Hubris In Oedipus Rex

The character Oedipus is a tragic hero because of his tragic flaw of having consistent, proper ambition to finding the murderer of Laius. In the second scene, Oedipus enters and addresses the chorus, as if addressing the entire city of Thebes. "To all of Thebes I make this proclamation: / if any one of you knows who murdered Laius, I order him to reveal / the whole truth to me . . . He will suffer no unbearable punishment, nothing worse than exile" (171) At this time, Oedipus is trying to convince the killer to come forward and confess the murder. Ironically, by announcing this he has cursed himself because he is, in fact, the murderer of Laius. Near the end of the play, Oedipus asks a Shepard from whom did he retrieve the baby from. "No— / god 's sake, no more questions! / You 're a dead man if I have to ask again" (230). After this threat, the Shepard confesses that the baby was from the house of Laius, confirming that Laius is Oedipus 's father. If Oedipus hadn 't been so determined to find the killer, he would have never discovered this information, and wouldn 't have ever his mutilated himself. Oedipus 's hamartia of ambition is the precise reason of why he is a

Throughout the tragedy of Oedipus the King, Oedipus displays his imperfectly noble being for all to see. While Oedipus had saved the Thebans from the Sphinx’s riddle, Oedipus’s nobel pride and anger lead to his destruction as he attempted to find Laios’s murderer. In his mistreatment of Teiresias, and his false allegations towards Creon being a usurper, Oedipus shows his imperfectly noble character as he foolishly attempts to fight fate and the gods will.

In the novel Oedipus Rex, the protagonist Oedipus Rex exhibits many flaws throughout the play. Whilst the novel,Critical Interpretations Dodds and Goulds essay argues that Oedipus “never possessed any flaws” (Bloom 1). However, one can conclude that he had two major flaws; which were, his ability to quickly accuse others instead of owning up to his mistakes, and his obsession with being the hero.While in the Tragic Hero essay, it is said that we should, “have sympathy with Oedipus” (Barstow 2). One must also glance back at the mistakes that Oedipus made along the play. While yes, his demise was not entirely his fault, some of his actions had sped up the progress. For example, in the beginning of the play, Oedipus declares that he will rescue his subjects and rid of the sickness that spreads across his land. Here he is boasting himself, trying to make his subjects see that he is their hero. Later Oedipus then announces that he had sent his brother in law; Creon, to learn the cause of the curse, and how to rid themselves of it. After learning that the people must purify themselves and rid of the killer of King Laius, can they truly be free again. Once more, Oedipus declares himself the ally, and the hero. Oedipus then continuing his heroism goes to the seer Teiresias,where it is there that Teiresias does not wish to grant Teiresias the information to solve the murder of the king, and out of anger Oedipus then accuses him of the murder of the king, claiming, “Had you had eyes, I would have claimed alone that you murdered him”(Grene 6). Teiresias then reveals that Oedipus is the true murderer of the king. Outraged, Oedipus begins to point fingers and lay accusations that Teiresias, the seer, was plotting

The tragedy is filled with dramatic ironies due to Oedipus’ ambition in finding King Laius’s murderer. As Oedipus was addressing the people of Thebes about the consequences that will follow the murderer, “Be driven from every house, being, as he is, corruption itself to us”(Sophocles 227-228). The dramatic irony is that Oedipus is the murderer himself but he does not know it yet, so the proclamation that he said should be applied to him. Alternatively, Tiresias replied to Oedipus after he insulted him for being “sightless” and “ senseless” and said, “There is no one here who will not curse you soon, as you curse me.” Tiresias said this because even though he is blind he can still see the truth of who the true murderer is. Therefore soon the people of Thebes will start to cursing Oedipus once they find out he was the reason behind the

Throughout the infamous Greek tragedy, “Oedipus the King”, Oedipus’ characteristics of excessive arrogance and ignorance ultimately led to his demise. First off, Oedipus had developed a strong sense of pride, being the savior of the people of Thebes, and this stuck with him until the very end of the play. Arrogance itself kept a veil over the entire truth, in the way that Oedipus’ mind was filled with the lies of his own hubris. In addition, Oedipus’ strong trait of ignorance contributed to his fall. Readers get to watch as this character remains oblivious to his immoral actions, and faces the terrible consequences after the fact. Overall, these two main traits of Oedipus are vital to the plot of the tragedy.

Oedipus certainly deserved his fate. Oedipus and his actions are clearly disrespect to the gods , he faces the fate he deserves. He was doing things that would eventually lead up to the unfortunate event of his death , he was even warned by the great and wise Teiresias , but he being himself was to stubborn and did not listen. All the things Teiresias said would happen became the truth. He killed his father, married his mother, yet he tempted his fate , he deserved everything that came his way . He did not want to believe any of it he didn't listen , he thought he knew what was correct , and being the way he was , got the worst part.

