The Irony Of Suffering In Oedipus The King

Although, he was smart and a quick thinker, most of the times his temper proved fatal to him. This is the flaw in his fate. He might be smart, but did deserve to be banished for killing the king and for the welfare of the people of Thebes suffering from the plague. He did all his actions unintentionally; yet, it could’ve been prevented. The murder of his father could have been prevented, if he were to be careful and ignore the fact about who was to go first.

The play opens in the middle of Thebes. Oedipus exits his castle, to be met by almost the entire kingdom. Oedipus knows immediately that something is wrong and it is this singular event that paves the way for the subsequent events that lead him to his downfall. Everyone-young and old, sick and healthy- had gathered in the middle of town seeking deliverance from an unknown evil. This evil is quickly determined to be a plague that had ravaged the land. The people of Thebes are highly religious as stated in “So, with the help of God,/ We shall be saved -Or else indeed we are lost “(148-149) The plague itself was interpreted as a punishment inflicted by the gods, to get the people of Thebes to drive out the

The city of Thebes has been cursed by a plague caused by an unclean being that murdered Laius. While in despair, Oedipus cursed

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

When Oedipus first came to Thebes he had solved the riddle of the sphinx. Because of this, the Priest had come to him and asked him to help them with the plague that has come to Thebes (39-43). The priest comes to Oedipus saying, “You freed us from the Shinx, you came to Thebes and cut us loose from the bloody tribute we had paid that harsh, brutal singer” (44-46). The village came to Oedipus because they felt that he could help them. He had helped them before and he could help them again.

The characters in the play Oedipus The King, by Sophocles, respond to suffering in a variety of ways. Characters like Tiresias respond altruistically to protect others from the truth, other characters similar to Oedipus tend to approach these situations with gall and are hasty with allegations, and the remaining characters respond like Jocasta with disbelief and extremity. Ironically, although suffering is painful and destructive, the way the characters dealt with suffering brought each of them to find the true value of clarity and healing that can be found when suffering.

The gods are angry and have cursed the city of Thebes with a plague because a murderer is making the city unclean and causing pollution. However, what Oedipus is unaware of is that he is the reason that the city, which he now rules, is experiencing these disasters. Long ago, the Oracle of Delphi prophesied that the son of King Laius and Jocasta would grow up to kill his father and marry/sleep his mother. In response, Jocasta tries to outwit the gods, and orders that her son be killed. However, her plan fails due to the fact that the servants, instead of tossing him off a cliff to his death, have the baby sent elsewhere to be raised by another family.

The audience would have had an idea of who the calamity would fall on from the beginning. It was known back then that a king was connected to his land and if a famine or plague were to fall upon the land it was because the king was cursed or corrupted. In this case Thebes is suffering from a famine and disease. This connection would have been made then that something was not right about the king. There are many references to eyes, sight, light, and perception foreshadowing what is to become of Oedipus.

     The heart of the story unravels when Oedipus apparently begins to suffer a reversal of fortunes. At the beginning of the play, Oedipus is referred to by the priest as the “king of the land, [the city of Thebes’] greatest power” (16). Through all of Thebes he is thought of as a hero, a man who saved the city from the Sphinx and in his bravery has promised to find the killer of King Laius in order to save the city from doom and death. However, at the climax of the story Oedipus learns that he has been “cursed in [his] birth, cursed in marriage / and cursed in

Suffering is the most evident and powerful piece of Oedipus as the tragic hero in the story, particularly near the end. And there’s a unique aspect of the suffering in Oedipus Rex that is worth mentioning:

