"Thebes is dying," declares a priest near the beginning of the play (31). "And black Death luxuriates in the raw, wailing miseries of Thebes." (37-38). Instantly, the reader learns just how dire the situation is; the sick and dying beg their king, Oedipus, for "strength, rescue!" (52).
To make matters worse, long-awaited Creon arrives with news from the Oracle of Delphi: The plague is punishment for allowing the murderer of former King Laius to slip away. But, never fear--the all-powerful Oedipus will save the day. "I'll bring it all to light myself!" he declares vehemently (150).
The modern reader can immediately identify the hubris--excessive pride--which radiates off Oedipus. He/she knows that hubris is a common "fatal flaw" for Greek tragic heroes. Often their confidence leads to their premature fall from grace. Oedipus' strong words--"I am the land's avenger by all rights" (154) and "Now you have me to fight for you" (153) indicate his heightened opinion of himself and foreshadow a great fall headed his way. The immediate characterization of Oedipus as prideful and "invincible" results from the conflicts presented at the start of the play, and leads the reader to suspect this hubris could become a big problem for the King.
Hubris becomes a common theme throughout this story as Oedipus is the culprit of arrogance in multiple occasions. When Tiresias gives Oedipus the prophecy claiming that he actually kills Laius, Oedipus becomes angry and is in denial. A quality such as this does not add up to the favorable image of a king.
ReplyDeleteI love your observations and I agree with you that Oedipus is filled with hubris. It is almost ironic as the reader knows that overconfidence is the weakness of many Greek heroes. Oedipus' hubris foreshadows the very possible rebellion of the city against him since he led them in the wrong direction.
ReplyDeleteI agree Oedipus' hubris is excessive pride. I noticed while reading his conversation with the prophet Oedipus acted as though he did nothing wrong, he declares himself as the greatest! However as readers we know this is not true because everything is his fault, revealing not only irony but a great tragedy.
ReplyDeleteOedipus's pride will most likely end up being his downfall, as he will be so confident that no one will discover him and that may blind him to reality.
ReplyDeleteIt can be agreed upon that Oedipus does contain a huge amount of pride. When he is told that he is the killer, he thought it was impossible. In return, he told Tiresias he was a nuisance. Oedipus' anger continued to erupt as he called Creon out for sending him the prophet to mess with his head.
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