The Tragedy of Oedipus the King - Literature review Example

 The Tragedy of Oedipus the King The tragedy of Oedipus the King is subscribed to by his own faults, which he overlooks even when he has received sufficient clues to make him understand matters and act in a different way. However, nature could also be cited as a factor contributing to the tragedy, in that the prophesy had it that Oedipus the King will murder his father and marry his own mother. Therefore, while the tragedy could have been avoided to some extent, by observing g the clues and acting in a different manner, the king, on the other hand could not have avoided to have fate take its course by having the prophesy fulfilled (Brunner, 25). The start point of the tragedy can be traced back to the point where Oedipus the King loses patience with Teiresias, and accuses him of having conspired in the act of killing king Laius, by taking part in it. By turning, his temper on the innocent prophet, then the whole story changes and the mission of searching for the polluter of the land becomes entirely a new one. This is so after the prophet declares that Oedipus the King is the polluter of the land, for having participated in killing the old king. Additionally, when the prophet reveals the secret that he is the person actually being sought, Oedipus the King once again shifts the blame from himself to start blaming Creon, as the one who had organized and conspired with the prophet to bring the king to a downfall (Hall, 19). At this point, the king ought to have got an insight and started considering how he could have caused the death of the old king. Instead, he blinds himself against this insight by seeking to blame the prophet and Creon. Thus, the king contributes to the tragedy that faces him through ignoring the insights given to him by the prophet. The fact that the king considered himself as the only one who is right, blindfolded him from seeing the truth underlying the prophet’s statements, seeking to shift the blame on Creon. Thus, anger can be identified as the cause of the tragedy that faced Oedipus the King (Brunner, 29). Should the king have been in a position to control his anger and address the prophet in a more controllable manner, then the issues would not have gone to such a bad extent as they did. Another contributing factor, being a character possessed by Oedipus the King, which contributed to his tragedy is mistrust. Oedipus the King did not trust the prophet and Creon, instead perceiving them as the ones who were out to ruin his reputation and consequently take over the mantle of leadership from him. Instead, the king opts to threaten the prophet and Creon, warning that their conspiracy will be repaid with a stern punishment. Through believing that he was always true, Oedipus the King could not stand to reflect and trace his association with the committed crime, based on the clues he had been given, which indentified with the events that took place during his journey to this new land (Hall, 22). Pride is another cause of Oedipus the King tragedy, which eventually led to his downfall. When the prophet reveals that he is the person who committed the crime of killing Laius, the old king, Oedipus responds by indentifying the failure of Teiresias the prophet, when he was unable to solve the riddle of Sphinx (Brunner, 33). Oedipus the King goes on and refers to the knowledge of the prophet as useless, arguing that through his own wisdom and wit, he was able to end the singing bitch, sphinx. Through his pride, Oedipus the King insults that prophesy, given by the prophet, insults his blindness and curses the prophet, wishing that plague may get rid of the prophet (Hall, 40). Out of his anger and pride, Oedipus the King chases the prophet out of his homestead and warns him to never come back there again. His pride persists when he walks out of the palace and meets Creon, who he insults for having the boldness to visit his home. He accuses him of having been the person who committed the crime of murder by killing Laius. To add to these accusations, he argues that Creon is a thief who wants to steal the throne from him. Out of this pride, Oedipus the King declares that he has nothing to learn from both the prophet and Creon, considering himself wise and excellent. It is out of this pride that Oedipus the King asserts that he would continue to govern, even when it is proved that, he is wrong (Hall, 27). If he would have laid down his pride and considered the advice and the words give en by others, then, the tragedy would not have befell him. Another factor than can be identified as a cause of tragedy for Oedipus the King is his faulty choices. When it was revealed by the oracle that he would kill his father and marry his mother, he opted not to seek the identity of his parents, opting t run away from Corinth to Thebes. If he had made a decision to know who his parents were, then it would have saved him a great deal, in that he would have indentified his parents, thus avoiding the chances of killing his father and marrying his mother (Brunner, 40). Another element of faulty decision-making can be indentified while Oedipus the King was on the journey to the strange land. When he met an old man, who was the age of his father, and who he found to closely resemble, he would have responded otherwise to the challenges presented. On the contrary, when he was presented with a challenge for a right of way by the old man, he responded to this by having the old man killed. The fact that he could afford to kill such an old man, just out of such a challenge is an element of poor decision, which saw him fulfill the prophesy of the oracle. By avoiding to kill the old man, then Oedipus the King would have escaped the wrath and hence the tragedy (Hall, 30). His characteristic fault in decision-making is also identifiable when Oedipus the King decides to accept the offer of marrying the widow of the dead old king, who was the age of his mother, who actually turns out to be his real mother (Brunner, 46). This act serves to fulfill the second prophesy by the oracle that Oedipus the King will marry his own mother. Although he had several clues regarding him being the murderer of the old king, and thus the source of the trouble that Thebes was facing, Oedipus the King went ahead to ignore these clues while making a decision on what fate should have befell the individual who committed the crime. Faced with an opportunity to decide on the fate of the murderer he opts to have him either executed or exiled, yet he knew the fate could face him, as he had sufficient clues. Additionally, his choice to blind himself when he was exiled from Thebes, after being discovered as the murderer of the old king is yet another element of his poor decision that serves to fulfill the prophesy, as had been issued by Teiresias the prophet, that he would end up as a blind beggar in an alien land (Hall, 39). Should he have adopted right decision making from the very beginning, then it would have helped him escape the tragedy that befell him. The question regarding whether the tragedy facing Oedipus the King could have been averted, as well as how this could have been done is a complex issue. Considering that fate is unavoidable, then it can be argued that Oedipus the King could not have escaped the tragedy that befell him, as it was destined by fate and prophesied by the oracle, that such tragedy had to meet him (Brunner, 51). Thus based on the prophesies and the predictions of the oracle and the prophet, then the fate of Oedipus the King had to end up with him having killed his father, married his mother and lived as a blind beggar in exile. However, a counter argument can be issued, which asserts that the fate befalling Oedipus the King could have been avoided. If the king had been cautious from the start, and avoid faulty decision-making, then Oedipus the King could have avoided killing his father (Hall, 34). Making a decision against marrying a widow the age of his mother would have also been another step towards averting the tragedy that faced Oedipus the King. As goes the saying that pride comes before a fall, then it happened that, pride was a contributing factor to the fate that befell Oedipus the King. The element of pride that made the king believe that he was right in everything saw him mess up with the people who were around him such as Creon and Teiresias. Thus, it is through suitable decision-making and humbleness of the king that the tragedy could have been averted. Works Cited Brunner, Theodore. King Oedipus Retried. London: Rosenberger & Krausz, 2000. 23-67. Print. Hall, Edward. Introduction: Sophocles: Antigone, Oedipus the King, Electra. Oxford University Press, 1994. 19-42. Print. Read More