Pride In Oedipus The King

Pride is one of the deadly seven sins. In “Oedipus the King” by Sophocles. Oedipus suffers from the sin of pride , and he may just cause his own downfall ,due to his belief he is greater than the gods. Sophocles uses foreshadowing ,irony and symbolism to develop the theme of pride throughout his tragic hero Oedipus. Sophocles use of foreshadowing shows the audience what terrible things will happen due to Oedipus killing his father and marrying his mother. In part 1, Tiresias tells Oedipus “ I say you are the murder you are seeking” ,as a not so subtle way of telling Oedipus he is his father’s killer ,but Oedipus dismisses him as insane. In part 2, Oedipus declares he will punish the man responsible for the plague in Thebes , “I ban this man whoever he is,from all land over which i hold power and throne.” but he the only way for the plague to end is

For example Oedipus says, “ For whoever he was who killed that man would as soon kill me with that same violent hand.” although he is the killer. Another example of irony is when Oedipus declares no one is allowed to speak to the person responsible for the curse of thebes, he says “ I decree no one shall receive him or speak to him nor make him partner in prayers to the gods or sacrifices.” although he is the one who brought the curse upon them. The use of Symbolism brought the forth the key to Oedipus figuring out his identity. The scars on his feet highlight he has been in pain since birth. It also emphasizes his ignorance ,since the scars are the keys to figuring out his identity. Another example is, Oedipus killed his father at crossroad which symbolizes the moment of choice in his life. Also, Tiresias is physically blind while Oedipus is symbolically blinded by his pride. Tiresias tells Oedipus “ There is, but not for you. You don’t have this since you are blind in your ears and mind and