One of Oedipus’ greatest qualities as a leader was his ability to solve problems. The reason that Oedipus, not even a native of Thebes, became the king of that land was due to the great intelligence and strength shown in his defeat of the Sphinx. He was able to save the Thebans from that problem, so when the city again needs help, Oedipus is very willing to show his strength again. Oedipus’ vanity in his ability to solve problems was the leading cause of his ruin.
It is evident that Oedipus has a great ability to solve problems through the references made to his success with the Sphinx. He brags about being able to solve the Sphinx’s riddle when no one else could. This puts him at a higher level than everyone
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He has saved the town once before, and he is not willing to see his people fall. He dose everything to find a link to the murderer, and is so persistent, that he makes the prophet tell him what he thinks he wants to hear. When the prophet “lies';, Oedipus discredits him, and assumes someone is behind the whole scheme (pg. 18). Oedipus talked of the prophet as, “no more clairvoyant than I am'; (pg. 20). Where again he compares himself with the gods and prophecies, and refuses to believe anything, but what he wants to hear. Later, of course, Oedipus discovers the entire truth, and takes complete blame. This is a problem he didn’t want to solve. The truth probably would have come out eventually, but maybe not as Oedipus still reigned as king, or perhaps in a less dramatic way. Oedipus was in such a hurry to solve the towns problems, and once again become the Thebes hero, that he did not stop to consider his own involvement.
Oedipus’ greatest strength is what brought about the truth of his greatest weakness. His vanity and pride got in the way of him being a good king, and searching all possibilities. But in the end he pays miserably by having to wander the earth in darkness, needing to be helped by everyone instead of him being the great saver of all people and solver of all
Oedipus demonstrates that he is not a purely evil character by fleeing his home town for safety of others, taking care of his city and accepting responsibility for his actions. Once Oedipus has grown to be a young man he is told that he is to kill his father and sleep with his mother because it is his fate. As a result “I [Oedipus] herd and fled” to Thebes so he can prevent those actions from occurring (822). Oedipus runs away from his fate to help himself out as well as his family. He does not want to kill his father; therefore, he runs away from his fate for the safety of his father. This shows that he is not a purely evil character because he is saving a life and looking after others besides himself. However, running from what he believes is his fate causes him to run into his real fate which leads to his downfall as a leader. On the other hand, it causes Oedipus to take the position as king of Thebes. Being leader of the city, he is forced into
At first, Oedipus seems to be a self-assured, courageous hero. This is particularly true during the situation referred to at the beginning of the drama, when he answers the Sphinx's riddle. Although Oedipus is not a native Thebans, he still elects to answer the riddle of the Sphinx in spite of the peril of death to anyone who fails to answer suitably. Only a man like Oedipus, a man having incredible self-confidence, could display such bravery. When Oedipus succeeds, releasing the city from the Sphinx's evil rule, he becomes instantly renowned and recognized for his courageousness and intellect. A temple priest shows the esteem the Thebans have for their sovereign when he tells Oedipus, "You freed us from the Sphinx, you came to Thebes and cut us loose from the bloody tribute we had paid that harsh, brutal singer. We taught you nothing, no skill, no extra knowledge, still you triumphed" (44-47). Here, Oedipus' daring deeds seem to be a blessing, a gift from the gods to benefit the city. Certainly Oedipus is revered by the Thebans, yet at times he appears to hate the gods, assuming power that normally belongs to them. One sample is he arrogantly tells the Chorus, which beseeches the gods for liberation from the city plague, "You pra...
