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Hubris In Oedipus The King

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Fate of Hubris For thousands of years in human exploration, there has been a interminable search for knowledge. Today people look back to the simplicity of life before civilization and wonder if the knowledge that we have acquired helps or hurts our lives. Similarly, in Oedipus the King by Sophocles, Oedipus, the main character, is determined to find and punish the murderer of his wife’s late husband. Through the character’s arrogance and the use of metaphorical blindness, Sophocles displays how mysteries lead to the self-discovery of an individual. In the beginning of the play, the author portrays Oedipus as a proud and arrogant man which causes him to initiate the search for the answer of the mystery. Oedipus is introduced with a problem in his kingdom so he sends “Creon, Jocasta’s brother, to Apollo, to his Pythian temple..[to] learn there by what act..[Oedipus] could save this city” (78-82). Creon reports that the Black Plague will terminate when “the man whom had murdered the previous king of Thebes, Laius,” receives death or banishment (112-113). Oedipus is oblivious to the fact that he is the killer of Laius so he orders his men to begin to probe for clues. He wants to be projected as a king who will go to any extreme for the kingdom’s prosperity. By showing his dedication, his subjects will respect him at a greater level thus giving him immense power over the city. Oedipus summons a prophet, …show more content…

Oedipus’s arrogance blinds him from seeing clues that lead him to the truth. His pomposity caused him to receive the punishment he was determined to enforce on the murderer of King Laius. The constant reference to blindness and darkness indicates Oedipus’s fate. In addition, it emphasizes the dramatic irony throughout the story. Oedipus discovered that fate is what brought him his luxury and his downfall. Even when the course of life is altered, fate can never be

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In Sophocles’s Oedipus Rex, Oedipus’ impulsive behavior and stubbornness leads to his catastrophic downfall. Oedipus “levels terrible charges” (574) at Creon because he believes that Creon conspired with Tiresias to kill King Laius. Instead of proceeding “calmly” and “rationally” (652), Oedipus accuses Creon of “scheming to steal [his] crown and power” (598). Oedipus refuses to let Creon defend himself. Moreover, Oedipus does not have evidence to prove his accusations against Creon.

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But now in a reversed position, Oedipus is a man that is physically blind but in truth is not. All things considered, Oedipus was in denial and was blinded from truth. As he came closer to the truth he finds himself praying that the prophecy will not come true. His earnestness causes a panic within him that leads him to abuse his power into changing his destiny. But as a result, all thing must come to an end especially Oedipus’s physical sight.

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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).

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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.

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The gods talked, spoked, stated that the plaque would be undone when the murderer of king Laius was finally found, being Oedipus. The reason Oedipus deserved his fate was because he promised, to himself , to the land of thebes and to its people, to help them in any way they needed him, again acting like a god . He must remain a man of his word just as he made the law of exile , to keep those words and not try and erase what was his actions or his land would be doomed. “ it was murder that brought the plague wind to this city” (prologue 7).This quote is significant because it shows us the truth , the murder of the king was the reason the plaque was a problem to begin with,why it started. Now to undo has has been done , to get rid of this evil plague , the murder being Oedipus himself must be exiled or killed.

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In ancient Greek literature, diseases and afflictions often play key roles within the story. In Sophocles 's tragedy Oedipus Rex, the presence and recurrence of afflictions are central elements to the plot. Oedipus and his city both possess conditions that determine the outcome of the play. The motif of ailments, like the plague and blindness, highlight the hubris and failures of Oedipus to demonstrate his reliance on the gods.

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Having been given many hints in his life, Oedipus cannot detect and know the truth. He is blind, to the extent that he could not even understand his life and does not even want to accept his origin. In this way, we get to know the contrast between eyesight and insight (Calame, 1996). After Oedipus realizing and coming to know the truth, he gets out his eyes so as to have the vision (Calame, 1996). He removes his eyes so as not to see his children and siblings who would remind him of his actions.

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Jocasta is afraid that the truth might actually be true, she doesn't want him to continue but he is arrogant and doesn't stop. In the end of the play, knowledge causes Oedipus to fall into ruin. Oedipus knowledge didn't help him where he most needed it, even though he defeated the sphinx and saved thebes anything can go into ruin like that. The truth come out maybe something Oedipus would have better off not knowing?

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Oedipus was a tragic hero he was seen as a great man and was king,but he fell to misfortune because of his disability to see past his pride and anger which led to his demise. By not being able to see past his pride and anger Oedipus was not able to to avoid his prophetic destiny. He was blinded by his pride and anger so much that it became his tragic flaw ultimately leading him to his

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Oedipus Rex Henry Rollins once stated, “Weakness is what brings ignorance, cruelty, and pride, all these things that will keep a society chained to the ground, one foot nailed to the floor.” In Sophocles play Oedipus Rex, Oedipus, the king of Thebes, weakness is his fate. Throughout the play, Oedipus is trying to outrun his fate because he feels the gods are subordinate to his powerful figure. Oedipus is seen as a god throughout Thebes because he defeated the mighty Sphinx, who was once haunting over the city. After defeating the Sphinx, Oedipus took over as king by killing his father and coupling his mother as his hubris blinded him from reality.

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As Oedipus becomes the first to solve the riddle and defeat the Sphinx, he also saves the town of Thebes and is offered a marriage to the newly widowed Queen Jocasta in gratitude. Years later, at the opening of the play, the gods have brought a plague upon Thebes. The citizens look toward their former saviour for help, not knowing that the solution to this problem will eventually end in their king’s

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Introduction The story of Oedipus the king is gloomy, yet captivating. Going from a child bond around the feet and abandon by the mountainside, to marrying his mother, his story is intriguing. In search of the truth about the prophecy and putting an end to a plague Oedipus, search for king Laius’s killer, did somethings inadvertently, making him a tragic hero. His search for truth in the death of Laius the king, as well as his birth led to the ultimate destruction and downfall of his life.

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Dodds mentions major events from the play where Oedipus chooses to keep looking for the truth, resulting in his ruin. One of the events that Dodds mentions is the first cause of the play, the plague. In this scenario Oedipus choose between leaving the ‘plague to take its course’ or to find the solution, which for the good of his Theban people chose to find the solution. Then he investigated the murder of King Laius resulting in devastating information, Oedipus destruction (224).

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Even though it seems that Oedipus has not been a particularly good monarch, having a king put to death could have serious repercussions on the rest of the kingdom. The only way to cure the plague and keep the kingdom stable seems to be the banishment of Oedipus. In this case, the question of whether or not he deserved to be punished seems irrelevant; Oedipus ' only goal was to stop the plague and by leaving, he has accomplished that goal. Banishment was the only choice.

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Everybody everywhere knows who I am: Oedipus. King” (Sophocles 23). His role as king defines him; this is not a mere title, but rather his entire identity. Oedipus is determined to continue being the perfect leader and he will do anything to end the suffering of his people. Thus, as soon as he learns that the presence of Laius’ killer in Thebes is the cause of the plague, he does

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