Pride In Oedipus The King

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

Due to his arrogance and narcissism, Oedipus fails to take heed of Tiresias warning of whom Creon sent him and decided that the accusations that were being made against him are attempts to steal his throne. Likewise, Oedipus tells Tiresias when he was reluctant to tell Oedipus is Laius’ killer, “What then, thou knowest, and yet willst not speak!/Wouldst thou betray us and destroy the

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.

In one scene Oedipus says, “You pray to Gods? Let me grant your prayers” (Oedipus Rex, 245). From this quote it is clear Oedipus believes he is on the same level with God. The position and power, as the King has gone to his head. He wants to be worshiped, and in being worshiped he will grant the wishes and prayers of the people.

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,

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

Oedipus perceives such acts as offerings for him which causes him to think he is greater than those who surround him. The townspeople pray and worship Oedipus, allowing him to consider himself their "world-renowned king" (Sophocles 10). With the belief of having such high power, Oedipus believes he can determine his own fate. This causes him to be blind of his past and oblivious to the facts. With the mindset of being higher than everyone, Oedipus' arrogance blinds him intellectually from figuring out who his real parents are. Instead of analyzing his childhood in attempt to figure out the truth, he does not question the past and sprites those who challenge him. Oedipus is aware that when he was three days old his "ankles [were] pierced and pinned/ together, gave it to be cast away/ by others on the trackless mountain side" (Sophocles 726-28). He is also aware that the oracle of Thebes declared that one day he would "slay his father and wed his mother" (Sophocles 1). However, his hubris personality prevents him from realizing that he, in fact, is Laius's son. Instead, Oedipus refer to himself as "Fortunes favorite

621 ln. 149-150) after Creon tells him why they stopped searching for Laius’s killer. Dramatic irony is present when Oedipus tries to skirt the horrible prophecy of him killing his father and coupling with his mother, because in fleeing Corinth to avoid murdering Polybus, he is actually taking the correct path to fulfill the prophecy. Again his overconfidence and pride contributes to his impending doom; in believing that he has outwitted the gods he challenges his fate. Although he has enough reverence to the deities not to assume himself to be an equal with the gods, but greater than them it is clear through the word usage that Oedipus perceives himself to be of a greater importance than the lesser mortals that surround him “One of you summon the city here before us, tell them I’ll do everything. God help us, we will see our triumph-or our fall” (p. 621 ln. 163-165). He is conceited to think that he can shape his own destiny and the gods punish him for this arrogance.

Let me grant your prayers,” (line 245). He believes that he is so great that he can solve problems and help better than the gods could. Oedipus does not even want the people to bother with praying when they can go to him. In the text he compares himself to the gods either being their equal or even better, a demigod at best. Also, Oedipus speaks on behalf of the gods, especially Apollo, even though he is not a prophet or priest. He calls himself “Apollo’s champion.” When he curses the person who murdered Laius he says it is because it is what Apollo wants. However, his people do not truly see him the same way Oedipus sees himself. “You cannot equal the gods, your children know that…,” says the priest to

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).

     In literature, the tragic heroes Oedipus and Othello allow the pride they have to cause their own demise by putting too much emphasis on the lives they have created for themselves. Oedipus, who blinds himself after finding out he has killed his birth father and married his birth mother, refuses to believe he has truly fulfilled his fate because he is so proud of what he has accomplished since he left Corinth. Othello demonstrates his pride by believing that the people closest to him would never betray him because of his powerful position as a General of the armies in Venice. Both characters example of hubris, or excessive pride, causes the downfall in their lives, which eventually leads to life-long

Famed for his clear-sightedness and problem solving abilities, the great ruler of Thebes is unable to recognize the truth in the prophecy of the oracle. Oedipus’ fatal flaw is his hubris; he believes he can overpower the oracle and alter fate. The chorus asserts that “Pride is the germ of kings; Pride, when puffed up, vainly, with many things unseasonable, unfitting, mounts the wall, Only to hurry to that fatal fall” (31). The king’s ego is extremely puffed up, leading him to think that he could not be the culprit behind the unforgiving famine plaguing the city. Oedipus opts to live in a perfect world, believing that he is the savior of the people of Thebes for defeating the Sphinx, and that he has a god-like essence. The king is prideful and sees himself as almighty due to his misconception that he changed his fate. Oedipus does not recognize, however, that he indeed has fulfilled his prophecy by killing his father and marrying his mother; his will to live in an illusion led to the king’s fall after he realized his mistake in denying the prophecy. Since the truth is so unpleasant, Oedipus chooses to not recognize it and

“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

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.

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