To start off Oedipus’ investigation, Tiresias comes back from the Gods with news Oedipus wasn’t expecting to get. Before Tiresias tells Oedipus what the Gods told him, he forewarns Oedipus he is not going the like what he has to say. Tiresias says,“This day will bring your birth and your destruction” (499). Oedipus’ pride influences him to make Teiresias tell him the news. Tiresias and Oedipus finish the conversation by saying,

Oedipus Rex represents the tragic hero archetype throughout the play; shown as he destroys his status and in turn himself as a result of his unyielding arrogance towards the gods; his hubris causes him to be blind to his foolishness and results in his destruction as he tries, again and again, to avoid his fate believing he can best Apollo and the destiny he had set out for him; his eventual demise causes him to recognize the errors of his ways, however like in any tragic play it is too late and he is plunged into a catharsis - blind, poor, and exiled from his kingdom.

Oedipus’s pride can be seen when he learned from the oracle of delphi. That he will kill his father and marry his mother. He runs in a desperate attempt to defy fate and the gods, but nobody can just run from their fate. As the story progresses his fate becomes reality when he learns everything towards the end of the play. From the beginning, he blames others for the death of King Laius without putting himself into the list of possibilities. In lines, 374-376, “Offspring of endless Night, thou hast no power O'er me or any man who sees the sun.”, Oedipus’s own hubris remains apparent within the play because of his believe that nobody has the right over

His character and temper are depicted in his relentless persistence for seeking the truth. After the initial decision to find the murderer of Laius, Oedipus sets off a series of decisions and events that lead to his tragic discovery and downfall. The first obstacle is old Teiresias “master of the wise and hidden mysteries,” whom Oedipus poses many questions in order to find out the answer. Teiresias provokes Oedipus, alluding to his sin, but avoids telling him the truth. After being irritated and aggravated Oedipus becomes rough and starts insulting blind man. In anger and wrath Oedipus pronounces serious insult: “offspring of the endless Night, you have no power over me or any man who sees the sun.” (lines 386-387) He challenged Teiresias correlating him with Creon and the alleged conspiracy they create. Although warned by Teiresias, Oedipus insists that his duty is to

Since Creon is more pragmatic and is not willing to take action, Oedipus takes action and threatens Tiresias to speak the truth. Once revealing the truth to Oedipus, he is quick to accuse Tiresias of being a false prophet and the murderer himself. “Know, I suspect you joined to hatch the deed;/Yea, did it--all but slaying with your own hands;/And if you were not blind, I should aver/The act was your work only,” (p. 15). Oedipus is quick to find someone who is culpable and in this situation it happens to be Tiresias. On doing so, Oedipus does not reflect on how his actions are causing him to dishonor the gods. Because Tiresias was a person through whom a god was believed to speak, and Oedipus did not believe Tiresias, Oedipus was seeking for the gods to take revenge on him as a consequence of his own

For thousands of years in human exploration, there has been a interminable search for knowledge. Today people look back to the simplicity of life before civilization and wonder if the knowledge that we have acquired helps or hurts our lives. Similarly, in Oedipus the King by Sophocles, Oedipus, the main character, is determined to find and punish the murderer of his wife’s late husband. Through the character’s arrogance and the use of metaphorical blindness, Sophocles displays how mysteries lead to the self-discovery of an individual.

Greek tragedies are known for their fateful plots and calamitous endings. Sophocles delivers such a dramatic play with his tragedy Oedipus Rex. Oedipus is a tragic hero with unusual origins. His actual origins are unknown to him at first, but when all is revealed, his tale ends in an inevitably tragic resolution. A prophecy that cannot be ignored or altered, no matter how much Oedipus tries, tells a twisted tale of Oedipus’ actions, and its fulfillment reveals Oedipus’ crooked relations with his mother and father. The dramatic irony in the play reveals how Oedipus’ unusual origins cause his ignorance and lead to the events that cause the destruction of his family.

Aristotle proves that his praise towards attributing Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex as the most important tragedies of all time is well-established by the theories laid down in his Poetics. It is still considered to be relevant since it manages to relate to any generation, regardless of age and race, and as it strongly incites sympathy from the audience – in that, we might be too eager to know if he would be at least free from awful misery he had to suffer upon his death, and also, it elicits fear in having the same situation to coincidentally happen to us. Aristotle characterizes these emotions as inseparable in tragedy as he said that what we pity in others is also what we fear for ourselves. Oedipus Rex used these two essential qualities to generate

First performed around 429 BC, Oedipus the King is part two of the trilogy play Oedipus Rex, written by Sophocles. It is a lively and riveting play with many of the scenes demonstrating character flaws relatable to the reader. The main character Oedipus is awash with excessive pride and anger. Blinded by his flaws, he creates an invariable static world within himself in which he cannot fathom the truth, fails to learn from his mistakes and eventually leads to his own destruction.