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Character traits of oedipus the king
Character development of oedipus
Character development of oedipus
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More handpicked essays just for you.
Character traits of oedipus the king
Character development of oedipus
Character development of oedipus
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Recommended: Character traits of oedipus the king
Atlas Lewis Mrs. Gray Classical Literature 9 February 2023 With Great Power - Labeling the Source of Creon’s Downfall Creon was a good person throughout Oedipus Rex, but suddenly he switched. In Sophocles’s works Oedipus Rex and Antigone, Creon changes from a fairly important supporting role to the villain of the trilogy. A change like that does not occur naturally in an earnest person. The sudden responsibility thrusted upon Creon on multiple occasions led to his harsh and corrupt nature.
He believes that his intelligence and bravery alone are sufficient to combat any possible obstacles, regardless of those that wish to help him. Creon for example states, “If you think that stubbornness is of value apart from reason, you are a madman!”. Oedipus lacks the capability to trust others and comprehend that they are not necessarily against him, with certain characters even trying to prevent the outcome from being more fatal. He sincerely believes that he is correct and the rest are mistaken, “Come then, say, by the gods, did you think me a fool or coward that you would weave these schemes?”. Inevitably, the representation of Oedipus’ personality leads to numerous questions about the turn the events would have taken if he had acted with more humility and open-mindedness.
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)
(Sophocles 594-598). Oedipus is convinced that Creon hired Tiresias to reveal false statements, so Creon could take over and become king. However, this is a false accusation, for what Tiresias proclaimed was true, and Oedipus did kill the previous king, his father, and marry his mother. Nevertheless, Oedipus does not change his judgement. When speaking to the Chorus on this matter, Oedipus reviles Creon, “He, wherever he goes, my hate goes with him” (Sophocles 745).
Creon does not even give Antigone a second chance. He is sticking to his rule and there is nothing that will change that, even with his own nephew. He has no mercy. He has proven to be a brave and committed leader. Oedipus does not show this.
In response, Creon makes an alleged statement of how Oedipus understands nothing. Oedipus’s lack of vision explains his foolishness in thinking that he is in power, and that he has or is in control of anything and everything. He fastens himself onto the value of hope in exonerating himself. In other words he yearns for the feel of being free from such a shameful intimate prophesy. As the story goes on, it continues to emphasize the aura of desperation that is within Oedipus.
Therefore, he will have to punish himself as he promised the people of the town. When Oedipus learns that he is the one who killed Laius, he is angry and unaccepting. He turns to blame the person closest to him, Creon, but, Tiresias says, “Creon is not your enemy. You are your own” (Episode 1).
" This quote shows that Oedipus can admit to his mistakes and take responsibility. Creon downfall of luck is when he sentences Antigone to jail. Creon thought he could disrespect the gods and not have to pay for his disrespect. After Creon finds a way to flip Antigone's execution back on the god, the narrators tell Creon that his " mortal arrogance" would not "Transcends the wrath of Zeus?".
Oedipus Rex essay Final draft Oedipus certainly deserved his fate. Oedipus and his actions are clearly disrespect to the gods , he faces the fate he deserves. He was doing things that would eventually lead up to the unfortunate event of his death , he was even warned by the great and wise Teiresias , but he being himself was to stubborn and did not listen. All the things Teiresias said would happen became the truth. He killed his father, married his mother, yet he tempted his fate , he deserved everything that came his way .
Denial is common when faced with a truth one does not want to acknowledge or accept. An example of denial exists in the ancient Greek play Oedipus the King translated by Stephen Berg and Diskin Clay, Oedipus is faced with the harsh reality of his marriage to his mother and his killing of his father by the blind prophet of Apollo, Teiresias. In response to the accusations, Oedipus convinces himself that this is not the truth, but instead a plot to steal his throne. In the use of dialogue and the words chosen, the text encourages us to interpret the encounter between Oedipus and Teiresias as an exchange between a guilty denial-ridden man and a reluctantly wise man.
Oedipus the King, by Sophocles, is really a story about the necessity of placing more faith in others and their counsel than in oneself and one’s own beliefs. Repeatedly the titular character is pleaded with to listen to and accept the advice of those around him and each time he refuses to obey. Ultimately, Oedipus’ tendency to do perform the actions he would prefer to do rather than to allow his family to help guide him leads to his downfall and loss of the throne. A common characteristic of Greek tragedy is the “fatal flaw” of the main character and how this flaw leads to the character’s misfortune.
After his accusations, Oedipus mocked Teiresias for his blindness, and told him to leave the palace as Oedipus had grown tired of him. Oedipus’s imperfect nature stopped him from learning the truth from Teiresias before it was too late, and lead to great loss at the end of the play. Throughout the story of Oedipus the King, the imperfectly noble nature of Oedipus is displayed for all to learn from. His temperamental and overzealous nature made him argumentative and combative when Teiresias tried to tell him the truth about the murder, causing Oedipus to accuse his good friend Creon of being a usurper.
Killing Laius and his men is an overreaction to his anger. This violent outburst shows that he has no self control and he does not show any remorse for what he has done. He also looses his temper with Tiresias when he is trying to explain the oracle to him. It is because of his anger that the oracle becomes true and in the end he looses everything good around him including his children and his sight. Oedipus constantly pushes people away that are only trying to help him, as if accepting help makes him seem
The conversations between Oedipus and Creon displays Oedipus’s tragic flaw. His overall tragic flaw is his curiosity. “For whom, if he did not meet with you, did he say that the death of Laius was my work?” This was asked by Oedipus to Creon. He is making a mistake by asking this.
Oedipus who tries to make Creon looks like an evil person explains to Jocasta, his wife that he caught Creon in the act of wanting to stab him, which was not the case. “Precisely, I caught him in the act, Jocasta, plotting, about to stab me in the back” (Qtd in Barnet, Burto, & Cain, p. 1117). Oedipus who was challenging and discourteous most of the time violent temper plays a significant role in his downfall makes him a tragic flaw. Another tragedy of Oedipus as a tragic hero was that he was a proud man, who thinks he knew it all and would not listen to anyone. One of his greatest acts of hubris was that he denies his fate of the oracle and defy the prophecies of the gods that later came to reality, and despite his growing up in Corinth he was a son of the land of Thebes.