Blog Post 3

Oedipus's power causes him to act in a way that many others would not be able to. He wants to know what Teiresias knows so he insults and provokes Teiresias until he hints hints at what he does know. Oedipus accuses Teiresias of the murder and in return, Teiresias tell him he is in fact the killer of King Laius. Because of his power, he does not accept this and he berates Teiresias and exclaims that Creon and Teiresias are trying to overthrow him. His power blinds him from the truth and he thinks that people are out to get him. Accusing Creon he says, " I have found you dangerous, and my foe" (630). Creon asks Oedipus to be rational but fueled by his power and rage, Oedipus declares he wants Creon to be murdered.

Despite the fact that Oedipus is acting so irrational, one person is able to calm him down. Jocasta, his wife, begs him to spare Creon's life saying, "I beg you, Oedipus, trust him in this, spare him for the sake of this his oath to God, for my sake, and the sake of those who stand here." (755-757). He is still wary though. Jocasta is able to get Oedipus calm enough and she is able to get him to accept the real story behind Laius's murder. This illustrates the motif of a strong woman behind a successful (in this case powerful) man. Despite Oedipus's previous power fueled actions, Jocasta seems to have power over him. In the end her word meant more to him than anyone else's despite the fact that she is in essence "powerless".

Blog Post #3 (Question 7)

     Betrayal is an act often inflicted upon Greek characters, and is already a prominent theme in Oedipus the King. The audience is forced to feel some kind of sympathy for Oedipus, being as he has no clue that he killed his father and married his mother for a good portion of the play. Oedipus' birth parents were notified by an oracle that Oedipus' fate was to murder his father and sleep with his mother. Having this knowledge, they then pin his ankles together and leave him in the forest to die. Little do they know, their attempt to break free from their fate is what ultimately makes the fate become a reality. Oedipus would not have killed his father when he was traveling along a path if he was not a stranger to him, and would never had ended up marrying his mother if they hadn't betrayed him in the first place. Jocasta begins to realize this when Oedipus starts catching on to what may be happening and starts searching for the shepherd who had found him. She begs him to "Stop-in the name of god,/ if you love your own life, call off this search!" (1163-1164). This part of the play could be related to the modern saying, "What goes around, comes around."

     The political cartoon below is from an article that discusses whether the Thanksgiving should be a day of celebration or mourning, because Europeans had tricked and killed many Native Americans on their 'great journey' through the Americas. The Europeans at the time thought that they were exploring for the good of everyone involved, even the Natives that they had been exposing to diseases and killing in battles, although they were really committing a genocide. This relates to Oedipus the King because Oedipus' parents thought they were doing the right thing and 'saving' Oedipus from his fate, although they had done exactly the opposite.

http://www.floppingaces.net/2007/11/22/the-real-thanksgiving/

Betrayal (Question #7)

Betrayal is a major element in the plot of Oedipus. As the king of Thebes, Oedipus is trying to help the people and stop the plague that is devastating their state. When the blind prophet, Tiresias pays Thebes a visit, Oedipus desperately questions him, looking for the answer to the question of who killed Laius and how the plague can be stopped. Tiresias is clearly reluctant to give Oedipus any information, as he says “Just send me home. You bear your burdens, I’ll bear mine. It’s better that way, please believe me” (364-366). Oedipus becomes enraged that the prophet has information and that he refuses to tell him. “What? You know and you won’t tell? You’re bent on betraying us, destroying Thebes?” (376-377). When Oedipus finally pulls the information out of Tiresias, he is told that he is the one who is responsible for this horrible plague that is destroying Thebes, as he says “You are the curse, the corruption of the land!”(401). Oedipus is extremely offended that Tiresias could even suggest such a thing, and becomes enraged that he is being accused of being the cause of the plague on Thebes, when he is only trying to help them. This accusation from Tiresias shows the apparent betrayal that Oedipus has supposedly placed upon the people of Thebes, as he had promised to help save them from this devastating plague.

Oedipus Post #2

   Oedipus's mission to find King Laius's killer leads to an unexpected twist. Upon meeting with the blind prophet, Tiresias, Oedipus hears unpleasant news. Tiresias tells Oedipus that he is "the corruption of the land"(400).  When faced with this response, Oedipus becomes in denial and says "Aren't you appalled to start up such a story?" (403). Oedipus has a poor quality of becoming too defensive when faced with adversity. 

