Who is one of the most celebrated tragic heroes in the universe of literature? It can be none other than the chief character in Oedipus Rex: Oedipus the King. This is an divine drama written by Sophocles. In the continuance of the drama. a prophesier has told that Oedipus is traveling to kill his male parent. and so get married his female parent. Because of this. Oedipus faces many jobs through the class of his life. But his doomed destiny is non the lone thing that causes him to fall. Oedipus has three chief defects that make him battle during the class of the drama: Pride/arrogance. unprompted pique. and a deficiency of common cognition.
Oedipus the King is a proud and chesty adult male. An case of his haughtiness is shown when he says: “Here I am myself- / you all know me. the universe knows my celebrity: / I am Oedipus” ( 7-9 ) . From this line it can be seen that Oedipus has a batch of pride. because he is the 1 and merely Oedipus. Besides. the manner that others speak to him must hold an consequence on the manner that he views himself. For illustration. when the priest speaks to him he says: “Oh Oedipus. male monarch of the land. our greatest power” ( 16 ) . Overall. the Sphinx is Oedipus’ greatest signifier of pride. because he is the lone 1 who could work out the conundrum. Regardless of these marks of pride and haughtiness. Oedipus fails to see his defects within.
From his pride comes his unprompted pique that causes him to do many errors that he could avoid. He becomes really disquieted when Tiresias. the unsighted prophesier. does non reply his inquiries in the manner that he prefers. Oedipus begins to impeach Tiresias of things that are untrue. and finally mocks his sightlessness. When speech production of Tiresias he says: “ . . eyes peeled / for his ain profit- visionary blind in his craft” ( 450-451 ) . Kreon. Oedipus’ brother in jurisprudence. is another character that feels the wrath of Oedipus’ unprompted choler. From these illustrations it can be concluded that Oedipus shows unprompted choler towards anyone who tells him anything that he does non desire to hear. The best illustration of Oedipus’ choler and how unprompted it becomes is the decease of his male parent. When he was a immature adult male. he had been going and came upon a chariot that blocked his way. On impulse he became badly angry. and so he progressed to kill all the retainers and the adult male inside every bit good. non cognizing that this adult male was his male parent.
Oedipus’ 3rd and concluding defect is his inability to understand the conundrum of his ain life. His deficiency of common cognition may come from his pride. because he is seeking to salvage himself. He is given hints after hint that he is the adult male that killed the great male monarch Laius before him. and that this male monarch was so his male parent. Sadly he ne’er genuinely understands until he converses with the shepherd. The shepherd does non desire to be the one to give such atrocious intelligence so he begs by stating: “No. beloved God. don’t anguish an old man” ( 1270 ) . After Oedipus comes to the cognition that he has. in fact. killed his male parent and married his female parent ; he blinds himself with the broachs of his dead female parent and married woman. The sarcasm in this shows the true sightlessness that Oedipus was enduring with and now is he physically blind every bit good.
Oedipus suffers with many jobs during the class of his life and these all seem to engender from his pride. pique. and ignorance. He thinks of himself as brilliant and stunning. while he was truly quite ignorant and full of pride and choler. If he would listen to a voice of ground other than his ain. he could work out himself a universe of jobs. He might hold even been able to alter his ain doomed destiny if he had opened his eyes to the truths that surrounded him.
Plants Cited:
1. Meyer. Michael. “Oedipus the King. ” The Bedford Introduction to Literature. Karen S. Henry. Eighth Edition. Boston. MA: Bedford/ St. Martins. 2008. 1425-1468. Print.
