Who Is Responsible For Oedipus's Downfall

Oedipus’s bad temper lead to his downfall. He killed the King of Thebes who happened to be his father. Once he killed his father he went into Thebes and helped the people who lived there. He was determined to rid the plague that hindered those of Thebes. Oedipus promised to find the killer of the king and the killer would be exiled or killed.

However, Oedipus does not die, and is adopted by a man named Polybus and a woman named Merope. After Oedipus hears rumors about how he is adopted, he runs away and goes to the Oracle at Delphi to find out what his prophecy is. Once Oedipus finds out about his prophecy, he runs further away from Polybus and Merope in hope of preventing his prophecy from coming true. Unfortunately, during his escape from his non-biological parents, he meets and kills his real father, Laius. After killing Laius, Oedipus enters the city of Thebes, where he solves a riddle to end a plague in the city. This success causes Thebians to crown Oedipus as king and marry Jocasta (his mother), completing his prophecy. The story then starts and is mainly centered around Oedipus’s hunt for Laius’s killer. The character traits found in Oedipus are similar to those found in the personalities of the rulers of today’s countries. Oedipus’s need to prove himself, his belief he is very powerful, and his ignorance are all flaws that are very important to our society because they each could be the reason

Instead of dismissing the concerns of his citizens, Oedipus shows that he is in touch with the needs of the common man.  He professes that his spirit grieves for the city, for himself, and for all the people [ln. 76]. He further goes on to say that he has already taken measures to isolate a cure by sending his brother-in-law Creon to the Oracle at Delphi to receive a prophetic vision.  The response Creon returns with is that the source of the plague is within Thebes itself, in the form of the murderer of Laius, Thebes' former king.  In Ancient Greece, the Oracle was a means by which mankind was able to communicate with the gods.  Oedipus' decision to immediately send a messenger (in the form of Creon) to the Oracle is appropriate because since the King was considered to be "first of men," he should therefore be the first to undertake the initiative to contact the gods. This concept of being the only source of hope is re-enforced throughout the play not only by Oedipus' own statements such as "I acted at once" [ln. 81] but also by his anticipation of advice and suggestions.3  In the opening scene, the priest refers to Oedipus as "a man of experience.4"  Experience can only be gained by constant action.  When the priest hints that Oedipus should send to Delphi for help, he has already done so; When the chorus suggests

In order to lift the plague that afflicts the people of Thebes, Creon, Jocasta’s brother, instructs Oedipus to find the murderer of Laius, the previous king. Oedipus summons the blind prophet Tiresias, who accidentally reveals that the murderer is Oedipus himself. Enraged, Oedipus points out to Jocasta that it could not of been him, since when he learned of his prophecy, “‘I went where I should never see the disgrace/ Of my evil oracles be brought to pass’” (770-771). In other words, Oedipus thinks that by running away from Corinth, he can escape his fate.

Who Is to Blame for Oedipus’s Downfall    Sophocles Oedipus The King,the tragedy Oedipus a tragic hero plays the lead character in the play.  Oedipus story unravels throughout the play.   His character that he presents is typical of those who honestly believe they have no part in the situation that occurs.

By reading Oedipus Rex, it is certain that his own judgments led to his destruction. His greatest flaw was making mistakes, he was once considered a phenomenal hero, yet his bad decisions led to his tragic heroism. Oedipus crosses path with Laius, the king, which led to a fight and the slaying of Laius. Oedipus then defeats the Sphinx by solving a mystery riddle to become king. He then married the widow, Jocasta, not knowing it was his mother. Now being the King of Thebes, Oedipus, sent Creon to see why the plague had started. Upon his return, Creon explained to Oedipus that the plague had started by the murder of the former king, Laius. Creon stated, once the killer of Laius was found, the plague would be lifted. Teiresias suspected that Oedipus was the killer of Laius, this infuriates Oedipus. Oedipus’ wife, Jocasta, confirms there is no way Oedipus could have killed the former king. Jocasta tells Oedipus that Laius was killed at a three-way crossroad, right before Oedipus arrived at Thebes. Oedipus then realized he was the one who had killed the former king, Laius. Finding out the truth of her husband, Jocasta, then hangs herself. Oedipus, mourning the loss of his wife and realizing the truth about himself, he gouges his eye out and immediately demands punishment from Creon, who is now the king.

