Hubris In Sophocles Oedipus The King

Hubris, which is excessive pride or self-confidence, is typically seen in tragic plays from the Greek theater and frequently results in the collapse of a tragic hero. The tragic hero, Oedipus, pursues his moral goal of putting an end to Thebes' plague by locating and prosecuting the assassin of the last king throughout Sophocles' play Oedipus Rex. Oedipus must look into the incident and reveal untold truths about both himself and the demise of the previous monarch. Oedipus reflects on his history, including how he fled the king and queen of Corinth, his house, and his family to avoid a horrible prophecy that predicted he would kill his father and wed his mother. Oedipus left Corinth and traveled to Thebes where he killed a stranger and his

Oedipus claims that his devoted servant and in-law Creon murdered the previous king Laios and is now trying to pin the crime on him with the aid of the false prophet in an effort to claim his kingdom. While confronting Creon, Oedipus asks, “Do you think I do not know/ That you plotted to kill me, plotted to steal my throne?” (Scene 2, 28). Oedipus continues to say, “ You are the fool, Creon, are you not? hoping/ Without support or friends to get a throne? / Thrones may be won or bought; but you could do neither.” ( Scene 2, 28). Oedipus makes assumptions without any proof, blaming everyone but himself. Oedipus' pride stops him from carefully considering his actions and appropriately analyzing the evidence to find the real culprit. He believes himself to be superior to others, a just man, and that he could never have killed the former king of Thebes. Oedipus never once considers that Creon would never want the throne, and that he had every chance to take it when Laios died, but he did not. Oedipus is informed of this by Creon, who then justifies himself by saying, “I have never longed for the king’s power — only his rights. / Would any wise man differ from me in this?” (Scene 2, 31). Creon is content with his position of authority and does not want the duties that come with being king. Only after hearing the clear logic does Oedipus decide to accept Creon's truth and begin searching for real,

Oedipus is ecstatic to learn of this and feels that he has managed to evade the prophecy of killing his father and marrying his mother. Oedipus exclaims with joy, “.... Polybos/ Has packed the oracles off with him underground./ They are empty words.” (Scene 3, 50). Oedipus felt that even though Merope, his "mother" and the queen of Corinth, was still alive, he had to be afraid of going back to Corinth. Iosocate attempts to reassure her worried husband by saying, “Have no more fear of sleeping with your mother:/ How many men, in dreams, have lain with their mothers!/ No reasonable man is troubled by such things.” (Scene 3, 51). The messenger goes on to tell Oedipus that he has nothing to fear because Polybos was not his father, and that he was, “No more your father than the man speaking to you.” (Scene 3, 53). Oedipus, who believes he has overcome his past and evaded any danger, desires to identify his real parents and requests information from the shepherd who was first given him when he was a baby. He stupidly shifts his focus away from the inquiry that his gods have mandated and onto the mystery of his own ancestry. His entire life is changed forever by the unexpected response he receives, which is ironically the exact opposite of what he was expecting and formerly believed to be true, changing his life