The Fall of Oedipus

All Greek tragedies were written with the idea that all humans were meant to suffer and no matter how powerful they are they are still below the gods. This common theme throughout many tragedies was very present in this play.

In the beginning of this play Oedipus was introduced as Thebes' savior. Life could not have been going better for him. He had just defeated the Sphinx and become King of Thebes, but now there is a plague and it is his fault. Things to start turn very fast for Oedipus as he learns that he "came from the house... of Laius" (1282-1283), has killed Laius and married is mother. When Jocasta realizes what she has done she flees the palace "ripping her hair out with both hands" (1371) and hangs herself "high in a woven noose" (1396). Oedipus now seeing "his wife, no wife, his mother" (1387-1388) hanging gouges his own eyes out proclaiming "You, you'll see no more the pain i suffered, all the pain i have caused" (1405-1406).

Oedipus not only is dealing with his own pain but the pain he has caused to the people around him. He has lost Creon's trust, drove his mother/wife to kill herself, and now all of this is reflected upon his children which he stresses at the end of the play. After all action is ceased, the chorus comes on and states "count no man happy till he dies, free of pain at last" (1684). This is the message which this play is conveying to the audience. Joy is not permanent and the Gods will always control all aspects of life.

Lesson Learned, Avoid Hurbis

             Immediately after Tiresias warns Oedipus about his fate, Oedipus’s first reaction is denial. In his mind, there is no possible way that he could have possibly killed his father, and married his own mother. Jocasta, his wife/mother, enters the room during his breakdown and attempts to calm him down, telling him that all prophecies are invalid.  Oedipus continues on about how he is need of more proof, so he sends out a search for the only man who had survived the battle at the crossroads. The man who had survived gives Oedipus the news that a man did kill King Laius during the battle, and Oedipus instantly begins to convince himself he is the murderer. He refuses to believe this, so he demands for more information. Jocasta begs Oedipus to stop investigating, but at that moment, she realizes Oedipus is her son, and she has committed the sin of incest. This eventually leads to Jocasta hanging herself, and Oedipus blinding himself with his mother’s gold pins.

Hubris was the cause of these tragic events during the remainder of the play. Oedipus refuses to accept the truth because, in his mind, he is a god – a man who contains no flaws. “Do not seek to be master in everything, for the things you mastered did not follow you throughout your life.” (1721-1723). He has too much pride in himself to accept his wrongdoings and the fact that he has caused the plague that reigns over Thebes. Many Greek plays pertain to the audience, teaching them a lesson that no mortal can outsmart the gods. The chorus makes it clear to “count no mortal happy till he has passed the final limit of his life secure from pain” (1727-1728). In the end, hubris, once again, has consumed another victim.

“There's a disease that young writers are susceptible to, which is, I will do this because I can - hubris, I suppose - without stopping to work out why.”

-          David Mitchell

The man in the cartoon is so "full of himself", believing that he has no flaws. This man symbolizes Oedipus, for Oedipus has too much pride in himself. The quote also correlates with the overall idea of hubris.

2. Reflection

Reflecting on the past is a pass time people often practice – especially in Greek drama. In Socrates’ play, Oedipus, the protagonist dives into his past occurrences with the aid of a few other servants and friends, and discovers he is the pollution harming Thebes. Oedipus experiences anagnorisis towards the conclusion of the tragedy; he begins to realize he is possibly the killer of King Laius rather than another unfaithful man. “O God, I think I have called curses upon myself in ignorance” (862-863). Jocasta, the messengers, and herdsman all contribute tidbits of information from King Laius’s killing and Oedipus’s prophecy. Hearing all the information forces Oedipus to reflect on his past and brings forth familiar images and occurrences. The crossroads in which King Laius was killed proves to be the same crossroads Oedipus defends himself on. “I thought I heard you say that Laius was killed at a crossroads” (842-843). All of this familiar information leads Oedipus into realizing there is no doubt he is not the killer of Laius, who is also his father according to prophecy.

Oedipus’s past actions ultimately lead him to banishment and suffering. Creon takes charge and states, “let go the children, then, and come” (1719). In attempts to avoid the prophecy of killing his father and sleeping with his mother, Oedipus leaves the land of Corinth along with his “parents”. Oedipus arrives in the land of Thebes which his true home. “And as I journeyed I came to the place where, as you say, this king met with his death” (931-932). Defending himself against armed strangers Oedipus “killed them all” (946-947). Oedipus reflecting on his past is very significant in that he reaches anagnorisis and the audience learns a lesson on what not to do throughout life. Ultimately, prophecy and the Gods are unavoidable.      

Blog Post #4

Creon is now the ruler of Thebes, but how will he do as a king?

In the beginning of the play, Oedipus puts a lot of trust into Creon. Oedipus sends him to Delphi to learn how to save Thebes. This shows that Creon is respected and capable enough to do important tasks. Creon genuinely wants to help people, and compared to Oedipus, Creon can better control his anger. When Oedipus accuses him of treachery, Creon says, “Hear me out, then judge me on the facts” (609). Creon thinks rationally which will later benefit him as a king. When Oedipus is no longer a king, Creon shows compassion towards Oedipus. He tells him that “I haven’t come to mock you, Oedipus, or to criticize your former failings” (1557-1558). 

