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Pride In Sophocles Oedipus The King

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Sophocles’ magnum opus Oedipus Rex details the story of a gallant king who falls from grace because of fate. The King of Thebes’ curiosity leads him down a blurry path between madness and sanity. He was a prideful and a figuratively blind man, and his pride was his metaphorical limp. Oedipus’ life and inevitable downfall, causes intense pity from the audience. Oedipus is a tragic hero because how the audience perceives him.
Oedipus is the King of Thebes and is a chivalrous Emperor, the audience oozes admiration for King Oedipus. The viewer can witness the human struggles of the beleaguered king. Oedipus is a curious man and attempts to solve the murder of the previous king, Lauis and to punish the murder of Lauis. Oedipus vows to himself that, …show more content…

This blemish generated audience pity, subsequently because of his cockiness, Oedipus and his clouded mind, unfortunately caused him to be extremely paranoid. As Oedipus creeps closer to the truth, his madness increases due to the fact that Oedipus cannot admit to himself the evil things he has done. When Tiresias finally reveals the truth to Oedipus, he cannot accept the truth. Instead Oedipus chooses to believe that Tiresias’ words are some elaborate plot to over throw him, “Are these inventions Creon’s work, or yours (page 14, Oedipus Rex)?” Oedipus’ downfall is due to his hamartia pity inducing because the viewer knows that Oedipus is a morally righteous man with a huge ego.
Free will is called into the forefront of this play, Oedipus, his fate was foretold long before he was born, seeks to prevent his fate, but he cannot. Oedipus is called “…the child of fortune,” multiple times throughout the play, he is the puppet of fate. Oedipus’ story begs the question did Oedipus every have freewill? The audience pities him because all of his actions and deeds were inevitable. The ghastly reality that his fate was his greatest adversary. The audience realizes that Oedipus is a truly tragic story because his story is something he cannot

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