Oedipus is under the impression by leaving his old life; he is using his free will to avoid his fate. Oedipus tries to find the murderer of the fallen king but soon realizes it was he and begins the journey of self-identity. Jocasta tries to tell Oedipus he is not the murder, but convinces him more. Once the prophecy starts unraveling, Jocasta denies and argues that the Gods are a scam and the prophecy never came to be because she is under the impression that her son is dead. When she finds out the truth, she kills herself.

The plot of Oedipus the King, a Greek Tragedy written by Sophocles, revolves around several prophecies. A plague has stricken Thebes, and Oedipus discovers that the plague will only end when the murder of King Laius has been caught. Additionally, another prophecy states that the son of King Laius and Queen Jocasta would kill his father and sleep with his mother. Oedipus vows to the citizens of Thebes that he will find the murderer, but as the plot develops, Oedipus comes to the realization that he himself was the murderer that he had been seeking. There are several scenes in Oedipus the King that incorporate violence, and these violent scenes are a critical aspect of the play because they contribute to the development of the plot; the use of violence, whether verbal or physical, also enhances our understanding of the characters’ personalities and/or emotions.

Oedipus goes out to them and declaires upon oath that he will find the cause and put a stop to the problem. Then Creon returns to Thebes. He has just been to the oracle of Apollo. The oracle has told Creon that Thebes is harboring a terrible abomination and the plague could be lifted if the murderer of the previous king, Laius, is discovered and punished. Oedipus vows to do so.

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

Once Oedipus reaches out to the gods by sending his brother-in-law, Creon, to Delphi he finally realizes that he has to bring the previous king 's death to justice. So far in the play Oedipus still thinks that he has beat the gods and avoided his fate. This arrogance could possibly have angered the gods causing the many bad things to come to Oedipus 's city. By trying to defeat the fate that the gods have given him he has in turn hurt the whole city. Now keep in mind Oedipus does not realize that he is the reason for the plague but nevertheless is still responsible for it.

Prior to Oedipus’s birth, it was prophesied that Oedipus would end up killing his father and marrying his mother. Due to this, Oedipus was abandoned at birth and raised by the King and Queen of Corinth. As he eventually discovered, via a drunken man, that he was not a birth son of theirs, he sought the guidance of the Delphi Oracle to confirm this discovery. In frustration of this prophecy manifesting itself, Oedipus ends up killing an old man, who happened to be his father, King Laius. The death of his father led to the imposition of a plague in Thebes delivered by Apollo, and in attempts to follow proper leadership, Oedipus is determined to apprehend the murderer and remove the plague from Thebes. After Teiresias blamed Oedipus for the

A well-written tragedy is filled with irony. Oedipus The King is a great representation of a dramatic irony play. When reading the play the audience is very much aware of the outcome of the hero’s action far before the hero

Oedipus the King contains many different characters. The main character and protagonist is Oedipus who is also the king of Thebes. Oedipus has a wife, Jocasta, who is also his mother and Creon’s sister whom is Oedipus’s brother-in-law. Antigone and Ismene are Oedipus’s and Jocasta’s daughters which also means they are Oedipus’s sister. There is also Tiresias who is the blind soothsayer of Thebes. Oddly, the antagonist is not a person, it is actually Oedipus’ own fate. Oedipus struggles with his fate throughout the play in many ways. For example, when he is told that he is going to kill his father and sleep with his mother, Oedipus moves away to avoid

Throughout the play Oedipus is driven by many factors to find the killer of King Laius, and while on that mission, he inquires much about his past and himself. One of his main strives is to find out his true identity. The city of Thebes is struck by a plague due to the death of King Laius. The Oracle of Delphi states that in order to rid of the plague, Oedipus has to commit himself to finding the murderer of the dead King Laius. Oedipus shows allegiance by going on a