Who Is Oedipus Selfish

The epic poem The Odyssey by Homer is the tale of Odysseus and his men sailing home towards the island of Ithaka from Troy. On the men’s valiant journey home they encounter several curses and diversions that kept them from reaching Ithaka for years. The gods influenced the meeting of several people and places they come across on the trip home from Troy, but of the obstacles they come across that are not god-influenced, they are because Odysseus was selfish. His selfish desire for knowledge and his other inane cravings were the undoing of many of his men. Odysseus also is selfish in the sense that he had relations with several deities and women on his voyage home, showing his lust for women to

Oedipus’ character speaks the truth, acts openly, and is concerned with honor, but he did not have the gift of fortune. He acts rash and takes swift action that had consequences on his fate. Oedipus acted swiftly in finding Laios’ killer and more evidence led to himself, even though his wife told him to stop investigating his past. In today’s society it is tough to see any one worthy of being labeled “High-Minded”. People care more of what others see in them, than truth itself. Oedipus fought to find the truth of his past, though he knew there could be dire consequences. His honest approach proceeds to make him fit more high-minded qualities than most people would in today’s

Odysseus portrays himself as anything but a hero throughout Homer’s The Odyssey. Odysseus goes through his life believing he is the best. He has no regard for anyone’s feelings but his own, and he believes nothing and no one can harm him, not even the gods. Odysseus feels he is always the leader and no one can tell him otherwise. Odysseus should not be considered a hero because he portrays himself as a selfish man that failed his crew, and is controlled by his hubris.

Oedipus fits Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero as a good man. When Creon brings back the message from the temple, Oedipus let him speak before all the people. Which mean he is a great king, he cares about his people and he is honest. " Robbers would hardly commit such a daring outrage unless they were paid to do it by someone here." In this quote it shows Oedipus is smart because he knows what kind of person Robber is. He is a good man , but he is also a tragic hero.

"Oedipus the King" written by Sophocles, is a powerful Greek tragedy story. The protagonist, Oedipus is a heroic mythical king who had it all. Oedipus pursues to find the true answers to his identity and destiny, while at the same time trying to avoid fulfilling his destiny.

Oedipus’ search for truth was one of his actions that had no other purpose other than his need to know. Oedipus was able to make his choices of wanting to learn the truth even though he was warned not to. His perseverance to find the truths of which he was searching for, that being his oracles or birth, were what ultimately lead him to his own demise. Oedipus actions were freely decided and his search for the truth can be seen as ‘heroic’.

     Throught Oedipus Rex, Oedipus displays his heroism many times. From the Prologue of the play to the moment in which he leaves Thebes, Oedipus' heroics are extremely apparent; however, at the same time, the decisions which make Oedipus a hero ultimately become the decisions which bring him to shame and exile.

A hero is someone who puts others first, is courageous, and selfless. Odysseus is not a hero, because he deceived his men just so he could get home, and he was selfish and glory-hungry. After Odysseus spoke to Teiresias, he did not tell the crew anything about what the prophet said. Odysseus explained “Yet she urged me that I alone should listen to their song” (680). This blatant lie proves that Odysseus is selfish, because he didn’t let anyone else listen to their song. When on Helios’ island, Odysseus cried, “O father Zeus and Gods in bliss forever, you made me sleep away this day of mischief” (686). This statement is important because it confirms that Odysseus didn’t tell his men that they would die if they ate

Throughout the play we find that Oedipus, the protagonist of this Greek tragedy, is tested by life in a number of ways. To those in Athens who watched the performance of Oedipus the King, Oedipus appeared to be the embodiment of a perfect Athenian. He is self-confident, intelligent, and strong-willed. Ironically, these are the very traits which bring about his tragic discovery. He is portrayed as a character of

At the beginning of this story Oedipus is working on trying to help the people of his kingdom. The kingdom is being plagued by drought, sickness, and death. Oedipus is very loyal to his subjects he wants to do what is right for each and everyone of them. “His anguish, not another’s; but my spirit

Oedipus may as well be considered more of a tragic hero, than a hero. Oedipus displays some features that may fall into the Greek Heroic Code, but as the play goes on, by the Greek standards, Oedipus may not be considered a hero in the heroic code. Oedipus tries to run from everything that the oracle has told him about killing his father, and marrying his mother, but instead, he does just that. Oedipus may have been respected and thought of as great once before, but as soon as people discovered that he killed his father, people stopped respecting him, and his power was basically stripped away. Oedipus tried preventing this from happening but no matter what, it was as if fate just wanted to stop him from doing that.

Oedipus’ conceit and his unfortunate fate leads him to his ruinous end. Oedipus the King is a timeless tragedy that illustrates the consequences of arrogance and power. Oedipus is initially shown as a strong and deserving king, however his excessive pride ends this perception. One aspect of the tragic hero is, “He/she must have a good reputation or good fortune.

Oedipus is associated with qualities of heroism. He is also seen as seen as a savior that was sent to the land.

Oedipus displayed his faulty character throughout the play by showing how he is filled with ill-temper and pride, especially during his confrontation with Apollo’s blind prophet, Tiresias. He allowed his own hubris to take over him, eventually leading to his disaster at the end of the story. Now, some critics may argue that Oedipus did not actually go through a downfall in the play, but when looking back at the definition of a tragic hero, it can be seen that there are evidence to prove that Oedipus is a tragic hero.

In the greek drama, Oedipus the king by Sophocles, King Oedipus shows all the characteristics of a tragic hero. By definition A tragic hero is, “A privileged, exalted character of high repute, who by virtue of a tragic flaw and fate suffers a fall from glory into suffering”. That definition perfectly describes Oedipus and his life. Throughout this whole story we see the real Oedipus emerge. Oedipus starts out in the beginning by being the best king around but by the end of the story we see the ups and downs of his life and how it changed forever. In the story we here Oedipus say these words, “ah! My poor children, known, ah known too well, the quest that brings