Sophocles 'The Plague In Oedipus The King'

As he jumps to conclusions about Tiresias conspiring with the murderer who killed their former king, he has sharp, forceful gestures and strides closer to the prophet, moving to backstage left. Tiresias does not shrink away from Oedipus’ wrath but becomes fed up with his disrespect and accusations, leans farther toward him, and with a wide sweep of his arm bellows out that the king himself is the murderer. There is a silence on the stage as the Chorus, Leader, and boy are again startled, and Oedipus uses this silence to take in what Tiresias said. Oedipus gapes at him, baffled, processing it, and with a wry smile, breaking the silence he says exasperatedly, “You shameless--” (402), before finally gathering himself and continuing his accusations in anger. As his incrimination persists, Tiresias’ anger ceases as the reality of the king’s future sets in, almost completely calm as he states again the truth he yelled before in ire, eventually becoming solemn and slowly shaking his head as he states, “I pity you, flinging at me the very insults each man here will fling at you so soon”

“Why, tell me now, how stand your claims to prescience?... To solve her riddle, sooth was needed then, which you could not afford; even from birds...The unlettered Oedipus, and ended her, by sleight of wit, untaught of augury” (15). Again, Oedipus is showing his pride by mocking Tiresias and reminding him that he solved the riddle by being astute. This also leads to his downfall since Oedipus does not realize that Tiresias might be trying to convey something to him. If Oedipus did not insult Tiresias, he might have had another chance to avoid his fate.

The author of Oedipus, Sophocles, introduces a worthy rival to the main character Oedipus.Tiresias, who considers himself to be an equal to the Great King. Tiresias admits, “You are a king. But where the argument’s concerned // I am your man, as much as a king as you.// I am not your servant, but Apollo’s.”(Sophocles) While simultaneously trying to defend his honour and bring justice to Thebes, Oedipus argues about the integrity of Creon’s source. Tiresias retorts Oedipus’ impulsive accusations, in a studious, and King like manner.Tiresias’ diligent retaliation is dramatically significant because it develops Oedipus’ character; Oedipus is humanized and revered less as a God because of his flaws. The power dynamic shift causes the audience to become more judgemental of Oedipus since someone is holding him accountable for his behaviour. Additionally, the passage adds to the mystery of the plot and creates suspense, through Sophocles’ use of paradox, and imagery which cause the mood to change and creates a compelling story. Both of these elements cause the audience to pay attention to the drastic changes in character, and mood, to highlight the major theme of pride, power, and fate. Ultimately, the passage is intended to show the ignorance of Oedipus, and the awareness of Tiresias, who are symbols for the pervasiveness of fate.

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

At the beginning of the play, Oedipus uses verbal violence to threaten Tiresias. A plague has struck the city of Thebes, and Oedipus learns from Kreon that the plague will only end when the murderer of Laius has been caught. When Oedipus asks Tiresias for help, Tiresias initially refuses to share what he knowns and instead comments about Oedipus’ inability to see the truth. However, Oedipus becomes infuriated and insults the blind prophet. “Now I see it all. You helped hatch the plot…with your own hands…Old man. You’ve lost your power, stone-blind, stone-deaf- senses, eyes blind as stone” (103-104). The quote is an example of verbal violence because Oedipus curses and insults Tiresias, accusing the prophet of conspiring against him with the help of Kreon. Tiresias then introduces another riddle, telling Oedipus that the murderer of Laius is both the father and sibling to his incestuous children, and also the son of his beloved wife. When Oedipus mocks Tiresias for answering only in riddles, Tiresias responds with, “Ah, but aren’t you the best man alive at solving riddles?” (105). As described here, Oedipus presents himself as extremely confident in his ability to untangle puzzles, but this ultimately leads to his own downfall. Given these examples, it is evident that Oedipus’ use of verbal violence against Kreon and Tiresias accurately illustrates his

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).

“Well then! Alright! I will leave nothing unsaid in my wrath. And I say to you then, old man, that in my mind I have you as one of those who has helped in Laius’ murder! Yes, old man! You have worked with them. Perhaps even you, yourself, have committed the deed! Indeed, if you had eyes that could see I would have said you did the deed all alone!” (Sophocles 346-350). When engaging with the blind prophet, Oedipus attempts to pry the truth out of Tiresias by accusing him, Tiresias of the murder. He thinks that if he starts making accusations towards Tiresias, he will in turn tell the truth so that people don’t start hearing this rumor.

