& # 8217 ; s Flaw Essay, Research Paper

Oedipus and Humanity s Fatal Flaw

While the drama Oedipus the Wreck was about a male monarch whose reign was destroyed by his ain workss, the message contained within the drama was much deeper, and aimed towards every adult male and adult female. That message was that humanity s worst and most unconquerable enemy is their ain scruples.

One needs merely expression at Oedipus life to see how this is apparent. Here s a adult male who has conquered unbelievable odds and solved the insolvable conundrum. Then, once more to his luck, the land he saves is without king, so they anoint him as male monarch. But his good luck doesn T last everlastingly & # 8211 ; in fact, these really same events lead to his ruin.

Upon a closer expression, we can see that Oedipus had been seeking to avoid a atrocious prophesied destiny. In fright of a prognostication, which stated he would kill his male parent and slumber with his female parent, he ran from his hometown. After this, he had unwittingly killed his male parent ( whom he thought was a alien ) and when he became king he fulfilled his prognostication by unwittingly get marrieding his female parent. So in fact, by seeking to avoid his destiny, he had in fact fulfilled it.

One could reason that the Gods, who had announced the prognostication, had trapped Oedipus and doomed him to his destiny. This, nevertheless, undermines the fact that Oedipus himself fled and began the journey that led to the fulfilment of the prognostication. It was his ain cowardliness which made him fly. Alternatively of seeking to take destiny into his ain custodies, he alternatively tried to avoid it.

This was non his lone defect nevertheless ; his ain haughtiness led him to reprobate an guiltless adult male of confederacy, when that adult male in fact spoke the truth. It besides l

ed him to deny the truth until he could no longer, and this made the realisation of all time the more atrocious. In the terminal, his ain cowardliness and haughtiness destroyed him. But even after all had been said and done, had he purged himself of his defects? Did he recognize these events were of his ain making? Or did he take duty because it was his lone option? He seems to be much more loath to accept his destiny than in the beginning, when he says “For with the god’s assist our good fortune–or our ruin–will be made certain.”

Oedipus was non the lone 1 who had fatal defects. In fact, all the other characters defects are hinted at throughout the drama. Jacosta, cognizing the original prognostication, may hold known Oedipus fate all along, but non said so out of love and fright. After all, if she told the public Oedipus may hold killed Laius, what so? Even when Oedipus is close to detecting his true beginnings, she tries to carry him merely to bury about it, and eventually in choler says & # 8220 ; Oh doomed adult male, may you ne’er know who you are! & # 8221 ; Besides, Jacosta s brother may hold used the truth to his advantage in deriving the throne. Laius may hold been killed because of his ain haughtiness and inhuman treatment to his ain boy. Is anyone without incrimination?

The reply may really good be no, and I think this is the true message of Oedipus the Wreck. The message is that everyone has flaws, and if non cover with, these defects could be your ain ruin. Laius, Jacosta and Oedipus all could hold changed destiny, but they alternatively played the functions made for them. By making so they let their ain defects become their undoing. Their greatest enemy was non the Gods, nor adult male or nature, but themselves. And this is the calamity of the human race.