Oedipus thinks his human powers can match anything put in front of him. He forces other characters to tell him things, which again creates his tragic ending. (O790) Oedipus by not knowing his identity seems to create his own tragedy. Throughout the entire play, he is blind to everything people are telling him. (O320) He continues to badger Teiresias to answer things that Oedipus does not believe is true. If he only stopped, asking questions his fate might have been different. (O385) Because of these answers, he begins to suspect that people are plotting against him. He feels that he is above such lowly deeds. His own conceit and blind confidence in himself helps him continue towards a tragic ending. (O452-460) While Teiresias was predicting the future of Oedipus, he should have been smart enough to listen. He should have started to change his ways before he ended up destroying himself. Oedipus' guilt was beginning to play tricks on his mind. At the beginning of the play, Oedipus was on the top of the mortal world. Now he is finding out the truth about his past and his world starts to crumble around him.
Oedipus is so cocky and arrogant that he knew before he even attempted to solve the puzzle that he would be able to complete it. This sense of over-self confidence is seen throughout the entire work, its extremely obvious. Even though it looks like Oedipus is doing all of these great and heroic things for the good of the city,
In his first dealings with the city of Thebes, Oedipus found them under the curse of the Sphinx. He actually gained his position of King of Thebes by rendering unto the city a great service, namely the salvation of the city from the Sphinx's plague. Aristotle praised the type of cleverness and practical wisdom Oedipus exhibited in his solution to the riddle as being a component of overall goodness. If it were not for Oedipus virtuous action in saving Thebes, the citizens would have suffered untold disasters at the merciless hands of the Sphinx. After proving his worth as a good man and his concern for the citizens of what was seemingly a foreign city, Oedipus was well liked by the people of Thebes.
Oedipus is a ‘good king,’ a father of his people, an honest and great ruler, while at the same time an outstanding intellect. . . . He even shares the thro...
Oedipus is very arrogant and allows his emotions to blind him and prevent himself from making sound decisions. In the beginning of the play, Oedipus is revered by his people. They adore him for solving the riddle of the Sphinx, and see him as the “wisest in the ways of God (38).” Accordingly, Oedipus takes in all the praise, becoming prideful and believes himself to be invincible. Upon hearing that the plague was caused by the murder of Laios, Oedipus takes it upon himself to find the murderer, saying, “Then once more I must bring what is dark to light (135).” His belief in himself impels Oedipus to declare in front of all his people that he will find the murderer and save Thebes. He does not say that he will try, or that he will do his, but that he will undoubtedly solve the case. Oedipus sets his situation up for failure. Consequently, if he does not succeed the people of Thebes will lose faith in him and think of him as incompete...
Initially, Oedipus is a confident leader who believes he is educated and knows the truth about himself and the land he presides over, Thebes. This is because he was proclaimed the most famous man alive as a result of his answering the Sphinx’s riddle to save Thebes from a tragic epidemic. However, at the beginning of the play there is another plague causing grief to the members of Thebes, and Oedipus goes so far as to say that he will stop at nothing to rid Thebes of this pollution. He states, "Each of you grieves for himself alone, while my heart must bear the strain of sorrow for all--myself and you and all our city’s people. No I am not blind to it," (p.4). Yet in essence he is blind to it because he is the indirect cause for the epidemic in Thebes. Oedipus finds out that the cause for the Epidemic is that nobody came forth as an avenger in the murder of King Laius. Oedipus then states, "I shall not cease until I bring the truth to light. Apollo has shown, and you have shown, the duty which we owe the dead," (p.5). This is ironic in that Oedipus vows to make the truth come to light so that everybody can see it, including himself. Moreover, th...
“…they will never see the crime I have committed or had done upon me!” These are the words Oedipus shouted as he blinds himself upon learning the truth of his past. It is ironic how a person blessed with perfect physical vision could in reality be blind to to matters of life and conscience. During his prime as King of Thebes, Oedipus is renowned for his lucidity and his ability to rule with a clear concept of justice and equality. The people loved him for his skill and wit, as he saved Thebes from the curse of the Sphinx. As a result, Oedipus became overly confident, and refuses to see that he may be the cause of the malady that is plaguing his kingdom. Although physically Oedipus has full use of his eyes, Sophocles uses sight to demonstrate how Oedipus is blind to the truth about his past what it might me for both him and his kingdom. Upon learning the truth, Oedipus gouges out his eyes, so he won’t have to look upon his children, or the misfortune that is his life. Once physically unable to see, Oedipus has clear vision as to his fate, and what must be done for his kingdom and his family
Oedipus took great pride in saving people and being seen a hero. He wanted the death of Laius to be avenged and he had to be the one to find the murderer and punish him. "I'll fight for him, I'll leave no means untried, to cach the one who did it with his hand..." (Literature, Oedipus the King, Ln. 270-271, page 1081) He did not want to let the people of Thebes down, and he wanted to show that he would be a true hero once again.
