Hubris is defined by the Webster-Miriam dictionary as “Exaggerated pride or confidence” (Miriam-Webster Dictionary). In Oedipus The King by Sophocles, the onslaught of pain assailing the protagonist is a result of his tragic flaws. Sophocles often used a characters’ flaw to influence the outcome or future of the hero. Oedipus' hubris influences him to fulfill the oracle and further intensify his punishment from the Gods. Oedipus' pride is an essential characteristic throughout the play. Even before Oedipus came into power as the King of Thebes he allowed his arrogance to control his judgment and reign over his actions. Oblivious to his knowledge, Oedipus fulfills Apollo's oracle when he encounters a band of men at a crossroad. The driver offends Oedipus as he brushes by, inciting Oedipus' anger. Although the contact is just a slight intrusion, Oedipus, outraged that someone would have the gall to trouble him and ends up killing all of them. “A thief, so daring, so wild, he’d kill a king? Impossible unless conspirators paid him off in Thebes.” (p. 621 ln.140-142) in which unknowingly Oedipus is describing himself, as he recalls the incident to his wife and biological mother Jocasta he is not remorseful for the loss of life nor for his part in the crime. Instead, Oedipus comes off as that he is satisfied that he had taken revenge. Had his arrogance and pride not interfered, Oedipus would not have made the rash decision to kill all of the party
First, Oedipus understands that injustice is put on his kingdom. innocent people who did not harm or have any part in the murder of the King are being punished. “For you, for loyal Thebans, and for all who find my actions right, I pray the favor of justice, and of all the immortal gods"(Sophocles 15). Oedipus knows that this curse is not fair and he is determined to find the murderer. “Apollo, when we sent to him, sent us back word
In Greek mythology, hubris means to have excessive self confidence or pride. In The Odyssey, we often see Odysseus getting into trouble because of his hubris. There are many examples where this flaw is exhibited. These include when Odysseus defeats the cyclops Polyphemus, when he and his crew sail past the sirens, and when he got the bag of winds from Aeolus. Hubris leads him to disregard the Gods, and make unwise decisions because his pride blinds him of his ability to see the consequences in making those choices. Odysseus’ hubris also makes his trip home harder and longer than it had to be.
“Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind.” says the writer C.S lewis. Indeed this is evident in Sophocles’ Oedipus The King. The rather disturbing events that takes place during the play. The pride of Oedipus, the tragic hero of the play, sets off a chain reaction of events that could have been avoided if Oedipus kept his pride in check. However, he can not and his ego inflates to the point his persona can only be described as a mental disorder. Through analyzing Oedipus’ behaviour and his interactions with the other characters in the play, it can be concluded that he suffers from Narcissistic Personality Disorder.
In the scene where Oedipus sends for Tiresias, the blind prophet, Tiresias says to him, “So, you mock my blindness? Let me tell you this. You with your precious eyes, you’re blind to the corruption of your life” (Oedipus Rex Line 468). It is pretty ironic actually, that a blind man can clearly see Oedipus’s corruption when, Oedipus himself is left unaware. In most cases of hubris behavior the individual believes they are so prideful, they actually believe they’re on the same level with God. It is clear that Oedipus has the same perspective of his life, and of his power. Hubris behavior is a tragic flaw, in which the individual is only setting themselves up in order to fall.
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
Throughout the play Oedipus the King written by Sophocles, there are many themes portrayed, however hubris appears to be a prominent trait. Oedipus, the main character displays such pride that impacts his ability to perceive and understand the past as well as interact with others. When pronounced King of Thebes, he is filled with pride from such honor. The citizens of Thebes glorify him and come to him for help and comfort in their time of need. However, Oedipus doesn't treat them with the same respect, referring to the townspeople as his "poor children" (Sophocles 65) even though they are all adults. Oedipus also believes he is more valuable than everyone else for "his suffering is greater" (Sophocles 67) and he "suffers the most" (Sophocles
Hubris is defined by the Webster-Miriam dictionary as “Exaggerated pride or confidence” (Miriam-Webster Dictionary) in Oedipus the King, by Sophocles, In Oedipus The King, by Sophocles, the onslaught of pain assailing the protagonist is a result of his tragic flaw. Sophocles often used a characters’ flaw to alter or influence the outcome or future of the hero. Oedipus' hubris influences him to fulfill the oracle and further intensify his punishment from the Gods.
As Thomas Jefferson once said, “Pride costs us more than hunger, thirst, and cold”. Hubris causes excessive arrogance in people, and can lead to their downfall. In The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus, a prideful warrior, tries to get back home to the island of Ithaca. Odysseus’ hubris ends up leading to many problems for himself and his crew. Hubris played a negative role in The Odyssey due to Odysseus revealing his identity to Polyphemus, not telling his crew about Aeolus’ bag of winds, and staying with Circe for a year.
