The Change In Sophocles Oedipus The King

From a prideful, heroic king at the beginning of the play, to a tyrant in denial towards the middle, and finally to a fearful, condemned man, humbled by his tragic fate, Oedipus’ change personifies that which makes an unforgettable drama. When Oedipus is first introduced, he appears to be a confident, valiant hero and reasonably so. Taking into mind the background of the drama, we learn that this foreigner to Thebes arrives at the city limits, braves death, solves the Sphinx’s riddle and releases the city from the horrible terror. Only a man like Oedipus, a man possessing tremendous intelligence and self-confidence could have such courage. Although at times Oedipus questions the gods’ accuracy and authority, the people don’t mind because of the great deed he had done.

Oedipus the King by Sophocles is a tragic hero that fits the main character, Oedipus, into Campbell’s concept of the Heroic Journey. Oedipus is an intelligent, confident and brave Prince of Korinth. Overall, the story Oedipus the King is about how King Laius learned from a prophecy that his son Oedipus was going to kill him and marry his wife Queen Jocasta. King Polybos of Korinth and his wife adopted Oedipus; at the banquet, Oedipus heard the same prophecy and decided to search for the truth. During his journey to Thebe, Oedipus got into a confrontation and killed the man.

"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.

“Oh my children, the new blood of ancient Thebes, why are you here?” said Oedipus when addressing his people during his first appearance (1-2). Flamboyant, yes, well in Oedipus the King, the main character Oedipus is a boastful and pompous character faced with troublesome pasts and future predicaments. In actuality, he is king of Thebes and the rightful ruler, but when a plague strikes he is quickly led into a misfortune of events that ultimately leads him to dig his eyes out in attempt to relieve him from the truth he discovers. It then becomes a revelation to distinguish the characteristic fault which leads Oedipus through such tragedy. Only to become apparent, Oedipus’s excessive pride is the main culprit behind his tragic ending. In

Oedipus: Proud, Productive, and Perfunctory In the Greek tragedy Oedipus the King by playwright Sophocles, the protagonist Oedipus struggles to find out his true identity. He is the king of Thebes, a city that has been burdened with a deadly plague. In order to find out why this plague is occuring and save his city, he must discover all of the details about his life and about who he really is. His characteristics change and become stronger throughout the play because of major plot events such as suicide and a mysterious murder.

The Greek tragedy Oedipus the King, by Sophocles showed how powerful the gods are and that your fate is pre-determined and there is nothing you do can change that. What man can change their fate that is already destined? Throughout Oedipus the King, the concept of fate and free will plays an essential part in the destruction of Oedipus. A person’s fate is not a thing of destiny; no human being can change it.

Oedipus the King, written by Sophocles, follows the tragic story of a king named Oedipus who goes from an all-powerful ruler to a hopeless blind peasant. Oedipus the King was written as a play and performed in front of an audience. Sophocles shows in Oedipus the King that one cannot escape the fate of the gods. Throughout the play Oedipus struggles to find a solution and change all the troubles in his life. The play observes the story of Oedipus who defies the gods and through the journey experiences hardships in tragic flaw, tragic fall and tragic realization.

Oedipus The King or Oedipus Rex begins in media res. Fifteen years prior to the beginning of the work, Oedipus has saved the city of Thebes from the Sphinx, a female monster, who has taken up residence outside of the city limits. The Sphinx terrorized the inhabitants and travelers of Thebes by, “strangl[ing] the inhabitants one by one for not being able to answer her riddle” (Sophocles 3). By Athenaeus’ account,

At the beginning Oedipus is characterized as a great leader. For example, he solves the riddle of the Sphinx, which is the winged female monster that terrorized the city (Sophocles 487). Here we can see how Oedipus is clever and smart. In result the people of Thebes respect him for his cleverness and reward him as King. People even look at him as being almighty when it comes to handling problems such as, when there is a plague that is killing people, animals and made women give birth to nothing. They knew he would help as long as he was aware of the situation. “We’ve come because you are the best man at handling trouble or confronting the gods” (Sophocles 487). This statement shows how people depend on him and look at him as a great leader. It also shows how he is a man of action and looks after his people as a king should. With that being said, he is told to find the killer of Laios and either banish them or kill them to stop the plague. Likewise, he did what he is commanded to do, he obeys the god and search for the killer that killed the previous king. Furthermore, he follows instruction and is concerned for himself and the people of Thebes. “My heart grieves for you, for myself, and for our city” (Sophocles 487).

