Oedipus the King Essay

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.

Oedipus the King is universally accepted as the Dramatic Masterpiece of Greek Theatre. Aristotle cites it as the most brilliant example of theatrical plot and a perfect example of Tragedy, comprising all the necessary elements. The play is regarded as the classic example of the “Tragedy of Fate” and the plot remarkably justifies it with the help of various characters and elements. One such element is ‘The Chorus’ which can be seen in various Greek tragedies.

Considered one of the greatest dramas of all time, Sophocles’ play Oedipus the King follows the tragic life of Oedipus, king of Thebes. Considered a Satyr play, the Oedipus trilogy is perhaps the most famous of Sophocles’ plays. Oedipus the King, is an Athenian tragedy that was first performed somewhere around 429 BC in Athens, Greece. Originally, the Greeks referred to the play as simply “Oedipus,” as that was what Aristotle referred to it as in the Poetics. Perhaps what makes this play so memorable, is Sophocles’ uses of the tragic hero as the main theme. Sophocles uses characterization and conflict to portray Oedipus as an Aristotelian tragic hero.

Hubris is Oedipus's tragic flaw. He is now overly full of himself because: he rescued the city of Thebes from the Sphinx, people admire him, the citizens worship him as if he were an idol, the citizens think of him as their hero, and the Thebans have such a high esteem for him, that they made him King. One instance that proves he is filled with overbearing pride is when he proclaims, "I, Oedipus, a name that all men know." (8) This statement also brings about irony. It is ironic because his name will be remembered and well-known everywhere--as a polluter, the

He obviously knew his heroic status when he greeted the citizens of Thebes before the palace doors saying, "I thought it wrong, my children, to hear the truth / from others, messengers. Here I am myself- / you all know me, the world knows of my fame: / I am Oedipus.” (ll. 6-9) In this such passage, Oedipus proves that he is guilty of hubris, being too sure of himself, too confident in his own powers, and a little under mindful of the gods.

When readers interpret the tragedy of Oedipus they may first cite the prophecy he received from the Oracle before leaving his home on his heroic journey. It stated “that [Oedipus] was doomed to marry [his] own mother, and to shed with [his] own hands [his] father’s

Although he has enough idolization to the gods not to assume himself to be an equal with them, it is clear through his words that Oedipus perceives himself to be of a greater importance than the lesser people that surround him. He is conceited to think that he can shape his own destiny and the gods punish him for this arrogance.

Oedipus thought long and hard until he finally answered with “Man, who crawls on all fours as a baby, he walks on two legs as an adult, and needs a walking stick when old.”

Many Greek tragedies include a central character known as "the tragic hero." In the play, Oedipus the King, by Sophocles, the character Oedipus, portrays to the reader the necessary, central, tragic hero. According to Aristotle, "a tragic hero has a supreme pride" (Jones. Pg. 133). That pride is a reflection of arrogance and conceit that suggests superiority to man and equality with the gods. Students of religion are often taught that "pride Goethe before the fall." In Oedipus' situation, his pride, coupled with religious fervor and other human emotions like guilt, lead to what can only be described as a downfall of enormous and costly proportions, in other words, his fate.

According to Aristotle, the driving force behind tragic works lies not in the development of characters but in the formulation of a specific plot structure. Aristotle believed that the purpose of all art is to imitate life and that human beings live their lives through events and actions. He argues that characters serve to advance the events of the plotline and that the characters themselves are not central. Aristotle's opinions on tragedy were largely constructed around Sophocles' Oedipus the King, which Aristotle called "the perfect tragedy." Considered by many to be one of the greatest plays of all time, Oedipus the King tells how Oedipus, the king of Thebes, comes to realize that he unknowingly killed his father and married

Oedipus the King is a story about a just and fair king that becomes a victim to a fate he tried hard to escape. When Oedipus is told what is needed to do in order to save the town, he is more than happy to oblige and once again become a hero for the city of Thebes. Little did he know that on his journey to save the town he would stumble upon more truths than he bargained for. The quotation, “The cave [one] fears to enter, holds the treasure he seeks” is applicable to Oedipus as it is the truths that he was blind to see that ultimately set him and the town free. As Oedipus explores the cave, he discovers the truth of himself, his lineage, and his fate.

Plagues are beyond man’s control; therefore, they believed that someone with higher power created tragedies, human suffering, trials, and tribulations due to man’s sinful acts or to test the nature of man. Oedipus Rex downfall according to the play is by the god called Apollo. According to Opina states, In Roman Mythology, Apollo, was the arch-god of medicine and healing light, truth, archery and the bringer of death dealing plague” (Opina, n.d., slide 19). The plague fell on Thebes after the actions of Jocasta and Laius. Also after the actions of Oedipus killing a person on a road to Thebes. The presence of an oracle which is the communicator between man and the gods make the audience believe that all the terrible things happen to Oedipus was from his own actions not the gods. Oedipus, who cursed from the time he was born; therefore, the gods may have cursed him, but it was his chose to commit murder and all the other decisions that made the oracle prophetic words happened. The curse started with his father, King Laius of Thebes who learned from an oracle that the hand of his own son killed him, and so ordered his wife Jocasta to kill the Oedipus. There actions set off a chain of events that cause the tragedy.

The story of Oedipus the king talks of a tail in which the city of Thebes has been plagued by Apollo the God himself, Throughout the entire play Oedipus is trying to end the plague that has cursed the city of Thebes. Reading this in highschool I thought that it was his fault for causing the unnecessary tragedies occurring around him. However now I understand that it was not his fault but rather it was fate that brought his demise. I think that all of the events that had led to Thebes being plagued started from Oedipus's parents when they learned from the oracle that their son would kill his father and marry his mother they tried to challenge fate and get rid of the Oedipus. The Irony here is not lost on anyone as oedipus grows up in another neighboring city. And on his way to Thebes he kills the king of thebes (his father) and defeats a sphynx giving him the right to marry the queen of thebes (his mother) whom he falls in love with and has children with. Which brings us up to point in which the plague strikes the town and oedipus is king. Oedipus sends his brother in law creon to the Delphic Oracle to find out how to stop the plague. On creon’s return he tells Oedipus to speak in private, However Oedipus refuses and says to him to speak out so the people can hear him. Creon then tells what he has learned from the god Apollo, who spoke through the oracle: the murderer of Laius(former king and father of oedipus), who ruled Thebes before Oedipus, is in Thebes. He must be driven

Oedipus was very shocked by what happened. He realized through all his glory, he was at the same time playing into what the Oracle has told him he would do. Although he had had many accomplishments and hailed as a hero, he hadn't seen the truth. A man who had eyes couldn't see the truth. Tiresias, a blind man knew the truth, saw the truth.

Aristotle, in his work The Poetics, tries to delineate the idea of a tragedy. Throughout his work Aristotle says that the hero, or at least the protagonist in a tragedy must be substantially good, almost godlike. This hero must bring upon themselves their downfall, due to their fatal flaw. If the hero is not at a high point, an audience will not care about them, and won’t notice their fall. One must fall a long way in social class in order for it to be noticed by the outside man. Oedipus perfectly exemplifies a tragedy, in relation to modern society, effectively showing how too much pride can often lead to downfall or doom.