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Characterization of Oedipus Rex
The general characterization of oedipus rex
Characterization of Oedipus Rex
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In the play Oedipus Rex, the main character Oedipus has many personal flaws that cause him to be innerly blind. Oedipus’ inner blindness lead to his status as a static character and his downfall by not seeing his flaws , and not understanding the consequences of not understanding himself. Oedipus has an extremely short temper which caused him to kill multiple men. For example on the way to the Thebes Oedipus killed the king of Thebes (his unknown father), and multiple other men guarding him. His short temper also causes him to get angry at therisis which ended in him cursing the gods. Many conflicts came from Oedipus’ flaw of short temper. In the story Oedipus was ran off the road on the way to Thebes to make way for the king. Oedipus got so easily angered, and took out his anger by killing the king, therefore fulfilling the prophesy that he would kill his father, not even knowing he’s doing it. Also Oedipus got so angry after Therisis told him that he was the murderer. His anger took control and caused him to curse the gods, making the gods lose all possible mercy or pity that they might have had for Oedipus, causing the beginning of his downfall. …show more content…
His stubbornness also caused him to curse the gods. It also caused him to get in an argument with
The selfishness that Oedipus possesses causes him to have abundance of ignorance. This combination is what leads to his father’s death. After fleeing Corinth and his foster family, Oedipus gets into a skirmish with an older man. The reason for the fight was because, “The groom leading the horses forced me off the road at his lord’s command” (1336). Oedipus is filled with a rage after being insulted by the lord and feels the need to act. The two men fight, but Oedipus ends up being too much for the older man, and he kills him. What Oedipus is unaware of is that the man was actually his birth father and by killing him, Oedipus has started on the path of his own destruction. Not only does Oedipus kill his father, but also everyone else, “I killed them all” (1336). The other men had no part in the scuffle, but in his rage, he did not care who he was killing.
Sophocles’s Oedipus has a greater pride that is constantly setting off his temper. From the very beginning when he accuses Creon, the brother of the queen of Thebes, of plotting against him he lashes out and threatens that he would kill him and not just banish him. This temper lasts throughout the play even towards the end. In a way both characters have the same temper, however Cocteau only sh...
Oedipus Rex, written by Sophocles, is an infamous piece of ancient Greek literature. It tells the tale of a young man whom, during infancy, his parents receive an oracle telling them that their son will kill his father and have sexual relations with his mother. The parents of Oedipus then bind his feet and abandon him in the wilderness where a shepherd from the neighboring city of Corinth discovers him. The king and queen of this city raise him; he grows up to be a great leader, and marries the queen of a neighboring city, Jocasta. It is later discovered that on a trek he killed a man he thought to be a beggar turns out to be his father and the queen that he marries is, unfortunately, his mother. After these unfortunate happenings, Eurydice commits suicide and Oedipus blinds himself. The major issue in this story is the ability to choose good over evil, or free will.
From the beginning we know a lot about Oedipus, mostly from previous knowledge in previous plays. It is known that he was a hero and the leader of many people. In this novel it is clear from an early point that the city is once again in trouble and Oedipus’s help is again required. At first he seems very honest and sincere about helping his people but as time goes on we see a different side of Oedipus. When Teiresias first meets Oedipus is a perfect example. At the beginning of their encounter Oedipus seems to be more concerned with his people and fixing the plague, but as soon as Teiresias brings up the notion that Oedipus has anything to do with it he immediately becomes very defensive and aggravated. We quickly learn that Oedipus is more concerned with himself than with his people. After the discussion with Teiresias, Oedipus plays the murder off on his friend, Creon. This is another example of Oedipus being more concerned with himself than the people around him. Oedipus often questions his past or other people about his past. He is unsure about himself and often seems troubled and short tempered. Tone is a huge part of the play and especially Oedipus. Another literary device used in the play is Irony.
Oedipus’ character flaw is ego. This is made evident in the opening lines of the prologue when he states "Here I am myself--you all know me, the world knows my fame: I am Oedipus." (ll. 7-9) His conceit is the root cause of a number of related problems. Among these are recklessness, disrespect, and stubbornness.
