Oedipus Essay, Research Paper

Oedipus gained the regulation of Thebes by replying

the conundrum of The Sphinx. Sophocles used the conundrum of The Sphinx as a

metaphor for the 3 stages of Oedipus & # 8217 ; life and to foster characterized him as

a tragic hero. The Sphinx posed the following conundrum to all who came to

obtain the regulation over Thebes: & # 8220 ; What is it that walks on 4 pess and 2 pess and 3

pess and has merely one voice, when it walks on most pess it is the weakest? & # 8221 ;

Oedipus right answered, & # 8220 ; Man & # 8221 ; and became the male monarch of Thebes. This

conundrum is a metaphor for the life of Oedipus. As a kid he crawls on his custodies

and knees this is the first phase of Oedipus & # 8217 ; life to which the Sphinx refers.

Besides adult male is at his weakest as a little kid. He depends entirely on others for

his nutriment and good being. Oedipus was the kid of Jocasta and King

Laius who was taken to the mountain by a shepherd to be killed so the portents

of the God Apollo that Laius & # 8217 ; boy would kill him and put with Jocasta would

non come true. Oedipus was at the weakest point in his life. If it has non been

for the shepherd saving his life and giving him to Polybus to raise as his ain

Oedipus would hold be killed. Man walks on 2 pess shows the following phase of

his life, when he has matured. This is a metaphor for Oedipus when he

ranges maturity and leaves Corinth to get away the prophet. Oedipus meets

up with a set of travellers and in a fury kills them. Unwittingly Oedipus

has killed his ain male parent. Oedipus so answers the conundrum of The Sphinx and

becomes king of Thebes. By going male monarch of Thebes he marries Jocasta the

Queen of Thebes and his ain female parent. Many old ages subsequently after bearing kids

with Jocasta a pestilence kills many of the dwellers of Thebes. Oedipus is told

by the Gods to happen the slayer of Laius. He is really persevering in the enquiry and

eventually comes to the atrocious truth that he himself is the liquidator. Jocasta putting to deaths

herself at the atrocious realisation that she has laid with her boy. Oedipus puts

out his eyes, at which clip he eventually sees the truth. This fulfills the concluding portion of

the Sphinx & # 8217 ; s riddle for Oedipus will hold to walk with a cane for the remainder of

his life because of his sightlessness. This will give him the walk on 3, which adult male

walks with at the terminal of his old ages. The Sphinx & # 8217 ; s conundrum was used by

Sophocles to qualify Oedipus as a tragic adult male and as a analogue to his

life. The riddle describes the 3 phases, which Oedipus went through in his life.

Besides in replying the riddle Oedipus inevitable brought about his ain tragic

stoping by a atrocious find.

He still did learn a lesson and by far gave himself to something bigger than

himself. He was a really self-assured, intelligent, and strong willed adult male. Yet

these were the really same traits that lead to his down autumn. He did non recognize

before it was to late that one must be low and take the advice and

instruction of others ; even if it may look to be impossible or non. A hero can

hold all this traits and more, but with out the willingness of others to assist and

usher him they are nil. Campbell besides states that a hero & # 8220 ; can get the better of

dangers. & # 8221 ; Oedipus on more so one juncture shows that he can over came

danger, first clip we see this is when he meets up with his fath

Er, who he

does non cognize to be his male parent at the clip, and kills them all. The 2nd is

when he is faced with the conundrum of The Sphinx, and his very destiny will be decease

unless the conundrum is answered right. He over takes The Sphinx by

replying it right and going the male monarch of Thebes. One besides can non

assist what dangers he must confront after he has taken his ain sight. He leaves

the land of Thebes ne’er to return once more, with merely the fabrics on his dorsum

and a mer walking stick. Life in those times was non to easy for the visual perception Lashkar-e-Taiba

entirely the blind. In belief that one feature of a hero is that they are baronial

but non flawless, Oedipus is one that is flawed. Believing he is or if others

believe him non to be might be another narrative. He is really baronial and honest

in his ways, yet his 1 of his defect is the opposition that he will now allow any

one aid or steer him. This is really dry sing after blinding himself he

will necessitate to depend on the assistance of a walking stick. Is defect might non be one

that is easy fixed or even fixable, but cognizing it and working with or around

it is another baronial title in it & # 8217 ; s ego. He must hold something in common with

the meekest of people so we can see ourselves in him. I feel that this component

of a hero is a really wide 1 that can hold more so merely one significance and

understanding to others. In the physical sense he was merely like any common

adult male, if he was wounded he would shed blood, if something dear to him was taken

off or killed he would experience sorrow and loss, every bit good as desiring retaliation. On

at that place other side of affair and looking more into it so merely a physical

visual aspect. Oedipus ne’er knew his existent parents and for some that is a life

quest or travel the yearning to happen who you were created from. This does

impede some people in regard that there is a nothingness in that individual & # 8217 ; s life much as

in the heroic poem of The Odyssey. Odysseus was looking for his place, there was a

nothingness in his life much like Oedipus had the nothingness in his to happen his home/parents.

Even if it is non said aloud people still have that portion of their lives losing.

Making him portion with some of the most mild people, who would give up

all there power, celebrity and glorification merely to be with there true household. Oedipus

leaves his societal universe more so one time. First, when he is born and so given

the sentence of decease, he is take to another land. Is 2nd departure is

when he hears of the prophesy that he will kill his male parent and ballad with his

female parent. He leaves what has become to him his place and societal life, doing a

quest into a lager kingdom or societal universe. This besides relates to the characteristic

of traveling into deepness, distance or even height. He must go many lands

before he comes to his new state ( his original place of birth. ) He besides makes

another long journey after he vows ne’er to return to Thebes of all time once more. This

is besides really dry he starts his life out on a journey and he besides ends it with a

journey. He is confronted with an obstruction with which will dispute his

mental strength. Before he can go male monarch of Thebes or even enter the

land he must reply a conundrum by The Sphinx or he will be killed. He

does, demoing his mental endurance and aristocracy to the land every bit good as

himself