Oedipus, is one of the antagonists in Oedipus Rex, he is also one of the main examples of having a temper. He has a short fuse, which is just waiting to be set off. He blows up in people’s faces about nothing and accuses them wrongly and irrationally without looking into the details. Oedipus might be thought of as a great and powerful king, but he reacts suddenly and defensively to anyone who dares defy him, he blames people with problems that have not been looked into, and he is always paranoid that someone is out to get him. The first problem about Oedipus is that he reacts suddenly and defensively to anyone who dares to defy him. For example, when Tiresias told Oedipus about the truth in his fate, he became angry and blamed Creon for being behind this. When the prophet uses oblique references to identify Oedipus as the murderer, the king denounces Tiresias and accuses him of collaborating with Creon in an effort to usurp the throne (Sova2). He has a difficult time accepting what is true and not true, meaning it is hard to persuade him …show more content…
The sight of him is fearsome, yet he now displays a certain majesty and suffering in the full realization of his sublimely terrible destiny (Cook1). He is so terrifying to people after he receives his fate because his is blaming things on other people in an attempt to keep the truth away. Like most people when they hear the truth, they deny it and do not want to believe what they are being told. He is so confused and lost that he imprisons his brother-in-law because he thinks he is plotting to over throw him. Also, when he hears the knew of his adopted fathers death he thinks that it is someone who wants to overthrow him and take his throne away from him. This is one of his greatest flaws, because it drags people away from him because they do not wish to be caught in the
Oedipus the King: Reason and Passion In the play, Oedipus the King, there are dual parts of reason and passion. Oedipus primarily acts with both reason and passion at different stages in the play. There are several points in the play where Oedipus acts with reason. The first such point occurs when he is asked by his followers to help save Thebes. He acts with reason when he immediately decides to heed to their demands and find help for them.
A detective story is a genre of fiction in which a person attempts to solve a crime. The detective may be a professional or an amateur, and generally has nothing to gain from solving the crime. However in Sophocles’ “Oedipus the King”, the main character Oedipus is not only determined to solve a crime, but he is also in pursuit to find his own identity. This is similar to Arthur Conan Doyle’s “A Scandal in Bohemia” where Sherlock Holmes has been hired to work as a detective in return for monetary compensation. Both situations enable Oedipus and Sherlock to gain from unraveling the mysteries that sweep their towns hence making these stories different from most detective stories.
The ancient Greeks were fond believers of Fate. Fate, defined according to Webster’s, is “the principle or determining cause or will by which things in general are believed to come to be as they are or events to happen as the do.” The Greeks take on Fate was slightly modified. They believed that the gods determined Fate: “…fate, to which in a mysterious way the gods themselves were subject, was an impersonal force decreeing ultimate things only, and unconcerned with day by day affairs.” It was thought that these gods worked in subtle ways; this accounts for character flaws (called harmatia in Greek). Ancient Greeks thought the gods would alter a person’s character, in order for that person to suffer (or gain from) the appropriate outcome. Such was the case in Oedipus’s story.
Two of the minor tragic flaws that lead to Oedipus downfall were his arrogance and short temper. Trough out the book we are able to see how Oedipus humiliates and gets into arguments with the people that telling him the truth about his real parents and that are trying to help him to find the “unknown”
Brittnne Bennett Bennett 1Mrs. BardEnglish Honors25 January 2014The cursed journey of Oedipus By conducting a thorough reading of Sophocles play Oedipus the king, one will easily view Oedipus as caring, getting ahead of himself, and seemingly on a personal journey. In the process of this journey you come to, and understanding that there is more to this apologue than it appears. Due to the fact that, Oedipus goes through a life changing journey; Between his biological family, people who he considered his family, and himself. The decision that he chooses to make will either bring him peace or misery. The story commences with a toxic plague tormenting the city of Thebes. The Priest approaches Oedipus his king, and begs him to help cease this curse. Being a considerate and understanding king who loves his people Oedipus was already one step ahead. At that point Oedipus had sent his brother-in-law Creon to talk to the god Apollo, to grasp and understand as to why this was happening to his people. In return, Creon had suggested to Oedipus that he talks to Tiresias, "The man who sees most eye to eye with Lord Apollo." (Will 17) In doing so, it doesn't end well as Oedipus felt betrayed by his brother-in-law; for sending a false prophet. Leading him to accuse Creon of wanting to steal the throne. As this predicament rises the chorus leader state's that " Quick decisions are not the safest." (Will 35)
Oedipus had a very short temper. Oedipus did not want to hear what Tiresias had to say after he begged him to tell him all that he knew. "Am I to listen to such things from him! May you be damned! Get out of here at once! Turn around and go!" (Literature, Oedipus the King, Ln. 434-436, page 1085) Oedipus went into a rage when Tiresias told him about the evils that Oedipus was living with.
