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Examples Of Morally Ambiguous Characters In Oedipus

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Morally ambiguous characters are those that are not fully good or evil and can be seen either way. This type of character is shown in Oedipus Rex, by Sophocles. It is a tragedy about how Oedipus, a man whom an oracle predicts will murder his father and marry his mother, unknowingly sentences himself to exile for the murder of his father. Oedipus is a morally ambiguous character in that he directly fulfills his prophecy, despite directly trying to avoid fulfilling it, which reveals the idea that when information is hidden, free will is subservient to fate. Oedipus can be seen as an immoral character in that his actions directly complete his prophecy. This is shown when Oedipus recounts his journey from Corinth to Thebes to Jocasta to determine …show more content…

This is shown when Oedipus tells Jocasta why he left Corinth to eventually end up in Thebes to gain more information about Laios’s murder. Oedipus recounts that he was, “doomed to sleep with my own mother, doomed to bring children into this world where the sun pours down, children no one could bear to see, doomed to murder the man who gave me life, whose blood is my blood. My father. And after I heard all this, I fled Corinth” (Sophocles; p. 59, lines 1030-1035). Here it is clear that Oedipus's primary, if not only, motive for leaving Corinth was his prophecy because he is ready to leave everything he knows behind after the oracle tells him these things. Additionally, Oedipus has no hesitation; he hears his prophecy and then flees to avoid doing horrible things to the people he thinks are his parents. It is clear that Oedipus wanted to and actively tried to prevent these things from happening. Sophocles, also, shows how Oedipus takes his actions to avoid his prophecy when Oedipus explains why he still will not return to Corinth after a messenger tells him that Polybus is dead. Sophocles writes, “Oedipus: But so long as my mother is alive, my fear lives too. Messenger: Who is this woman you fear so much? Oedipus: Merope, King Polybus' wife. Messenger: Why does Merope frighten you so much? Oedipus: A harrowing oracle hurled down upon us by some great

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Oedipus’ pride made him reject the very idea the he killed Laius, his birth father, or married Jocasta, his birth mother. Oedipus’ states, “But now, all those prophecies I feared--Polybus packs them off to sleep with him in hell! They’re nothing, worthless” (Sophocles 1062-1064). Oedipus’ insults the gods by saying that all the prophecies that were supposed to come true are worthless now that his father is dead. Since the gods play a significant role in Greek culture, his hubris is affecting his character by going against his and Greek culture's morals because he believes he is almighty and does not need the gods.

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Oedipus’ peripeteia occurs when he comes to the realization that he fulfilled the prophecy by killing his father and marrying his mother. The panic and fear Oedipus carried with him of the prophecy coming to fruition becomes his reality, where everything he knew was never his decision. In the midst of his panic before the reality he knows is pulled under his feet, Jocatsa attempts to calm Oedipus down, by telling him that prophecies can be defied. Jocasta tells Oedipus how her previous husband, Laius, and herself defied their prophecies, just like he can. She tells Oedipus of her prophecy, “It was said Laius was fated to be killed by a child of ours, one born to him and me.”

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He is so willing to know the truth that he does not realize what will soon happen to him. Oedipus demands a messenger to speak the truth about his real parents, yet the messenger repeats that things are better left untold. Yet Oedipus thinks otherwise, the messenger warned him and this goes into the theme of the play, Oedipus is forcing himself to know the truth out of his own free will. Oedipus called for the shepherd that took him as a child and revealed the truth. Although Jocasta did not want Oedipus to investigate more, he did so anyway.

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While he is escaping his fate he runs into his real father Laius, who he does not know is his real father, and kills him. He arrives at Thebes where his birth mother lives and ends up marrying her, also believing it was just a random women. The Oracle predicted all of these things to happen, while Oedipus thought he was winning, he never knew he was actually fulfilling his destiny. As he gathered more information about the truth, he uncovers that he did in fact marry his mother and kill his father. Disgusted with himself, he gauges his eyeballs out and exiles himself from Thebes, and his hometown, Corinth.

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Truly, Oedipus sets out to change his destiny. His self determination proves he has pride in himself and confidence that he can somehow change the future. When Oedipus killed his father he allowed his pride and arrogance to control him. He was thinking with his pride and did not use self control. This hubris that is instilled in Oedipus is a serious flaw of his.

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He tried to beat fate when he discovered that he would soon kill his father and marry his mother. He disregarded what the Gods told him and still ran into his own fate by killing his real father while fleeing his town and marrying his biological mother in a new town. Oedipus stated, “Now I must fly into exile and there, 
a fugitive, never see my people, 
never set foot in my native land again— or else I must get married to my mother
and kill my father, Polybus, who raised me, 
the man who gave me life. If anyone claimed this came from some malevolent god, 
would he not is right? O you gods, 
you pure, blessed gods, may I not see that day!

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Every character in stories or in plays has their flaws and strengths; Oedipus is no exception to this. Oedipus has his strengths and weaknesses that shape him into the character he is perceived to be in the play. He is intellectual which is why the city looks up to him, he is caring, and tenacious. Like any other character Oedipus also has his flaws, he jumps to conclusions and makes rash decisions, he has anger issues, and hubris which eventually leads to his downfall. Intelligence is something that is highly respected in individuals, especially in leaders.

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Oedipus agrees with Jocasta to wait to hear shepard's testimony. People are doubting oracle and gods. Above all, Herald from Corinth tells Jocasta about Polybus death and Corinthians want Oedipus to be their king. Oedipus finds out Polybus is dead and Oedipus didn’t kill him. So Oedipus fears prophecy.

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So in the end, Oedipus no longer thinks of himself. Thinking of his children 's impending marriage, Oedipus begs for his children and no longer can think of himself as anything more than a creature that embodies what it means to be pathetic: “When you come to the age ripe for marriage, who will he be who will run the risk, children, to take for himself the reproaches that will be banes for my parents and offspring alike? What evil is absent? Your father slew his father; he ploughed his mother, where he himself was sown, and he sired you in the same fount where he himself was sired.

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