Oedipus The King: Proud, Productive, And Perfunctory

Oedipus’ pride, drawn from his own heroic qualities, is one factor of his ruining. A hero characteristically prizes above all else his honor and the excellence of his life. When his honor

“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.

Oedipus is considered to be a perfect tragedy. A good tragedy will elicit pity and fear in its readers or viewers, causing them to experience a sense of release. Hubris is described in Greek tragedy as excessive pride or defiance of the gods. Hubris inevitably comes up almost every time you talk about a piece of ancient Greek literature. There's no denying that Oedipus is a proud man. He has many reasons to be proud. He's the one that saved Thebes from the Sphinx. If he hadn't come along and solved the Sphinx's riddle, the city would still be under its dominion. It seems that Oedipus rightly deserves the throne of Thebes.

Reality hits at the most unexpected times and quickly can change one’s life. In the play, Oedipus the King by Sophocles, Oedipus solves the Sphinx’s riddle and become the new King of Thebes. Thebe’s former King, Laius, is killed and his killer never has been searched for creating a plague over the city. Oedipus is now in charge of finding the killer of Laius and releasing the city of their plague. He is authentically confident in his abilities and believes he can solve the mystery just as he solved the Sphinx’s riddle. During his reign as king, Oedipus shows that overconfidence can often lead to one’s downfall, as he experiences the great polarities of fame and shame.

Through the use of motifs, characterization, and irony, Sophocles shows how Oedipus’ pride is what ultimately leads him to his downfall. Oedipus is determined to find the answer to his question and yet refuses to believe what Tiresias tells him. Tiresias warns Oedipus that what he knows will not help Oedipus when he says

Pride like that of Oedipus had been the downfall of many great leaders. Oedipus is blinded by his arrogance and won’t accept the fact that he can’t avoid his fate. His pride first affects him when he is told about what his fate has in-store for him. Oedipus

Plot synopsis:Oedipus has a long soliloquy, which begins with him claiming that he suffers enough from his own punishment. He further states how if he could see (Oedipus gouges out his own eyes earlier in the play), he could not live with killing his father and marrying his mother. Oedipus also says that his children, the people of Thebes, and the gods would no longer accept him. Furthermore, he does not allow himself to receive the praise and admiration that he once had. Next, Oedipus realizes that if he were to stay in Thebes as king, the guilt from knowing his true fate would prevent him from leading the people of Thebes honourably. Oedipus then rants about his dark prophecy, and how everything he believed happened to him was just leading

Initially, Sophocles uses the tragic flaw of Oedipus to prove that his over confident and arrogant attitude will lead to nothing but trouble. Oedipus’s attitude from the beginning of the story already displays the big ego he possesses: “Here I am myself— you all know me, the world knows my fame: I am Oedipus” (7-9). Oedipus here clarifies how everyone around the world knows who he is and how everyone knows what “power” he retains under himself. The reality is that Oedipus deems himself as a god when really he has the king of Thebes label given to him. The

Oedipus sacrifices time and effort worrying and attempting to solve the plight of Thebes, exemplifying his responsibility as king. This may be seen through the use of the highly personal (“I”), sympathetic and committed tone he adopts when he says,

Throughout history many authors, including Sophocles, wrote incredible, emotional Greek tragedy masterpieces which focused on a tragic hero. The author, through these dramas, invited the audience in all while playing on their emotions and taking them on a journey through a character’s life, exposing their tragic flaw and ultimately their destiny. Aristotle once said, “A tragedy is that moment where the hero comes face to face with his true identity.” Through his ability to preserve his wisdom and virtue, Oedipus is the epitome of Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero, despite his tragic flaws and downfall. In Oedipus the King, written by Sophocles, “there is a struggle about knowledge, the wanting and not wanting to know the truth” (Zachrisson, 2013). When the truth is discovered by Oedipus it rips out his heart to come to terms with the unknowing evil he has done.

Like most greek tragedies, Oedipus the King had a tragic hero whose downfall was the result of a tragic flaw. Oedipus, like other greek characters, did not see his errors until his reign was coming to an end. Oedipus, the man who saved Thebes did not understand that every good thing must come to an end. A tragic hero defined by Aristotle has five characteristics that lead to their downfall and their understanding of why the situation happened. Oedipus is the ideal tragic hero because his downfall followed the five characteristics.

When many people think of a hero, they imagine a muscular, Superman-like figure, or a towering, courageous knight, but in our modern world, this is rarely the case. Whether it comes in the form of a powerful leader who inspires his followers, or a lone child fighting to make a difference, heroism shows special qualities in the people who exhibit it. Heroism can be recognized in others by their showing of sacrifice, mercy, and selflessness, even at great risk to themselves, and these traits can be seen in both the real world and fictional tales.

Oedipus is on the palace steps of Thebes, and he’s talking to the citizens of Thebes because there has been a wave of plague and poverty. The citizens of Thebes are dying because of the plague, so the citizens of Thebes are coming to the palace with offerings to the Gods. Then the Priest comes and the Priest tells Oedipus that he needs to save Thebes. Oedipus then tells the Priest that he feels terrible about all of the awful things that are happening in Thebes, and that he’s sent his brother-in-law Creon to find a Delphic oracle in order to find out how to stop the plague. Then, Creon arrives on the steps of the palace and wants to tell Oedipus what he found out, but he will only tell him in private, however, Oedipus insists that Creon tell

In the play Oedipus the King by Sophocles, Oedipus is a man doom to marry his mom and kill his dad. There is a plague that is destroying his people and to end the plague he must find the killer of the previous king Laois. Throughout the play Oedipus’s personality changes when the truth is revealed to him. He starts off as being a smart leader, calm, and determined, but at the end of the play he is angry, irrational and is blind to certain aspects, which becomes his downfall.

1. Oedipus characterizes himself by in line 7 of scene 1, Oedipus says, "I Oedipus, a name that all men know."(known afar) This shows he has much pride for himself. He feels he is very important, and that no one is above him. He knows the people need his help, and he feels prideful that they would need him. The people view him as their saviour. They are relieved to have him there to help them, and they almost worship him for his help. But as for Oedipus his attitude towards the suppliants is good, he anticipates his subjects needs and is always one step ahead of them.