Oedipus is shown to be a well-liked and trusted king among all his townspeople. Solving the riddle of the Sphinx and saving Thebes brought him great fame and popularity. When time came to save the town from Laios’ killer, Oedipus relied much on his intellect. He searched for information about the night of the murder from Creon and Teiresias, but as he learned more details, Oedipus realized not only that he was the killer but also that he married his mother. Throughout his inquiry he believed he was doing good for his people as well as himself, but eventually it brought him shame. Oedipus was humiliated and disgusted and stated, “…kill me; or hurl me into the sea, away from men’s eyes for ever(p882, 183).'; Oedipus’ wanted to be isolated from the people of Thebes because all his respect and fame was destroyed by his fate.
Renowned for his ability to solve the Riddle of the Sphinx, Oedipus exudes confidence as the play commences. Famous for his clear sightedness and quick comprehension, he ironically remains devoid of self-knowledge. Oedipus' swiftness and impulsive reactions contribute to his figurative and ultimately his literal blindness. This spontaneous nature prevents Oedipus from noticing the chaos surrounding his life.
Oedipus Rex”, by Socrates, is a play that shows the fault of men and the ultimate power of the gods. Throughout the play, the main character, Oedipus, continually failed to recognize the fault in human condition, and these failures let to his ultimate demise. Oedipus failed to realize that he, himself was the true answer to the riddle of the Sphinx. Oedipus ignored the truth told to him by the oracles and the drunk at the party, also. These attempts to get around his fate which was determined by the gods was his biggest mistake. Oedipus was filled with hubris and this angered the gods. He believed he was more that a man. These beliefs cause him to ignore the limits he had in being a man. Oedipus needed to look at Teiresias as his window to his future.
From the opening dialogue we sense the character of Oedipus. When confronted by his subjects praying for relief of the plague he reacts kingly and graciously, saying, “I am king, I had to come....How can I help?...Ask me anything. Anything at all.” He obviously cares for the people in his kingdom, but he goes on to say how he pities “these poor shattered people of [his].” The pity he feels is rooted not only in his love and sympathy, but his arrogance as well. Perhaps this attitude is duly deserved, for Oedipus had solved the Sphinx’s riddle, an apparently heroic feat, and was seen to be “greater than any man”, but the leader that he had become still possessed the hubristic tendencies which doomed him from the time he fled Corinth.
Oedipus is a very smart man who some how sees what his people need before they need it. In fact that is a main reason he became king, because of his intuition. He also rescues his people by solving the riddle of the sphinx. But while he is a very smart man he comes across as careless in some situations. Anticipation may be a good thing but, there are always risks or consequences to acting reckless. With this combination it is hard to tell if Oedipus is a good leader or if he is a tyrant. Another reason why Oedipus would be considered a tyrant is because he is very unstable. “For he removed from her garment the golden brooches which she was wearing; he lifted them and struck the sockets of his own eyes, shouting that they would not see either the evils he had suffered or the evils he had done, now only in darkness could they see those whom they must not see, in darkness could they mistake those whom they wanted to recognize.” His reaction to finding out the truth about marrying his mother was rather odd. He stabs out his own eyes! That seems rather rash and very insane. This shows that Oedipus lets his emotions get the best of him. While Oedipus is a very smart ruler, he does seem to not be in the right mental