Sophocles 'Oedipus The King'

Andrew Wurts oedipus was the son of his Laius and Jocasta. When Oedipus was born his parents felt a need to kill him on behalf of what an oracle tells them. oedipus the king, written by sophocles is the story of the fate of oedipus being attempted to be killed at birth, ruling his parents kingdom and marrying his mother, Jocasta, and killing his father, Laius. despite surviving contacted murder when he was a meer baby. Hubris is displayed throughout the story at different times.

In like manner, Oedipus also lacks the qualities of a good leader when he argues with Creon; “‘But yet/I must be ruler. ’/‘Not if you rule badly. ’/‘O, city, city!’/‘I too have some share/in the city; it is not yours alone. ’”(Sophocles, ln. 732-737)

Oedipus the King is a tragedy that was written by Sophocles that emphasizes the irony of an irony of a man who was determined to trace down, expose and punish an assassin who in turn became him. Oedipus the King is also known as Oedipus Rex or Oedipus Tyrannus. The art is an Athenian play that was performed in ages approximated to be 429 BC. Oedipus the King would later in the play fulfill the prophecy that he would kill his father and later on marry his mother. There is a twist of an event in the play where Oedipus is looking for the murderer of his father to bring to a halt the series of plagues that are befalling Thebes but only to find he is in search of himself (Rado, 1956).

Starting off as a new and ambitious king, Creon in the first monologue appears as a ruler that is expected to rule well as he is admiring the people under the rule of Oedipus. But in the next monologue, Creon’s expectation falls as the people seem not to click with him as they do with Oedipus and already someone has defied his orders. One would expect a ruler to see reason for such acts but Creon acts harshly. This further proves how even the most well meaning can turn into a harsh tyrant that will put the blame on his own

Oedipus as a king has hubris or excessive pride and sees himself as having superiority over all others. “I thought it wrong, my children, to hear the truth from others, messengers. Here I am myself—you all know me, the world knows my fame: I am Oedipus” (Lines 1-6). This sets up the view that exactly from the beginning of the story, Oedipus is worshipped as this highly renowned king. This sets up the dramatic irony that even though Oedipus is praised, the people reciting the story are the ones who along with Oedipus will discover the truth about his life.

Oedipus, the leader of Thebes, believes he is the best leader of the city, yet he is blind to the fact that someone might rule Thebes better than him. In the story, Tiresias, the blind prophet, points out to Oedipus that his leadership is not as strong as he thinks. Oedipus believes Tiresias is challenging his authority, and in doing so, claiming to be more intelligent. Oedipus responds to this

Oedipus discovers the body and is in so much grief he uses the golden pins that held Jocasta’s dress and “spears the pupils of his eyes” (93). This unbearable mishap is the last article of the proclamation that Oedipus carries out. Furthermore, in an attempt to keep his children, Creon advises him to “not be the master in everything. What you once won and held did not stay with you all your lifelong” (107). Oedipus was once a man that was not physically blind but in truth he was.

Ultimately, all of the mistakes that Creon had made as a leader and his downfall was due to his excessive pride, which proves that he was a bad leader and that other leaders should not

Abraham Lincoln perfectly described the character of humans when he said, “nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test man’s character, give him power.” Creon perfectly exemplifies this quote when he violated moral codes to make a statement as a ruler of Thebes. His ascension to power came about after Polycensis and Etecoles killed each other. However, instead of moving forward and restoring normality

Jocasta which is Oedipus biological mom was bearing a baby known as Oedipus and he had a fate that he was going to kill his father and marry his mom so his dad pierced his feet and tied him to a bush where a shepard found him and took him to Corinth where he grew up as a baby. Polybius raised the child called Oedipus,

At the end of the play, Oedipus the king, once Oedipus is exiled, the new king is proclaimed to be Creon. Oedipus is a hero, good at the heart and very just in his actions, and that is what made him unsuitable to be properly king. He was kind, yet to a fault. The thoughts needed to be a king are different than those that are needed to be a hero. Creon, however, has the thought process necessary to be king, and a good one at that.

And chiefest part Is wisdom, and to hold The gods in awe. This is the law That, seeing the stricken heart Of pride brought down, We learn when we are old.” (Sophocles 162). Therefore, Oedipus is the better

Tiresias reveals that Oedipus has been blind to the truth his whole life and when he finally does find the truth, he loses his physical vision. Due to the truth, Oedipus blinds himself. In this case, those who are blind ultimately do have a higher vision- the truth. The theme of sight versus blindness in Sophocles’ work Oedipus the King is portrayed through

…Did he say anything about me at that time?” These are all questions Oedipus asked to Creon. Creon is calmer than Oedipus, but he’s manipulative.

Oedipus the King is one of the most ironic plays ever written. Sophocles, the author, is a famous philosopher of the ancient times The Play is about Oedipus, the king of Thebes, who kills his father and marries his mother. An oracle warned Laius, the king of Thebes prior to Oedipus, that his son would murder him. Accordingly, when his wife, Jocasta, had a son, he exposed the baby by first pinning his ankles together. The infant, who was adopted by King Polybus of Corinth and his wife was then brought up as their very own.