Oedipus The King Analysis Essay, Research Paper

Sophocles? Oedipus the King? is a tragic drama which discusses the tragic

find of Oedipus that he has killed his male parent and married his female parent. The

narrative of Oedipus was good known to the Athenian? s. Oedipus is the embodiement

of the perfect Athenian. He is self-assured, intelligent, and strong willed.

Ironically these are the really traits which bring about his tragic find.

Oedipus gained the regulation of Thebes by replying the conundrum of Sphinx. Sophocles

used the conundrum of the sphinx as a metaphor for the 3 stages of Oedipus? life

and to futher characterized him as a tragic adult male. The Sphinx posed the followers

conundrum to all who came to obtain the regulation of Thebess: ? 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? ? Oedipus right answered? Man? and became the male monarch

of Thebes. This conundrum is a metaphor for the life of Oedipus. As a kid adult male

crawls on his custodies and articulatio genuss this is the four pess 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 Shepard to be killed so the portents of the God

Apollo that Laius? boy would kill him and put with Jocasta would non come

true. Oedipus was the weakest of his life at this point. If it has non been for

the Shepard spairing his life and giving him to Polybus to raise as his ain

Oedipus would hold died. Man walks on 2 pess when he has matured. This is a

metaphor for Oedipus when he reaches 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 male monarch of Thebes. By going male monarch of Thebes he marries

Jocasta the Queen of Thebess 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 dilligent in the

inquiriy and eventually comes to the atrocious truth that he himself is the

liquidator. Jocasta kills herself at the atrocious realisation that she has layed

with her boy and Oedipus puts out his eyes at eventually seeing the truth. This

fulfills the concluding portion of the Sphinx? s conundrum for Oedipus will hold to walk

with a cane for the remainder of his life because of his sightlessness, this will give

him the 3 pess which adult male walks with at the terminal of his old ages. Oedipus used his

mind and diligence to reply the conundrum of the Sphinx. Many of the most

intelligent immature work forces of Thebes has been killed trying to reply the conundrum

but Oedipus proved his intelligence superior to theirs. Oedipus uses the same

intelligence and perseverence to happen the slayer of Laius. He does non give up

his hunt even when Jocast

a warns him to halt and allow the affair remainder. He calls

the Shepard and interrogates him till he discovers the dismaying truth that he

is the slayer. Oedipus? intelligence was finally his defect. Besides, if Oedipus

had non had been every bit coarageous he would hold hold ne’er ventured to reply the

conundrum of the Sphinx. Thus even though he had killed his male parent he would hold

ne’er become male monarch of Thebes and laid with his female parent. In add-on, if Oedipus

had had the bravery but non the intelligence the Spinx would hold killed him for

replying the conundrum falsely. Sophocles used this to qualify Oedipus

as a tragic adult male for he came about his tragic find non because of an immorality

act or an evil trait but because of the individual he was. Oedipus traits which gave

him wealths and power finally led to his tragic stoping. Besides, the God Apollo

did non predestine that Oedipus would kill his male parent and get married his female parent by

the prophet, he merely stated what he knew was inevitable because of who Oedipus

was. The sphinx? 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 conundrum Oedipus

inevitable brought about his ain tragic stoping by a atrocious find. .

Oedipus does non unselfishly seek out the truth even though he knows it will be

painful for him, instead, he has no thought what the result of his hunt will be,

denies the truth at every bend, and threatens those who speak it. Many people

may paint Oedipus as a great adult male, indicating out that he pursues the truth at

whatever personal cost and has the strength to accept and digest it when found.

They admire that Oedipus was willing to convey himself down in his lecherousness to happen

his true individuality. However, the driving force of Oedipus? investigative mission

is an effort to stop the disease that plagues his metropolis. He doesn? t realize the

personal effects his Hunt will hold for him, and his trueness to the truth

is based on his ignorance of it. In fact, if we examine his “ quest for

individuality ” , it becomes evident that the sequence of events are rather

coincidental. First, he summons Tiresias to call the slayer, who Oedipus does

non at the clip believe to be himself. Secon! The tragic hero Oedipus emerges as

anything but a societal individual. He may get down that manner, motivated by a genuine

desire to assist the people, but what emerges throughout is different. It becomes

field to see that Oedipus is really, deep down where it truly counts, far

more concerned with his ain sense of ego and demands for justness on his footings,

than in compromising his desires like any other true leader would. This calamity

reminds us that even the bravest, those known throughout the universe for their

cognition, are doomed if they set themselves up against the enigma of life

itself, and if they try to coerce life to reply them, they are traveling to

self-destruct.