The Human Condition In Oedipus The King

n Greek mythology, humans are actors to the gods and only represent a role in the play of life. Oedipus Rex, written by the Greek poet Sophocles, who portrays the human condition not only through plot, but also the characters’ behaviour. The human condition is stated as the way humans act, react and respond to changes in life. The play is shaped through the effects of destiny and how knowing one’s future can control a person’s way of life. Oedipus Rex relates to the human condition through humanity’s fear of destiny, how humans are irrational to one another and peoplekind’s mental blindness.

Oedipus Rex, an ancient Greek tragedy authored by the playwright Sophocles, includes many types of psychological phenomena. Most prominently, the myth is the source of the well-known term Oedipal complex, coined by psychologist Sigmund Freud in the late 1800s. In psychology, “complex” refers to a developmental stage. In this case the stage involves the desire of males, usually ages three to five, to sexually or romantically posses their mother, and the consequential resentment of their fathers. In the play, a prince named Oedipus tries to escape a prophecy that says he will kill his father and marry his mother, and coincidentally saves the Thebes from a monster known as the Sphinx. Having unknowingly killed his true father Laius during his

The Greek drama “Oedipus The King” evidently leads to the unveiling of a tragedy. Oedipus, the protagonist of the play uncovers his tragic birth story and the curse he had been baring his whole life. Oedipus is notorious for his personal insight that helped him defeat Sphinx, which lead him to becoming the king of Thebes. He is admired by the people of Thebes and is considered to be a mature, inelegant and a rational leader. From his birth, his story began with a prophecy that Oedipus would grow up to kill his father and marry his mother. Through out the play numerous people, who tell him of his unknown past, visit Oedipus. Blind to the truth he casts them away until a blind man named Therisis gives a sight of truth to Oedipus. As Oedipus learns the truth he realizes the great evil his life carries. After finding his wife and also mother hung in her bedroom, Oedipus blinds himself with the gold pins that held Jocasta’s robe. Oedipus blind to the truth is finally able to see when the old blind man visits him and tells him the truth about his life. Both metaphorically and physically sight plays a significant role in understanding the irony of a blind man seeing the truth while Oedipus who isn’t blind doesn’t seem to the truth that’s right in front of him.

Sophocles said that a man should never consider himself fortunate unless he can look back on his life and remember that life without pain. For Oedipus Rex, looking back is impossible to do without pain, a pain that stems from his prideful life. Oedipus is aware that he alone is responsible for his actions. He freely chooses to pursue and eventually accept his own life's destruction. Although fate victimizes Oedipus, he is a tragic figure since his own heroic qualities, his loyalty to Thebes, and his undying quest for the truth ruin him.

Quote 2: “Behold, all you who dwell in Thebes: This is Oedipus . . . And we all looked on his success with envy. Now a terrible wave of trouble sweeps over him. Therefore, always look to the last day, And never say a man is happy Until he’s crossed life’s boundary free from grief.”

Charles could see Erik giving up as sharply as he felt it, the small spark that he’d come to label in his own mind as ‘life force’ dwindling to an ember and extinguishing. He was stepping forward before he could stop himself, blooding rushing in his ears against time as he spoke. “Dēsístite!“

“The greatest griefs are those we cause ourselves”, quote by Sophocles. Sophocles is a ancient Greek writer who created multiple plays including the tragic and heartbreaking play called Oedipus the King. Oedipus the King is a tragedy about a young king, Oedipus, who tries to help his land from disease by finding the murderer of the former king. But by solving this mystery Oedipus unravels a tragic truth about his family and fate. Over past years, they’ve been controversy of whether Oedipus is known as a tragic hero. A tragic hero is someone who makes a mistake or error that eventually leads to someone's downfall. Although there are many ways supporting Oedipus as not a tragic hero, there are multiple characteristics that define Oedipus as a

