The Strong Character and Unavoidable Destiny of Oedipus...

The Strong Character and Unavoidable Destiny of Oedipus Rex Oedipus the King, by Sophocles is about Oedipus, a man doomed by his fate. Like most tragedies, Oedipus the King contains a tragic hero, a heroic figure unable to escape his own doom. This tragic hero usually has a hamartia, a tragic flaw, which causes his downfall. The tragic flaw that Sophocles gives Oedipus is hubris (exaggerated pride or self-confidence), which is what caused Oedipus to walk right into the fate he sought to escape. Oedipus pride pushes him toward his tragic end in the initial journey, when he kills his father, in the episode of the sphinx, and in his adamant search for truth. Pride like that of Oedipus has been the downfall of many great†¦show more content†¦This shows that he was so zealous that he thought he could avoid destiny. Also, in trying to avoid his destiny, he got into an argument over a small right of way incident. Had he just swallowed his pride and let the carriage have the right of way, he could have avoided everything. He showed his arrogance in the beginning of the story when he spoke to Teiresias. He said: When the dark singer, the sphinx, was in your country, did you speak word of deliverance to its citizens? And yet the riddles answer was no the province of a chance comer. It was a prophets task and plainly you had no such gift of prophecy from birds nor otherwise from any Fod to glean a word of Knowledge. But I came, Oedipus, who knew nothing, and I stopped her. I solved the riddle by my wit alone. Mine was no knowledge got from birds (Pg. 27, 1.391-9). Oedipus knew that even the most intelligent men of Thebes had been killed attempting to answer the riddle. When he answered the riddle, he proved his intelligence was superior to theirs. When Oedipus solved the riddle it was fuel for his arrogance. He just became completely cavalier and even more self confident then before. It was because of this that he was brought to a tragic end. Even as the pieces of the puzzle were coming together and Oedipus was beginning to learn of what had happened to him his inner colors were shining. When Jocasta, his wife, knew that heShow MoreRelatedOedipus: The Scapegoat or The Murderer?1359 Words   |  6 PagesIn the Sophocles play, â€Å"Oedipus Rex,† discrepancy between whether Oedipus is the main culprit for murdering King Laius or if Oedipus has become the scapegoat for the cause of the city’s plague that took many lives. The murder of King Laius strikes the interest of many readers and therefore creating the discussion of who would be a culprit for the crime. One side of the argument shows the Greek Gods set a curse upon Oedipus making his destiny one of wrongful conviction for a murderous crime. On theRead MoreThe Unavoidable Fate In Oedipus Rex By Sophocles1010 Words   |  5 PagesUnavoidable Destiny Fate is an unavoidable force that controls life. 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