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Oedipus Rex

Introduction

“Oedipus the King”, a tragic play first performed in 429 BC., was written by Sophocles. This play was famous for its unique and tragic end. Oedipus is the main character with many flaws, which makes this character a very different person. In fact, Oedipus' character was thought to be related to the famous word “hubris”, which means excessive pride. He is characterized as a very proud, ignorant, arrogant and a hasty person. Sophocles tries to set up a character, Oedipus the King, with strong power and self-will who tries to master his own fate but remains powerless before the will of Gods'. (Tyrannus, Pp. 212-220)

Main Body

Oedipus' character is the blend of several different traits. They are discussed in the paragraphs to follow.

Pride

The major flaw in Oedipus's character was certainly his pride. In the beginning of the play, Oedipus took great pride considering himself almost equal to God. He was proud having solved the riddle of Sphinx, which had remained unsolved by a number of diviners for a long time. The riddle was an ambiguous question: “What is the creature that walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon, and three in the evening?" Oedipus's answer was “Man”. He explained that it is a man who crawls on four legs at the time of infancy, then walks on two legs when he grows up and uses a walking stick when he is in his old age. The Sphinx got distressed and jumped off the cliff. The other element that adds spice to his pride is the fact that he becomes the ruler of Thebes. This excessive pride leads him to his distressful situations in life. He married his mother, Jocasta. At one point, Oedipus is discussed as “possessing the greatest power” by the priest, which portrays the idea that the people of Thebes, the suppliants, worshipped. Suppliants are people who beg for help from their God. In lines 141 and 142, Oedipus says, “Now quickly, children: up from the altar steps, and raise the branches of the suppliant!” indicating how he outlooks himself as well as his people. (Fergusson, Pp. 61-72)

Oedipus, apart from being able to see the truth, completely refused to accept the fact that he had killed his father himself. His pride greatly affected his judgment criteria. When the plague strikes and people turn to Oedipus for help, he calls Tiresias for consultation. Oedipus asks Tiresias about the murderer and becomes furious when Tiresias utters Oedipus' name in reply. For the sake of safeguarding his own honor and pride, Oedipus accuses Creon and Tiresias of plotting against him. Oedipus' expressions portray that he seems to dislike the fallibility of these human ministers made by God. This shows the self-oriented, self-reliant and prideful attitude of Oedipus challenging the ultimate superiority of God. He is seen proclaiming his name proudly in the crowd as though it had a curative charm in itself: ““Here I am myself— you all know me, the world knows my fame: ...