came, / The simple Oedipus; _I_ stopped her mouth / By mother wit, untaught of auguries” (Sophocles PAGE 16). He is so oblivious to other events happening around him that he fails to see his arrogance his not the reason why he

Oedipus wishes for the best in for his subjects and for them to not be in misery, as later the reader learns from Oedipus, “I sent Creon/… to learn/ what I might do or say to save our city.” (lines 81-84) This displays Oedipus as a decent man and king worthy of ruling Thebes because he is compassionate and accountable for what happens in his kingdom. Next, the reader learns of Oedipus’s courage when the priest that Oedipus is talking to states, “You freed us from the Sphinx, you came to Thebes/ and cut us loose from the bloody tribute we had paid/ that harsh, brutal singer.” (lines 44-46)

“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

A hero prizes above all else his honor and the excellence of his life. When his honor is at stake, all other considerations become irrelevant. A hero values strength and skill, courage and determination, for these attributes enable the person who possesses them to achieve glory and honor, both in his lifetime and after he dies. Oedipus was certainly a hero who was exceptionally intelligent though one can argue that killing four men single-handedly, on his way to Delphi, more than qualified him as a physical force of reckoning.

Oedipus cares for the people of Thebes so much that he is compelled to find the truth to save them and not just for personal gain. Oedipus and the people of Thebes have a familial bond. His love for Thebes compels him to seek out the truth. Oedipus’ familial bond with Thebes is shown in the beginning of the play when Oedipus addresses the priests who are at his altar, “Oh my children” (1). This sentiment allows readers to understand the sense of attachment Oedipus has with the people of Thebes. He cares for them enough to call them his children. The Priests address Oedipus back as, “King of the land, our greatest power” (16). It is evident that the people of Thebes look to Oedipus as their hero, especially after he had already saved them once from the Sphinx. They also view Oedipus in the same light as he views them. Their caring relationship is shown again in the beginning of the play when the Priests tell Oedipus of the plague and beg him to do something.

Oedipus the King is largely about the negative effects that an arrogant leader can impose on a society. For instance, the king of Thebes, the great Oedipus himself, is actually a proven liar and narcissist. When Oedipus is accused of murdering Laius by the blind prophet Tiresias, his first instinct is to defend his reputation and exclaim, “your words are nothing--futile”(pg180), when only minutes before he called Tiresias, “the one shield, the one savior”(176). Oedipus and his quick contradiction to himself can only plant the seeds of confusion and distrust in the people of Thebes, as they are able to visibly see their leader shift from complete trust in one person to calling the person scum and a liar. But the fact that Oedipus even feels such a need to guard his reputation shows that he might not be the most trustworthy person later on in the story, or it could possibly allow the reader to see how his ego can get in the way of leading.

All humans crave power, however, only few possess it. Many people with power are held at a god-like status but are actually inherently greedy and corrupt. In the play Oedipus the King, Oedipus falls into bad fortune because of his thirst for power. Oedipus's biggest strength ultimately becomes the thing that destroys him, which makes him a tragic hero. In tragedy, “the forces of the universe and the character’s error come crashing together at a fatal moment, causing disaster” (Gillespie).

A king who is adored by all his people is hard to find, but Oedipus was loved by everyone. He was kind and wise. He treated his family with care and truly loved his children and wife. Within the book, the chorus would mention how he was loved by everyone and he cared enough for even the poor. Oedipus even told the people that he loved the country more than they did and that the weight of their problems were greater on him because he felt personally responsible for everyone’s problems and would do anything to help. He was thought to be foreigner to the land and yet when he saved it from the sphinx it became his home land. The people of the land admired him because he saved them because he answered the riddle and saved the whole town from destruction. When the people were upset that there was a curse on the land because the old king was murdered, Oedipus was willing to go to great lengths to ensure the safety and peace of the people by

Benevolence is often a trait not associated with a King, but Oedipus is benevolent. Oedipus sees the people of Thebes as his children not simply his subjects. He wishes to speak to them directly and not through messengers and so he addresses them directly. Oedipus swears in every way he is able to help his people with their afflictions, even before he knows what they have come to ask him. Oedipus finds himself sick with worry and sympathy for his people as they suffer, he suffers with them. Oedipus is able to temper this benevolence in place of patience. When the holy prophet Teiresias is brought to Oedipus to share any knowledge or insight on the plague, Oedipus loses his patience but exemplifies his benevolence. Teiresias at first declines to give any advice to Oedipus drawing the ire of the King as he says he will not tell what he knows for it is his misery to bear. Once he does share the information, that Oedipus himself is to blame for the plague of the city, Oedipus’ benevolence prevails. Many Kings of history and literature may have had the tongue of the man removed, declared treason and death, or even have struck a man for such insolence, but Oedipus simply became angry and sent the prophet