Oedipus uses Tiresias as a counselor since he is a soothsayer, however the two have a very strained relationship, Oedipus summons Tiresias since he wants to learn who killed Laius and save Thebes, essentially forcing Tiresias to provide Oedipus counsel. Tiresias proceeds to reluctantly reveal the murderer bluntly by “[saying] that you are Laius’ murderer” then by reiterating it in a more cryptic form (Sophocles 14). However, Oedipus was too prideful to realize the truth and that he fits the prophecy he has heard his entire life that Tiresias recites. One of the problems in the relationship is that they strongly dislike each other and say hateful comments to each other. For example, Oedipus calls Tiresias the “worst of traitors,” while Tiresias calls Oedipus “the abominable

In the play Oedipus the King, Sophocles uses dramatic irony to frustrate the audience and create suspense. After the first chorus, Oedipus vows to avenge the death of King Laius and “become [the] son” that Laius could have had if his life did not end (I.i.681). This scene frustrates the audience because they know Oedipus is the murderer, but he is either completely clueless or in denial. Oedipus’ refusal to accept the truth engages spectators by building the urge to witness the realization of his wrong doings. While Oedipus is speaking to Tiresias the prophet, he accuses the prophet of taking the life of the king. In response, the prophet told Oedipus he is “living in [dark] shame with the closest of [his]

“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

When Oedipus stated “I know you are all sick, yet there is no one of you, sick though you are, as sick as myself. Your several sorrows each have single scope and touch but one of you. My spirit groans for the city and myself and you at once.” On page 471, lines 68-73, he is talking about how he is also sick, just not physically like the rest of Thebes. He isn’t happy in his current situation and he has to put on a brave face and find a cure for the plague. This ties back into the unhappy life and fate of Oedipus because he tries many things in order to get Thebes back to its healthy state, but he is unaware of the sacrifices he will have to make in order to get things back to normal. He is unmindful of his own fate and is in denial of what his situation

Luckily for Oedipus, he has both. Though he is portrayed as a great king, he can also be seen as prideful and easy to anger. Knowing the truth of King Laius’ death, Tiresias councils Oedipus not to search for Laius’s killer, which only provokes the king’s anger. After quarreling back and forth for quite some time, Tiresias finally reveals what he knows in an enraged outburst. “I charge you, then, submit to that decree you just laid down: from this day onward speak to no one, not these citizens, not myself.

Also, when Creon asks Oedipus the possibility that he is wrong when accusing Tiresias and himself, Oedipus disregards the needs and rights of other people in order to avoid the truth of the suffering that Tiresias has bestowed upon him: “‘What if you’re wholly wrong?’ ‘No matter-I must rule’”. Oedipus became rash and selfish when faced with suffering when he threw away the rights of the citizens for his own self pleasure despite the lack of evidence and reason to do so. Therefore, when Oedipus is faced with suffering, he blames others for his own fate to avoid the truth until it is right in front of him. Therefore, unlike Tiresias and King Laius, Oedipus is more hasty and selfish when faced with suffering.

() This quote suggests that Oedipus feels as if he is better than the gods and is the only one who can help the people. “Not you! You don’t have this, since you are blind in your ears and mind and eyes.” () In this salient quote Oedipus insults Tiresias stating that the prophet is unable to see the truth and later accuses him of being a conspirator to Laius’s murder. Another significant quote from Tiresias indicates the

At the beginning, Oedipus is ignorant and is constantly avoids and ignores the truth in order to protect his reputation. Oedipus’ unwillingness to open his ears to the truth develops when Tiresias reveals that he killed Laius and one of his responses is, “Your words are nothing-- / futile” (416-417). Although Oedipus begged to hear Tiresias’ words, he was not willing to pay attention or open his eyes to the unfortunate idea. Oedipus pushes aside the words Tiresias says, refusing to believe that he could be the one who killed Laius, the one who must be cursed. Later, Tiresias brings up Oedipus’ ignorance saying “you’re blind to the corruption of your life” (471), and telling him a few lines later that “No man will ever / be rooted from the earth as brutally as you” (488-489). Oedipus was put in his place and blatantly told that he is ignorant but his rise to knowledge will also bring his demise. Sophocles foreshadowed using Tiresias in that way, but Oedipus was so into avoiding any confrontation with the truth at the beginning that he would respond calling Tiresias’ visions “absurdities” (494). Therefore, even though the truth has been revealed to him, Oedipus still chooses to remain blind to the truth in order to remain good in the eyes of his people.