Oedipus Cause His Own Downfall

Much like Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet, written by Shakespeare, Oedipus the King is also a tragedy written by Sophocles. In Oedipus the King, the main character, Oedipus, raised himself to the top and ruined himself. But what is the cause of his own downfall? It was Oedipus’s hamartia lead him to his downfall. The flaws that lead him to the inevitable was his wrath and righteousness. Firstly, Oedipus’s wrath is the main reason why the oracle’s prophecy became true which causes his downfall in the end of the play. When Oedipus was fleeing from Corinth, he became enraged when he got pushed aside. The fury he had within triggered the start of the prophecy. In the play, it stated, “ On the way, he brawls with an old man in a carriage… and in a fit of temper kills him.” ( Sophocles 3) This shows that Oedipus’s anger controlled him and caused him to kill the old man whom, little did he know, was his biological father. If he held his temper back, he would not have started

At the beginning, Oedipus’s righteousness causes him to want to cure the city from the deadly plague which causes him to find out his past which ultimately leads him to his downfall. Oedipus declares, “ The quest that throngs you here… is no new quest to me.” (Sophocles 7) Oedipus thinks that is the right thing to do for those who is suffering. By helping, he finds out he is the murderer of Laius and, with that knowledge, he punishes himself. Another time that Oedipus displays his righteousness is when he summoned Tiresias for knowledge of the murderer. Tiresias says, “The murderer of the man whose murder you pursue is you.” (Sophocles 21) Furious, Oedipus yelled, “ You can’t hurt me.. Me or any men who lives in light.” (Sophocles 23) Oedipus shows that his righteousness causes him to deny all the accusation that Tiresias has made against Oedipus, thus making him blind to the