Early on in the story, Oedipus is the proud and confident king of Thebes; he is a man that is not to be underestimated or degraded. This once undisputed fact becomes more debatable the longer the play continues, however. The conflict begins with Oedipus attempting to lift a curse that has been unleashed on the kingdom of Thebes. This curse was caused by the murder of the previous king, Laius, and the only way for it to be lifted is for the murderer to be exiled from Thebes. Oedipus works fervently to unravel the mystery behind who Laius’ killer was. However, each new discovery ends up incriminating Oedipus as the killer instead. Along the way Oedipus discovers that his supposed parents, the king and queen of Corinth, are not his true parents. This revelation pushes him to begin a new search for his biological parents, a search that eventually leads him to one of Lainus’ shepherds. It is this shepherd that reveals to King Oedipus that his mother is Jocasta, his current wife. Consequently, Oedipus falls into a fit of despair in which he stabs his own eyes out and confronts the consequences of his shameful existence. By the end of the play, Oedipus has not only lost his status as the king of Thebes, but has also been exiled from the kingdom and has become an outcast for all of society to hate. The transition Oedipus undergoes

However, Oedipus demands to know what it is. Tiresias tells Oedipus that the murderer of Laius that he was looking for was himself. He says, “You are the murderer, you are the unholy defilement of this land.” Oedipus outright denies that he could not have possibly murdered Laius. We see that Oedipus doesn’t even really consider that Tiresias could be telling the truth and, doesn’t like the fact that he’s being downgraded. Before, Oedipus had solved the riddle of the Sphinx to liberate the people of Thebes, resulting in how the people of Thebes see him and his view of himself. Showing his egotism, when he is told that he is the source of the plague in Thebes, Oedipus tries to find the truth to prove that he couldn’t possibly be

Evidence: “ How i weep for you -- I cannot see you now… just thinking of all your days to come, the bitterness, the life that rough mankind will thrust upon you… such disgrace and you must bear it all! Who will marry you then? Not a man on earth. Your doom is clear: you’ll wither away to nothing, single, without a child. (Line 1625-1645)

When he first speaks to the citizens of Thebes, he shows a side of himself that cares about the city and its people. “…my spirit / Groans for the city, for myself, for you…” (I. Prologue. 65-66), says Oedipus. He shows that he really does want what’s best for everyone. But then, he goes and insults the psychic, Teiresias, when Teiresias tells him that he is King Laius’ killer and the source of the plague. Says Oedipus, “You sightless, witless, senseless, mad old man!” (I. 1. 356). He refuses to believe that he is the source of his peoples’ troubles. As one A.E. Haigh said, “[Oedipus] catches at each hint, and pursues each clue, with a light and cheerful heart…” But unfortunately, he doesn’t stay so light and cheerful. He shows all sides of himself throughout the story, which really helps the reader stay intrigued with Oedipus and the story as a whole.

In the very beginning of the story, before we hear from the oracle, there is already foreshadowing of Oedipus' impending doom. He, himself, states to the people, "Sick as you are, not one is as sick as I" (Sophocles 5). This statement is almost eerie when looking back upon it. Alone, it seems as if he knows

is a trait viewed as being favorable to a character at first, but it leads to their later downfall. It was often used in ancient Greek tragedies to show that mankind was susceptible to flaw. This was present in Sophocles 's tragedy, Oedipus the King. The protagonist of the tragedy,Oedipus, was not exempt from his own flaws. Oedipus’s traits of excessive pride and desire for knowing the truth were advantageous to him in the beginning, yet were the very things that contributed to his tragic downfall.

In the end, however, Oedipus’ hubris ways led to his tragic reality. He lost his wife. He lost his eyesight. He lost his children. He lost his kingship. With all his confidence and his persistence, he uncovered the riddles of his life and found out that he was the boy born of Laius and Jocasta who was the subject of the prophecy. His intelligence, pride and confidence led to this discovery, which resulted in him losing everything that he had which in the end he fulfilled his fate.

Anyone would lose their confidence if they had learned not only did they kill their own father, but also slept with their mother. The focus today is on Sophocles’ dramatic play Oedipus the King where the new king of Thebes does just that. As the play unfolds readers see Oedipus as a self-assured man ready to save his people from the blight plaguing their city who quickly goes downhill in insecurity and denial. This style of writing is a staple to Sophocles by having few roles in the play that have determination and/or faults to create a set of extraordinary circumstances ending in tragedy. Few characters mean that each one is incredibly important to shaping the main character’s outcome. In Oedipus the King, Oedipus had important dialogues with Creon, Teiresias, Jocasta, and the herdsmen who met him at birth helping to shape his character as the play progressed. Oedipus started as a confident king wanting to help his people in a time of trial, but as the play progressed he became more insecure and finally ended the play as an understanding yet defeated blind man.