It is clear to see that Oedipus is an impulsive and passionate man, which causes Oedipus to fulfill the prophecy that haunts him. He flees the kingdom of Corinthian in order to avoid his fate. Along his journey he comes to a crossroad that is blocked by a chariot, and “in a fit of anger” Oedipus kills the father he never knew (Meyer 1422). Oedipus’ anger causes him to kill the father he never knew and all the men in the entourage. Oedipus’ cannot control his temper and this personality flaw leads him to his fate.
Who cared for Oedipus when he was a child? Who taught him right from wrong? Who loved him unconditionally? Oedipus’ biological parents certainly did not. Oedipus had lived his whole life without his parents just because of a prediction of Oedipus’ fate. Oedipus Rex is trying to fight the plagues in Thebes. The only way to do that is to find the killer of the last King, Laius. Oedipus realizes that he killed Laius and leaves Thebes for what he has done. Oedipus’ parents, Laius and Jocasta, are to blame for his downfall because they did not raise him, they were going to kill him, and did not care about him.
The Destruction of Oedipus the King The events in the play "Oedipus the King" show an underlying relationship of mans free will existing within the cosmic order or fate that the Greeks believed guided the universe. Man was given the freedom to choose ones own acitons, and was ultimately held responsible for them. Both ideas of fate and free will played an undividing role in his destruction. Clarence Miller considered the killing of his father to be fate. " This is what I consider that if fate is meant to be by a God, there is no way of avoiding fate," Miller said.
Not only does his ignorance create the flawed character inside himself, but it also causes him to run from his fate. The significance
Anne Carson’s preface to Grief Lessons: Four plays by Euripides explains that readers and viewers read and watch tragedies because it helps contain and release rage and grief. In Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex, Oedipus undergoes a tragic flaw and after 2,400 years, it is still considered a classic in Greek literature.
The most important account of his anger is when he comes to path with Laius and they get into a fight, which leads to Oedipus killing the entire group of people there along with Laius. His tragic flaw is that he is more inclined to violence and anger, than to actually trying to resolve the situation in a rational manner. Additionally, when Oedipus speaks with Tiresias he is short-tempered once again because he does not approve of what he is being told. He then taunts and mocks Tiresias for being blind and basically slanders him. Oedipus has an impulsive nature which causes him act irrationally and makes him more impetuous. “ In God’s name, tell me for when you made this plot- a coward? Or a fool? Did you think I wouldn’t notice this conspiracy of yours creeping up on me in the dark?” (Sophocles 28). In particular, after Oedipus finishes speaking with Tiresias, he then accuses Creon of plotting against him, without any evidence. It is evident that Oedipus’ angry and reckless tendency lead him towards his
This essay will illustrate the types of characters depicted in Sophocles’ tragic drama, Oedipus Rex, whether static or dynamic, flat or round, and whether protrayed through the showing or telling technique.
Here is a story where Oedipus the King, who has accomplished great things in his life, discovers that the gods were only playing with him. He has everything a man of that time could want; he is king of Thebes, he has a wonderful wife and children, and great fame through out the lands. He has lived a good life, but in the end everything is taken from him.
In the play Oedipus the King, by Sophocles, two themes appear; one that humans have little control of their lives because fate always catches up with them and the theme that when someone makes a mistake, they will have to pay for it.