In Oedipus, Apollo stands out as the supreme God of the Athenians. The city of Thebes "cries for a healer and (Wales) for the dead (5). The citizens carry branches in wool that they offer the Gods as gifts. Apollo is the immortal healer while Oedipus is the mortal healer. Oedipus can be described as a compassionate leader who who displays a sense of justice within his community. He is so confident that he goes as far as saying "I'll bring it to the light myself" (150). Other than Apollo, the citizens of Thebes looks to Oedipus as a God. Oedipus is clearly concerned with the plague in Thebes killing off his people. He is known as a ruler who truly cares for the well-being of his people. To prevent this plague from wiping out the Athenians, Oedipus consults Creon for advice to stop it. Upon consulting Creon, Oedipus discovers the murderer of Laius is in Thebes. Laius was the ruler before Oedipus. Oedipus resorts his attention to solving the mystery of Lauis's murder. This displays a character traits crucial to any leader which is determination. In fact, Oedipus is so determined that he tells the people of Thebes that he will end the plague himself.
Further in the play, Oedipus displays another characteristic which happens to be extreme anger as he gets extremely hostile when Tiresias holds information from Oedipus.
Friday, March 11, 2016
Oedipus
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While Oedipus is concerned about the welfare of his people, displaying great characteristics of a leader, it is then contrasted with his extrememe lash out at the prophet. Because he is whom the people look up to, he should not be throwing temper tantrums and regressing to a childlike nature when accused of something he doesn't want to hear, like you mentioned. I think that this characteristic of maturity that he lacks will be his flaw in the outcome of the play.
ReplyDeleteLaius also seems to have extreme anger issues. Oedipus explains that Laius was about to “thrust him off the road” (889), so Oedipus had to act in self-defense. It is clear that Oedipus inherited the short temper from his biological father. For both of these men, though, nothing good comes from their anger.
ReplyDeleteOedipus' people actually do not look to him as a god. One priest gives his praise to Oedipus but says "You cannot equal the gods"(39). Instead the priest states that he is "first of men"(41). His people look at him as more of a demigod than an actual god.
ReplyDeleteReflecting off what Olivia said, He lacks the maturity and wisdom of a great leader. He is indeed "so confident" and it may show his compassion for his people, but how are you so sure his confidence is not to cover up his guilt for murdering Laius? Oedipus gets extremely defense when he gets accused and that tends to be one of the first signs of guilt.
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