In Oedipus the King, Oedipus the main character is the king of Thebes. He is known for his intelligence and being a beloved

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

In Oedipus the King, the protagonist, Oedipus, played a major role in the plot of this play. Both his stubbornness and his swift responses are strong qualities that he possesses, and they will prove to be both an asset to him, and a liability that will eventually lead to his demise. Before being crowned as king of Thebes, Oedipus was hailed as savior of the city after he single handedly solved the riddle of the Sphinx, and freed the city from the plague. He would be called upon once again to save the city from the plague that had been placed upon them by Sphinx, but this time serving as king. Acting swiftly and proactively, Oedipus send his brother in-law, Creon, to the oracle in Delphi in the hopes of gaining some advice on how to get rid of the plague before the citizens of Thebes become overly worried. In this situation, his swiftness proved to be an asset to him. As the play continues, and the situation changes, his stubbornness and swiftness will become a major liability to him. After receiving news from Creon that the only way to rid the city of the plague was to expel the murderer of Laius (former King of Thebes), Oedipus vows to find the murderer and begins the process of questioning those around him. The first person he questions is Tiresias (the blind prophet), who after threatening him, tells Oedipus that he in fact is the murderer of Laius. Oedipus’s stubbornness gets the better of him and he refuses to believe what Tiresias has told him. He then accuses both

Oedipus Rex is a Greek tragedy written by Sophocles around 400 BC. The play is about the king of Thebes, Oedipus and his discovery on how fate is inevitable. In the play, Thebes is under a curse because their last king was murdered and no one knows who the murderer is. Oedipus takes it upon himself to discover who had killed the king and in doing so he discovers that the murderer is indeed himself. He learns this through a prophecy he had heard that stated: he would kill his father and marry his mother. Which occurs when he kills a traveler on the road and marries the queen of Thebes, who is his biological mother. In the play, Oedipus is a man full of hubris as the reader observes him denying the truth, time and time again until the evidence is undeniable. The other characters in

Sophocles is very influential and one of the first great play-writes. One of his greatest characters is no-doubt Oedipus the king. Oedipus is one of the most complex and interesting characters ever put to paper. Oedipus’ actions are very unique and human, in the context of books. Oedipus has many different character traits, such as his hubris, determination, and knowledge, however all of them blend seamlessly together in a very believable and human way.

Throughout tragedies in Greek literature, the hero always has one tragic flaw. In Sophocles’ Oedipus the King, Oedipus’ main flaw is his overactive hubris, which in turn clouds his overall judgment. This is evident in the Chorus’ first ode to the city of Thebes as they try to ask the Gods for the banishment of the plague. Their answer does not come from a deity, but from Oedipus himself as he enters the palace and says, “You have prayed; and you prayers shall be answered with help and release if you will obey me, and are willing to put in hand the remedy you distress requires” (Sophocles lines 213-16). By Oedipus saying this, he elevates himself to the importance of a God. The people of Thebes need to pray to him to free the plague that is ravaging the city. This is only a small taste of his arrogance early in the play. Later, the blind seer, Teiresias, comes into the palace to tell who murdered Laius. Oedipus endlessly questions him, which Teiresias only response that he does not want to utter the truth that he knows. Angered by Teiresias’ unwillingness to speak he begins to make ironic jabs at the seer’s blindness and at one point calling him outright saying that he is a “Shameless and brainless, sightless, senseless sot” (Sophocles line 374). Oedipus continues to say that because Teiresias is “Living in perpetual night you [Teiresias] cannot harm me, nor any man else that’s sees the light” (Sophocles lines 377-378). It is ironic because Teiresias knows the truth behind