In Sophocles’, Oedipus Rex, Oedipus shows his true colors by exuding hubris a number of times. Hubris or “excessive pride,” is often prominent in the history and plays of classical mythology. In this play, Oedipus manages to make the gods angry with his excessive expression of hubris. Oedipus believes that he will be able to change his fate as prescribed by the oracle by running from Corinth. He basically tells the gods that the life they have chosen for him is not good enough. By taking his destiny into his own hands, he goes on to unknowingly kill his biological father and marries his biological mother, the exact prophecy he is trying to escape. Oedipus continues his hubris through false accusations towards innocent people in an attempt to cover up his part of the blame. Throughout the play, Oedipus exhibits excessive pride attempting to escape his fate through fleeing Corinth, killing out of rage, and making false accusations towards innocent people.
Oedipus doesn’t realize the personal consequences his hunt for the murderer will have for him, and his loyalty to the truth is based on his ignorance. His pride, ignorance and unrelenting quest for the truth ultimately contributed to his destruction. An example is when Oedipus was told [after threatening Tiresias], that he was responsible for the murder of Laius. He became enraged and called the old oracle a liar. However, Oedipus thought he could outsmart the gods, but in fact, his every action moved him closer to the prophesy becoming a reality. Upon discovery of the truth of his birth from the herdsman, Oedipus cries, “O god all come true, all burst to light!/O light now let me look my last on you!/I stand revealed at last cursed in my birth, cursed in marriage, cursed in the lives I cut down with these hands”. (631). Oedipus knew that his fate had indeed come to pass and feels cursed by it. Oedipus was guilt, of killing his father and marrying his mother. He punishes himself for the sins he committed by gouging out his eyes. The true sin is when he attempts to raise himself to the level of the gods by trying to escape his fate. Oedipus is accepting the full burden of his acts and knows that he must be punished for his sins. Therefore, this last act of gouging out his eyes was the result of Oedipus’ free will and his tragic fate came about because every sin must
The theme of hubris can be seen throughout Oedipus The King, and is the reason for the downfall of more than one character. Oedipus’ parents, are the first to commit hubris; instead of letting destiny take its course, they acted as if they were more powerful. They attempted to destroy their child and change their fate. Oedipus’ adoptive parents also commit hubris, as they lie to him about his past. Like his parents, Oedipus’ believes that he can change his own destiny. His hubris leads to him being irrational, and jumping to conclusions without first analyzing things. This is what leads him to eventually kill his biological father. Oedipus might have been able to save his biological mother’s life, had he not been too
When Oedipus hears that he is the killer, his pride is wounded for he cannot accept the truth. His judgment is so blurred that he also begins to view Creon as a traitor for using Tiresias. Creon’s words sum up Oedipus’s rage when he said, “Oedipus, your husband, he’s bent on a choice of punishments for me, banishment from the fatherland or death” (715-717). Jocasta is even surprised with Oedipus’s unusual character, as she said, “For the love of God, Oedipus, tell me too, what is it? Why this rage? You’re so unbending” (767-769). The reason why Oedipus pride is so wounded can be because his negative experiences with the Gods. As a baby, he was condemned to death, yet he survived and learned the horrible truth of his prophecy. In attempt to escape that life, he lost belief in the word of the gods because he refused that the prophecies should come true. This struggle between God and Oedipus only tears his moral beliefs as he has to be stone cold to survive his tribulations. This meant giving no consideration against people who presently posed a great threat to him.
While King Menelaus of Sparta is meant to serve as a mentor and fatherly figure to young Telemachus, he subverts his role by questioning the importance of his own accomplishments, and therefore, the values conventionally associated with the epic hero. Although readers are primarily focused on the story of Telemachus who is on a quest to find his father, Odysseus, and his own identity, hearing Menelaus’s tale not only advances and adds depth to the basic plot of the text but inserts another layer to Telemachus’s journey into manhood. His story is a classic example of hubris, the excess of ambition and pride, which eventually leads to his downfall and sorrow. The king, as witnessed by the protagonist, holds an impressive past. After fighting
There are many historic and fictional figures where hubris led to their downfall. Hubris is defined as being arrogant and having pride for your self. There are many people that are led to their downfall because of hubris. People that are hubris are blinded and can’t see what they did wrong. Those who contain hubris only think about themselves and can’t see the big picture. They think the world revolves around them and think they are the best. They are always going to be successful but suddenly will drop down. They will do anything to make themselves look good. There are many people that contain hubris. Oedipus is a fictional character in the novel Oedipus the King by Sophocles. The novel focuses on hubris. Oedipus is a man that is
Compassion is the trait that involves being focused on others, putting oneself in another’s shoes, often attempting to help them. Hubris is the ancient Greek word that describes being prideful to a fault; one who is hubristic believes them to be better than the gods, ultimately leading to their failure. This trait is and Pride and compassion, two disjointed traits, come from the same aspect of Oedipus’s character; his pride is what makes him compassionate, and had he not been compassionate he would not have been prideful to a fault. The Priest’s confrontation of Oedipus in the first pages of the play immediately shows the audience Oedipus’s character.