Oedipus’ dedication about fighting the plague and controlling fate demonstrates that he is heroic. After the priest lets Oedipus know about the plague on the city of Thebes, Oedipus says, “ I sent Menoeceus’ son Creon, Jocasta’s brother, to Apollo, to his Pythian temple, that he might learn there by what act or word I could save this city” (Pg.13, L.69-73). Oedipus’ full attention is about finding information about the plague. Oedipus displays commitment in helping the citizens in his town by doing everything in his power to defeat the plague. Oedipus’ commitment is presented clearly and the citizens respect him for his actions and view him as a hero. Next, after Oedipus talks to an oracle and learns his fate about killing his father and marrying his mother, he says, “ when I heard this I fled” (Pg. 45, L. 794). Oedipus left Corinth to try to change his destiny, and entered the city of Thebes. As Oedipus entered Thebes, a Sphinx was eating the citizens and to win the hand of Jocasta, he answered the riddle. Soon after the Sphinx left, Oedipus was crowned king and was known as the hero of Thebes because he saved them from the vicious Sphinx. Lastly, after Oedipus finds out he is the cause of the plague, he says “ Take me away, and haste-to a place out of the way! Take me away, my friends, the greatly miserable, the most accursed, whom God too hates above all men on earth” (Pg.69, L. 1340-1343). Oedipus is asking Creon to exile him from the city. Oedipus feels really guilty and does not want to be seen by anyone so he wants to leave. Also Oedipus asks Creon to exile him so the plague will stop harming the city because he cares

Oedipus Rex is a play that works on extremes. First of all, Oedipus, the protagonist of the play inadvertently kills father, Laius and performs the act of incest with his mother Jocasta. He lives in ignorance until his deeds necessitates consequences which is when Thebes is in turmoil. The tension that is built throughout the play goes through a cathartic moment when Oedipus goes on a self imposed exile. Aristotle uses this play to show how it meets the requirements of being an ideal triagedy. Aristotle, provides many requirements, but for the purpose of this essay I will be focusing on the plot, character and suffering aspects of the play.

In the tragic play, Oedipus Rex, the Gods and religion greatly influence the social structure which in turn has a profound effect upon how the events unfold. Oedipus is the head of the state. There is a direct parallel in the demise of his household and city state which eventually comes to a full circle to destroy him. Even though Oedipus is praised by his people for being a responsible and honest king, he possesses a major character flaw in his attitude towards the gods which causes the tragic torture he faces in the end. Over the duration of the play, there is a strong sense of contamination towards the state, because it is facing a time of plague, and towards the leader Oedipus, because he is unknowingly in a relationship with his own

Sophocles’s reliance on dramatic irony is apparent throughout the entire story. From the start of the play—where Oedipus searches for the murderer of the fallen king—the audience is already aware of Oedipus’s story. Ironically, readers grasp that Oedipus was the murderer of Laius and therefore the cause of the plague. Oedipus himself, however, lacks any knowledge of his participation in the event and believes that he has managed to avoid the prophecy’s fruition. As such, Sophocles’s use of the device affects the way the plot progresses. Mainly, the author bases the conflict on Oedipus’s “blindness”. It draws out the story until it reaches its climax. Throughout the play, Oedipus is in denial of his involvement in the death of Laius despite being told several times of his guilt. One such time occurred when Teiresias, an old blind prophet, reluctantly told Oedipus of his actions. As to be expected, Oedipus reject his words with scorn, threatening the old man. “Do you imagine you can always talk like this, and live to laugh at it hereafter?” (lines 425-426) Oedipus further insults Teiresias physical blindness, not realizing his own metaphorical blindness. As per dramatic irony, however, readers know the one who is truly blind was Oedipus. Teiresias further makes this apparent. “You have your eyes but see not where you are in sin, nor where you live, nor whom you live with. Do you know who your parents are?” (lines 482-484) Events such as these seem to be a recurring theme in the play. Oedipus is made aware of the truth by another character, and then he fervently accuses them. Because of this, the audience becomes familiar with the pattern. The dramatic

Like Hamlet, Oedipus too reaches his demise as a result of rash thinking. The play begins with the citizens of Thebes begging Oedipus to save them from the plague that has killed many. When Creon brings the news that the Oracle at Delphi claimed that Gods cursed the city of Thebes with the plague due to the unavenged murder of the Old King Laius, Oedipus is quick to proclaim the following, “I solemnly forbid the people of this country, Where power and throne are mine, ever to receive that