Oedipus the King by Sophocles - Book Report/Review Example

King Oedipus Order No. 235766 No. of pages: 5 Premium 6530 Sophocles, the great Greek tragedy monumental work, ‘Oedipus the King’, tells the story of Oedipus, the king of Thebes, renowned all over Greece for his intellect and determination, which in the end prove to be the cause of his downfall– the tragic flaw – which, in spite of being a positive trait leads to his ultimate end, which is his death. Oedipus Rex occupies an elevated place in Greek literature because Aristotle used this play and its protagonist, Oedipus, to elaborate on the idea that the tragedy in the life of the hero is the result of his own personality and not due to external forces. Fate, in the form of the Oracles is an integral part of the play, but Oedipus’ determination in unraveling the prophecies of the oracles, are what leads to the tragedy in his life. Oedipus refuses to be a puppet in the hands of fate and goes out in the quest for his real father and mother, so that he may not commit the double sins of patricide and incest. The oracles and life of Oedipus are inextricably intertwined from the moment of his birth, when his parents, Laius, the king of Thebes, and Jocasta, his mother, leave him to die, in the countryside, by poking his feet with a pin and tying them together. His parents were led to take this extreme step because an oracle had prophesized that their child would kill his father and marry his mother. The abandoned Oedipus was found by a shepherd who handed him over to the king of Corinth, who raised him as his own son. When a drunk told Oedipus that he was adopted, he confronted his parents, who refused to tell him the truth. In order to uncover the secret of his birth, Oedipus visited the oracles, who only repeated the original prophecy about him killing his father and marrying his mother. Oedipus left Corinth hoping to thwart the prophecy, but on the way to Thebes, he accidentally killed Laius, his biological father. As he was fleeing, he was accosted by the Sphinx and its riddle, which had been the undoing of many a traveler on the road to Thebes. Oedipus gave the correct answer to the riddle, which established him as a human of great intellect. Since Laius was dead, the people of Thebes crowned Oedipus the king, who also married Jocasta, now a widow. Unknowingly, Oedipus was fulfilling the prophecy of the oracles. The oracles once again interfere in the life of Oedipus when a plague hits Thebes. Creon the brother of Jocasta is sent to consult the oracles as to how to avert the destructive plague and the oracles say this is possible when the murderer of Laius is found. Oedipus launches a search for the man who killed Laius not knowing that the stranger whom he had killed on the road to Thebes was none other than Laius. He himself consults Teiresias, a respected oracle, to find the murderer, who proclaims Oedipus the killer of Laius. Oedipus accuses Creon and Teiresias of lying so that they could dethrone him and rule over Thebes. Jocasta intervenes, telling him that the Oracles are false and tells about the oracle who prophesized Laius death by his son, whereas, Laius was killed by a stranger. Oedipus says that he had killed a man at the same place, but Jocasta assures him that he has nothing to fear, since a witness to the murder reported Laius’ death by a gang of robbers. Oedipus, wracked by guilt, summons the witness, but before the witness arrives, a messenger from Corinth comes bearing the news of the death of his father Polypus. The messenger says, “Good news, for een intolerable ills, finding right issue, tend to naught but good.” Oedipus is happy to hear the news and is relieved that he will now not be the killer of his father, but refuses to go to Corinth, in order to negate the second half of the original prophecy. The messenger assures him that he has nothing to worry, since he was the adopted child of his parents, handed over to them by a shepherd. Jocasta, who was listening to story, can see the pieces falling into place and how the oracles have fulfilled their prophecy, rushes into her room and hangs herself. Meanwhile Oedipus is seen expressing himself to the messenger saying – “Where are they? Where in the wide world to find The far, faint traces of a bygone crime? The Theban shepherd arrives and Oedipus is confronted with the truth of his birth and to his horror he realized how the fates have fulfilled their prophecies. He rushes to find Jocasta and finding her dead, blinds himself, for the sins he has committed, later leaving the palace to die in the countryside. The life of Oedipus serves as a reminder that human beings are mere playthings in the hands of the Gods, a traditional Greek notion. Oedipus as a human being is an attractive combination of brilliance, determination and the willingness to act in the face of adversity, but these very qualities lead to his downfall. Oedipus’ intellectual abilities are gleaned when he answers the riddle of the sphinx, but this intellect is also his ruin, when he pursues the oracles with his questions. The desire to know, albeit the truth of his birth, is what leads him from Corinth to Thebes, and it is this journey which sets in motion the ultimate tragedy of his life. Oedipus is hailed as a responsible leader, a king who puts the interests of his citizens above his own and is ready to go to any lengths for their well-being. But his energy and enthusiasm are not tempered by discretion. Oedipus is a man of great intellect but he lacks wisdom, and it is this inability to see beyond the obvious that causes the downfall of a great man. As Sophocles quotes, “Do nothing secretly, for Time sees and hears all things, and discloses all.” (Sophocles, (c. 496 B.C.– 406 B.C.) Hubris, or excessive pride, an important component of Greek tragedies, typifies itself most remarkably in Oedipus. Pride turns into arrogance when it is exercised indiscreetly and in the case of Oedipus, this is what happens as the play progresses. Oedipus’, excessive pride in thinking that he alone can save his people from the plague, running away from Thebes, and thinking that being away from his parents will overturn the prophecy of the oracle are all different instances that can be construed as offences to the Gods. Outwitting fate using his intellect and determination in fact sealed the fate of Oedipus. Hamartia, or the tragic flaw, which is the downfall of all tragic heroes, is also manifest in the character of Oedipus. Oedipus’ life is spent battling the powers of the gods. His self blinding at the end of the play is a manifestation of his blind belief in his own abilities to challenge the Fates. Oedipus fails to realize that “prophecy in no way compels but only predicts” (Kitto 41) and in trying to unravel the cryptic utterances of the oracles Oedipus facilitates the veracity of the prophecies. It has been argued that if Oedipus had been contented in the knowledge that he was the adopted child of the King of Thebes and not pursued the mystery of his parentage, his life may have spanned towards a different direction. This running after the truth and determination to uncover the past became the Hamartia of his character. As Laurence Burns puts it, “It is those very qualities for which he is admired and honored that cause him to wreak great evils”. (Laurence Burns) REFERENCES Enjoying “Oedipus the King” by Sophocles http://www.pathguy.com/oedipus.htm LCMND e-JOURNAL Volume2003/4 www.umanitoba.ca/outreach/linguistic_circle/e_journal/v2003_4p.pdf Kitto, H.D.F. “Damn the Tragic Hero!” Studies in Theatre and Drama: Essays in Honor of Hubert C. Heffner. Ed. Oscar G. Brockett. Paris: Mouton, 1972. 21 – 47. Berns, Laurence. “Aristotle’s Poetics.” Ancients and Moderns: Essays on the Tradition of Political Philosophy in Honor of Leo Strauss. Ed. Joseph Cropsey. New York: Basic Books, 1964. 70–87. John Bartlett (1820 – 1905) Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. 1919. Columbia Encyclopedia. The Internet Classics Archive, Oedipus the King by Sophocles. www.classics.mit.edu/Sophocles/oedipus.html Read More