However, Creon still has flaws. At the end of the play, Creon tells Oedipus that he “tries to say what [he] means” (1671), but this statement seems to be proven false. Earlier, he tells Oedipus that being a king is “hardly to [his] taste” (662), but Creon hastily replaces Oedipus’s spot as king. Creon also seems to be secretive at times. Unlike Oedipus, Creon wanted to tell the news of the oracle to Oedipus in private. Creon separates himself with the people of Thebes and prefers to keep things confidential. This leads to question of how Creon will rule as a king. He exhibits some quality traits that will make him a good ruler, and he does not try to defy the gods — learning off of Oedipus’s mistake. (He will only exile Oedipus if the gods approve). But the fact that Creon says he tries to always tell the truth may foreshadow that he actually does not.

The End

As the new king of Thebes, Creon hopes to get the approval of the
gods to determine Oedipus's fate. Just like the cartoon above, the man
in the middle is the only one who controls the fate of the man in the
cage. The two men surrounding them give different opinions on what
to do with the man. Nevertheless, both the man in the middle and gods
decide the fate of the little man and Oedipus respectively

Unfortunately for Oedipus, he unknowingly fulfills his prophecy which results in a downfall of his reputation. The man who the people acknowledge as their hero and king suddenly becomes a tragic hero who “tore the brooches - the gold chased brooches fastening her robe - away from her and lifting them up high dashed them on his own eyeballs” (1455-1458). Driven to madness by the disclosure of his oblivious actions, Oedipus deliberately blinds himself as his way of taking control of the pain that torments him. The violence empties and exhausts Oedipus’s rage, “shrieking out such things such as: they will never see the crime I have committed or had done upon me” (1458-1460) to which he accepts his fate.
The pity and horror aroused by Oedipus' tragic fall brings about a catharsis, the realization that the power of fate cannot be overcome by will — even by the will of a king. The role of fate shapes the individual and determines the human life. Fate represents a terrifying and unstoppable force. Although King Laius and Queen Jocasta manage to get rid of baby Oedipus to “aye through fear of evil oracles” (1350-1351), Oedipus still conducts his prophecy mistakenly. Oedipus’s fate leads him to be a tragic hero rather than a monster in the play’s final moments. Throughout the play, Oedipus behaves willfully and proudly as well as being earnest and forthright in all of his actions. Oedipus’s punishment of his blindness and his exile have been inflicted by himself, no one else. The reign of the great Oedipus ends abruptly as fate has been known to be unavoidable.

Irony

Irony is a major theme throughout Greek drama. In Oedipus, Oedipus’ dynamic character change from the beginning of the play to the end is very ironic. In the beginning of the play, Oedipus was arrogant, prideful, and quick to anger. He had everything: a reputation, a family, and a kingdom; it was easy to be cruel when he held all the power. At the end of the play, Oedipus lost everything: his wife (mother), his children, his sight, his kingdom, and his pride. His fate forced him to humble himself. In his arrogance, he once told Creon, “I want you dead” (698), but now Oedipus must put aside his pride and beg Creon to fulfill his dying wishes. This ironic moment reveals how power and the truth can change a person. When Oedipus was king, it was easy to throw insults at Creon, telling him he didn’t have “a shred of decency” (637) but at the end, he had absolutely no state of power. This is where his change of heart is shown, when he pleads Creon saying “Please… my king. Grant it with all your noble heart” (1608); emphasizing the irony of how power changes his actions and thoughts.

Oedipus’ ironic character change after learning the truth about his mother and father impacts the overall plot because it emphasizes the Greek themes of having everything to having nothing and how there is no way to avoid prophecies. Oedipus’ dynamic character affects individual characters such as Creon and the Chorus. Creon is now the king and is merciful and just once Oedipus is humble, as Creon has shown by fulfilling his dying wishes. The Chorus can “count no man happy till [Oedipus] dies” (1684) because then the “plague-storm” (114) will be lifted and people will be happy again. They will remember Oedipus as a great man because he is down-to-earth at the end, but he must still die for the kingdom to be rid of the plague. 

Riches to Rags

      Finally towards the end of the play we witness the anagnorisis. Oedipus has finally realized he has made a horrible error in judgement. When the Shepherd and Messenger finally come together and tell Oedipus the truth, he falls apart. “O god… I stand revealed at last- cursed in birth, cursed in marriage, cursed in the lives I have cut down with these hands!” (1305, 1310-1311). Oedipus finally realizes he is the curse of Thebes. He is the one who killed Laius, he is the one who slept with his mother and he unknowingly fulfilled his prophecy. 
     This is tragic because Oedipus did everything he could to avoid his prophecy from coming true. The story is also tragic because Oedipus cursed the killer of Laius, which is him. “And all these curses I- no one but I brought down these piling curses on myself!” (906-907). Oedipus’ fate is now turned over. This is known as the perpetia. He can no longer be the king of Thebes since he cursed himself. Being the killer, he is “alien… no word to [him] in public, driven out of every hearth and home” (903-905). The curse bands him from his own city. He is the man who went from riches to rags. He is the man who went from being Thebe’s savior, to the man who cursed the land. A man with good intentions ended up making everything worse. No matter what Oedipus did he was doomed from the beginning. No matter what he did his horrible prophecy would be fulfilled. This makes Oedipus a tragic hero.