Analysis Of Oedipus The King

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Oedipus The King is a Greek tragedy written by Sophocles warning about the dangers of arrogance and power, as well as the power of fate and the Gods. Oedipus is the tragic hero of the plot who was destined from birth to kill his father and marry his mother, which prompts his parents, the King and Queen of Thebes, to send him to the mountainside to die. However, the King and Queen of Corinth save him from death. As a man, he returns to Thebes, in order to not fulfill the prophecy against his parents, but he does not know about his origins. On his way to Thebes he kills a man, and at Thebes he solves the riddle of the Sphinx which earns him the title of King and marries the queen. When the murder mystery of the previous king, King Laius, resurfaces, it is discovered the Oedipus killed King Laius without knowing he was king or his father and married his mother, this fulfilling the prophecy. Full of misery and guilt, the queen Jocasta, commits suicide and Oedipus blinds himself. Due to Oedipus’ excessive hubris, he creates his own misery throughout the play and his downfall. The notion of hubris is introduced when Oedipus reopens the murder case of King Laius, followed by his blindness to the truth, and the end of his reign and banishment from Thebes. …show more content…

Through Oedipus’ mistakes, the audience grows cautious of their own traits of hubris and its negative effects in their lives. Light versus darkness is a major theme of the play, which is compared through the ability to see and being blind. Having able eyes does not mean one can see the truth, nor does being blind mean one is oblivious to the truth. The importance of being honest is crucial to the equilibrium and peace of the world, as other characters besides Oedipus, such as Jocasta, and King Laius, would have avoided fatal ends if they said the truth. The characters’ mortal fates are the last, but strongest reminders of the impact hubris on human

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