With every Greek disaster, there is main character, also known as a “Tragic Hero” who posses tragic flaws, which lead into their downfall. Oedipus demonstrates three tragic flaws, intolerance, stubbornness, and a short temper, each of which lead into his downfall. An example of Oedipus’ stubbornness’ could be when he demands on finding the murderer of Laius and proving that the prophecy hasn’t come true. However, Jocasta Oedipus’ queen and mother already is aware of the fact that all of this chaos is true and chooses to hide the truth. "That man, why ask? Old shepherds, talk, empty nonsense, don’t give it another thought; don't even think “Oedipus replies with, “What- give up now, with a clue like this? Fail to solve the mystery of my birth? Not for all the world!” Oedipus demonstrates his impatience when he is insists on knowing the truth of his birth. In fact, how could you blame him? "That man, why ask? Old shepherd, talk, empty nonsense, don't give it another thought, don't even think “Oedipus replied with, " What- give up now, with a clue like this? Fail to solve the mystery of my birth? Not for all the world!" His temper is shown when he is unbelievably upset with Tiresias for accusing him that he is the murderer of Laius. "No, I can't say I grasped your meaning. Out with it again" Tiresias replies saying,” I say you are the murderer you hunt” Oedipus demonstrates his temper once again, and threatens Tiresias
tells the priest and the suffering people of Thebes. If Oedipus did not care for
Here, Oedipus was at the top of the social spectrum and likely had a pleasant childhood living in the palace. With the expectation of one day being King, Oedipus grew up with a sense of power and importance. In addition, growing up as the son of a King, Oedipus likely did not face much adversity growing up. Considering all of these components, it is no surprise that when Oedipus is initially faced with any adversity, he handles it very poorly. The first example of adversity that Oedipus faces is through an Oracle of Apollo. This oracle showed Oedipus a prophecy portraying him killing his father and marrying his mother. Instead of facing his problem and attempting to solve it, Oedipus runs “I heard all that and ran. I abandoned Corinth, from that day on I gauged its landfall only by the stars, running, always running toward some place where I would never see the shame of all those oracles come true” (Sophocles 880). If Oedipus had a different upbringing, there is a chance that Oedipus would have the experience to deal with a problem like this. Unfortunately, Oedipus’ poor character shows and he flees. With the Use of Irony, Sophocles shows that as Oedipus attempts to run away from the prophecy, the prophecy iscompleted. On his way out of Corinth, an enraged Oedipus meets a group of travelers that attempt to push Oedipus off the road. Unable to control his rage, Oedipus reacts hastily “I strike
Oedipus began Oedipus Rex as a king, only to end the tale as a blinded beggar. Oedipus' fall from his kingly status was not by accident or because of some other person. Oedipus is the only one that can be blamed for his misfortune. Oedipus' character traits are shown most clearly during his spiraling downfall, thinking he is "a simple man, who knows nothing", yet knowing more than he realizes by the end of the story.
The imagery of sight versus blindness lead to his ultimate downfall. He is transparent to the lie he has created. Also the contempt and torture he has just brought upon this city. Like the prophecy says his wife will kill herself first, then later his life will all go downhill from there. Later prophecy actually comes true. First with his wife killing herself, then Oedipus realizes that he has done wrong. He was blind when Teiresias told him the first time. He then actually saw the irony in what he has done wrong. He later then actually makes himself blind and stabs out his eyes so he cannot see anymore. This causes his downfall and later his
Oedipus Rex, a Greek tragedy written by Sophocles, focuses on the rise and fall of Oedipus along with the intricate intersection of fate and destiny. Throughout the play, the audience follows Oedipus on his journey as a prideful, yet figuratively blind king to a man stricken by tragedy and self-mutilating himself to become literally blind, as he is not worthy of his sight, and deserves to live in darkness. Many seek the truth, much like him, but once the revelation comes to light, the final scene of the play shows the devastating cost of learning the truth, thus presenting the evolution of the fallen King Oedipus.
...ipus hubris prevents him from finding out the real murder. He spends so much time persuading the murder that he does not realize that it was him all along. Oedipus hubris personality gets in his way by putting a curse on him and ends up blinding himself because of it.
One source of momentous stories of Western culture comes from Ancient Greece. Numerous generations of students study these imperative works of genius. Sophocles, who created many of these significant tragic plays, thrives in the four hundreds B.C.E. Oedipus Rex, also known as Oedipus the King, is one of the notable tragedies written by Sophocles. The overall message of the play is to be not full of pride and arrogance. The reason for choosing Oedipus Rex is that I read this play before, and I have study this tragedy in school previously. The purpose of Sophocles to create Oedipus Rex is to tell the audience not to be arrogant and prideful by showing that Oedipus and his father believe to be self-important, make sure that one has check all possibilities before coming a conclusion and bashing others who may know more than other people do, do not be overconfident in one actions because there may be other factors that affect the result, Sophocles use his own beliefs that are demonstrative through the characters that are conceited, and finally to teach that pride is destructive to noble people that only want to do the right action. Oedipus and his parents tries to defy prophecy given from the divine that Oedipus murders his father and marries his mother. People believe that people cannot defy the celestial beings. “Above all else, this tragedy is about the unbridgeable gulf between gods and humans” (Matthews). Oedipus’s and his parents’ prides lead them to believe that they can fill the space that separates men and gods. That they alone by human will alone can change what the divine will that told them what will happen. The consequences will lead to both Oedipus’s parents’...
Although Oedipus appears to have many "flaws" on the surface, namely his poor temperament, carelessness, curiosity and pride, close examination of the text reveals that he has many seemingly flawed characteristics that are not only justifiable but in some cases to be expected. One might expect that a quick and even murderous temper would be considered a serious impediment to Oedipus. However, he is quite justified in his rage against Creon and Tiresias, and he has good reasons to suspect them of plotting against him. From the view point of Oedipus, he has just discovered that the antecedent king Laius was savagely murdered along with the members of his entourage. Furthermore the murder has yet to be solved many years later, and the gods have placed a plague on his city until the murderer(s) is apprehended and punished.
In the drama Oedipus by Sophocles, the determination of the main character leads him to recognize his whole life has been nothing but a lie. Although Oedipus is concerned for the well being of his city, he can’t help but also be concerned for his reputation and how the city of Thebes will look at him. Ultimately, the way Oedipus reacts to events in the play leads to his downfall. Sophocles uses the play to argue that when an individual is too prideful and quick to anger, it can result in ignorance and eventually, as the individual learns of their ignorance they will experience pain and self-destruct.