ipl-logo

How Did Oedipus Kill His Parents

282 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Character analysis of Oedipus

In the beginning of the play the people outside of the palace talk to Oedipus and they tell him “You figured out the riddle of the Sphinx.” But yet Oedipus couldn’t figure out his own life. I wonder how he just went on with his life with no remorse to what he did. Some people can make themselves forget certain things. But sleeping with your mother, and having children with her. One has to assume that there had to be some moments where Oedipus and Jocasta had some awkward moments.
Back tracking to his birth, why was Oedipus destined to kill his parents? Did Oedipus’s parents kill someone? Which in return led them to have a baby who would eventually lead them to their demise.
One point of view I would have liked to have seen is the children,
Show More
Related
977 Words | 4 Pages

Although he was ashamed of the life he had been living, he realized that the mistakes were his own, and no one can bear the weight but him. He even said it himself “No one but me can bear this weight.” The grave consequences which Oedipus suffered in the end consisted of the loss of his mother/ wife by suicide, as well as his grief becoming a threat to himself, as he stabbed his own eyes out, blinding him permanently. After suffering dreadful pain from these actions in grief, Oedipus went on to face the other consequences given by the gods and Creon. He cursed himself many times in the book saying that whoever killed Laius should be banished or killed, and he would even go on to be cursed by his wrongful actions of incest.

Read More
1377 Words | 6 Pages

Background Information: In Oedipus the King, by Sophocles, Oedipus was told that he would kill his father Laius and marry his mother Jocasta. However, Oedipus doesn’t believe that he killed Laius but was blind to the truth for him accept it which led to his demise. 3.Thesis Statement:

Read More
637 Words | 3 Pages

Niya Kebreab King Oedipus: Moral Ambiguity In the play King Oedipus, Sophocles depicts Oedipus’ inevitable downfall, which represents man’s struggle between free will and fate. In an attempt to use the audience’s knowledge to his advantage, Sophocles opens the play seventeen years after Oedipus murders his father, Laius and marries his mother, Jocasta. The sequence in which the story unravels reveals the strong psychological focus towards Oedipus’ character. In search of his identity, Oedipus’ enigmatic quality and moral ambiguity compels readers to question whether his ignorance renders him morally blameless.

Read More
247 Words | 1 Pages

Oedipus killed the traveling company in self defense and without the knowledge that his birth father was included. Oedipus recounts to Iocaste his flight from Corinth to escape the oracle's prophecy. Traveling alone, Oedipus comes upon the three crossroads where a chariot approaches containing Laϊos. However, as the carriage approaches Oedipus is ordered unkindly off the road. “But as this charioteer lurches over towards me/I struck him in my rage.

Read More
462 Words | 2 Pages

Oedipus was a very prideful man that was sure of his past and of himself as a man, husband, father and a King. He looked after his country and over his people and made all attempts to take care of everyone in Thebes. Oedipus was the people's protector and wanted to rid Thebes of the plaque and vowed to find and deal with the murderer of Laios. Oedipus never hinter or acknowledged that he had a past where he murdered a man and seems to have put that out of his mind. Oedipus becomes more arrogant and becomes very defiant when Kreon, Teiresias and the Messanger try to talk to him about the prophecy and the oracle when attempting to find out the true murderer of King Laios.

Read More
930 Words | 4 Pages

He was unknowingly solving the puzzle to a murder done by his own hands. It is almost a bit ironic because at that point Oedipus did not know

Read More
382 Words | 2 Pages

I have also observed that whether the murder and incest is the primary cause of Oedipus’s fall or not, he was entirely aware of his actions to the reader’s knowledge for no suggestion of mental impairment is mentioned. If no influence causes Oedipus to commit the acts he did, What denial can Oedipus claim in his own responsibility? Beginning back with Tiresias, Oedipus forced him to speak, Knox states, “Tiresias delivers [the prophecy] only as a result of Oedipus’ actions in the first place. ”25 Much is the same with Oedipus’s insistence that the surviving witness comes, even when again advised against it, and even, “When Creon returns and asks if Oedipus wishes to hear the oracle’s reply in public or in private, Oedipus tells his to speak before all of them,” as Knox includes.26 I am left with certainty that the events of the play are entirely and consequently to the effect of Oedipus’s actions and none others, with the inclusion of Jocasta’s own involvement and guilt in the incestuous

Read More
219 Words | 1 Pages

Great point, the parents are ultimately responsible for the prophecy being fulfilled. Oedipus’ parents arranging to have their child to be killed as a means to save themselves from the prophecy, these sets mechanism that sets events in motion. Each member of the family having a fault that leads to their own suffering.

Read More
1063 Words | 5 Pages

First, he was blind to the truth about his own life. Oedipus had no idea that his real parents were Laius and Jocasta, he was so blind that he got mad at anyone that would even suggest an idea such as that. As the story went on though, Oedipus could no longer run from the truth; he was forced to open his eyes to the reality and truth of his life. Oedipus killed his father and married his mother; he is the brother to his own kids and the son of his own mother. Oedipus was the one that was causing all of the downfall and bad times in Thebes.

Read More
448 Words | 2 Pages

Jocasta finds out that Oedipus is also her son. When she found out about Oedipus being her child, Jocasta “ ‘broken in through the gates, dashing past us, frantic, whipped to fury, ripping her hair out with both hands--straight to her rooms she rushed, flinging herself across the bridal-bed. . .’ “ (315). Jocasta dashes into her room because she is frighten to the fact that Oedipus is her son. Jocasta not accepting that Oedipus is her son and husband means that she is hiding from the truth.

Read More
741 Words | 3 Pages

Oedipus solved the riddle of the sphinx which ultimately saved the Kingdom of Thebes from the plague. This made Oedipus a respected ruler that was well liked in Thebes. His time as ruler eventually came to an unexpected end. Although Oedipus could not control his fate, his confidence in himself, determination and stubbornness to find out who killed Laius led to his downfall. Throughout the play Oedipus struggles with not being able to solve this murder.

Read More
193 Words | 1 Pages

In the play Oedipus the King tragedy strikes the palace and the town of Thebes as the life of their new leader Oedipus begins to come crashing down around them. The plague disease suddenly hits the town and begins to take countless lives of the people of the town. The women of the city then begin to become barren and those who were pregnant had to suffer through labor pains but unlike a normal delivery no life was produced to compensate for all the pain that they had to endure. With a decrease in population beginning they begin to question why all of this was happening to their town and they come to find out that this is the result of their previous king being killed and tragedy will continue to occur if the murderer is still out there.

Read More
571 Words | 3 Pages

He had so much that he became blind to things around around him and the things he was doing to himself and others. Everything that happens to him is brought onto him by him. He killed his father, he also married his mother. He chooses to ignore the warnings from Jocasta, he searches and searches for the killer, to soon find out it was himself. Just as Oedipus becomes king his pride and confidence in himself grows.

Read More
393 Words | 2 Pages

Once Oedipus found out about the killing of his father and marrying of his mother, everything goes downhill. Jocasta hangs herself after finding out about her son also being her husband and her son killing her past husband. Oedipus finds her and gouges his eyes out. These events led up to Creon taking over as king and exiling Oedipus soon after his request to be exiled. The few interactions led up to the expulsion of the main character, Oedipus.

Read More
1224 Words | 5 Pages

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.

Read More

More about How Did Oedipus Kill His Parents

Related Topics

Open Document