In the opening of the play, Oedipus
claims, “the world knows my fame: I am Oedipus” (9). He is ready and willing
to take on challenges and shout his successes. In the end, Oedipus comes to
realize the prophecy is fulfilled and exclaims: “It’s mine alone, my destiny—I am
Oedipus!” (1496). He begs Creon to kill or exile him. He uses the same phrase
in the beginning and end of the play to reflect his view of himself from the
beginning of the end of the play. We see Oedipus in the beginning, defining
himself by his triumphs and successes, full of pride. By the end, he realizes
that pride has contributed to his downfall and is finally humbled, defining
himself by the downfall and the destiny that he could not avoid. In this
manner, the play comes full circle, relaying the common message that hubris is
to be avoided.
Pride is recognized as detrimental not
only in Greek culture and religion, but in Christianity as well. Tragic Greek
heroes are not the only people who are in danger of excessive pride; pride can
be the downfall of anyone. Jesus relays this in a parable using a Pharisee and
a tax collector as examples. The Pharisee was prideful while the tax collector was
humble in prayer. The ultimate message is: “those who exalt themselves will be humbled
and those who humble themselves will be exalted” (New International Version, Luke 18.14). Warnings about pride can
also be found in the book of Proverbs, which reads: “Pride goes before
destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall” (Prov. 16.18), showing that pride
leads to destruction. This proves that the understanding that pride brings no good
to man is a universal topic that is applied not only to Greek heroes, but all
people.
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| This quote depicts pride as a cancer, which shows why it is a common theme in both Greek drama and Oedipus. Pride can so easily spread and blind a person, making it dangerous and a key contributor to Oedipus' fall. |
I like how you related the fact that pride is not only found in Greek culture but also in Christianity and how you referenced the bible. Similar to a Greek drama, in the Bible, pride led to the downfall of King Uzziah in 2 Chronicles 26. King Uzziah believed he was above the law and went to the temple and burned incense, something only priests were allowed to do. Because of his pride, he was struck with leprosy and couldn't be king anymore. Ultimately, pride led to his downfall.
ReplyDeletePride is the ultimate downfall of characters in Greek plays and Oedipus definitely fits this characterization. He let his pride of being the one who saved the city of Thebes get to his head, almost as if he thought he was a "godsend" to the people of Thebes. Also, I like how you connected the theme of pride in "Oedipus" to the bible. It shows how this theme is often used as a moral lesson.
ReplyDeleteYou did a great job in realizing this story has a full-circle ending. The theme and overall purpose Sophocles incorporates in the beginning of the play remains prevalent through the end of it. Oedipus's pride and humility becomes apparent when he chooses to stab his eyeballs with the gold pins.
ReplyDeleteThe repetition of the same line in the beginning and end of the play adds a significant amount of irony to the end of the play. When the king says "I am Oedipus" in the beginning of the play, it is said with dignity and pride. Later in the story, the same line has a completely different meaning, as Oedipus is now a name of shame and dishonor. This shows that excessive pride could result in a complete turn of events for a main character.
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