    After verbally attacking the prophet, Tiresias, Oedipus confides in his wife for advice while he debates killing Creon as he suspects him of being King Laius's true killer. Jocasta proves to be a carefree woman and doubts the power of the prophets. When she hears that a prophet accused Oedipus of the murderer, she says "Well then, free yourself of every charge." (779). This illustrates the fact that Jocasta genuinely had no clue of the incestuous acts she has committed with her son. It is unclear whether or not her initial response to Oedipus being accused as a killer is an act of genuine doubt toward the prophets or an unyielding loyalty to Oedipus. 

    Upon hearing of Polybus’s Death, Oedipus and Jocasta begin to rejoice as it seems to confirm the fact that Tiresias's prophecies were false. The joy does not last long as Oedipus is still afraid of committing incest with his mother as he states, "But my mother's bed, surely I must fear"(1068). This attribute connects to a previous post of mine. Oedipus's unrelenting drive and determination will not allow him to let anything slip his mind without being confirmed. Unless there is proof, Oedipus will never truly be comfortable in knowing he did not have incest with his mother. While determination may seem to be a good trait, it seems as if it will end up making Oedipus find out things he was better off not knowing.

 

Oedipus Foil

Creon acts as a foil to Oedipus. Following his rather heated conversation with Tiresias, Oedipus confronts Creon with his accusations of disloyalty. Instead of being paranoid and ill-tempered like Oedipus, Creon shows himself to be honest, forthright, and even tempered. To prove his loyalty, he offers a rational explanation as to why he has no reason to conspire against him. He, Oedipus, and the queen hold equal power, so “who in his right mind would rather rule in anxiety than sleep in peace” (654-655)? A position as king is stressful but holds the same power as the queen’s brother. So why would Creon want to take on such responsibility if he already obtains the same power? He questions Oedipus’ logic to prove his loyalty, because he “is not the man to yearn for kinship, not with the king’s power in [his] hands” (657-658). And in the event that Oedipus refuses to take Creon’s word for truth, Creon has proof. Oedipus could simply go to Delphi and examine the oracle himself, thus personally seeing an accurate account of Creon’s message. But being the brash and quick to anger person that he is, Oedipus cannot see rationally. He is so caught up in his own rationale that he can't see that he is the traitor that he accuses Creon of being. He cannot see that jumping to conclusions and falsely accusing Creon shows that he himself lacks loyalty. He is lacking so much, he is willing to kill his brother-in-law, who has proven himself trustworthy, merely on a hunch. 

Power's Blinding Spotlight

As any other king, Oedipus values his authority and reputation. There are multiple facets that contribute to a respected king; Oedipus however, lacks one of these qualities. Loyalty is valued by the Greeks, yet Oedipus favors his position much more. The blind prophet, Teiresias, informs Oedipus that he is the “land’s pollution” (400), he is the reason for the downfall of Thebes. Rather than accepting the truth behind the murder of Liaus, Oedipus immediately denies any accusations and he is the one blinded by the truth.

Loyalty to the family is a valued aspect for the Greeks. Creon, Oedipus’s brother in law, is a close, respected family member to Oedipus. However, Oedipus rejects traditional Greek values and accuses Creon of plotting against him – proving Oedipus’s disloyalty. This is a clear example of hamartia, a single flaw in which will lead to Oedipus’s downfall. To uphold his value, he must take the spotlight off himself and place it upon a plausible victim, Creon. “Yes, and it’s there you’ve proved yourself false friend.” (679) If Oedipus were to admit to his wrongdoing he would be sacrificing his kingship, but he would remain true to himself. However, Oedipus takes a complete opposite turn and rather than admitting to his false actions, he hides himself behind his power. This proves that he would much rather maintain his reputation than upholding an important value of the Greeks. 

Oedipus takes the opportunity to remain the king of Thebes rather than being loyal to a family member who has been an “honest friend” (713). The enticing power of kingship blinds him from the proper morals of the Greeks.

Blog Post #2 Hubris

           After Oedipus is told he is the murderer of Laius, he doesn’t believe it, but he soon starts to. Oedipus is angry at Creon for revealing all of this bad information. Oedipus has an element of hubris in this scene. Everyone accuses Oedipus of the murder and even lay down the facts. Oedipus is persistent in denying the murder. He has hubris and lets it get to him. He says when talking to Tiresias: “Mock me for that, go on, and you’ll reveal my greatness (502).” When Oedipus realizes he may have actually murdered Laius, he begins to defend himself as he says “…I saved the city (504)…“ Oedipus believes what the people don’t know can’t hurt them, but Creon and Tiresias are close to ratting him out. Oedipus knows neither of them will say anything. When the people find out though he will be destroyed. The chorus do not think Oedipus did it. They love him and think he is a great king. When they see Oedipus and Creon fighting they try to stop it because they don’t think either one of them could have possibly committed such a crime.                Oedipus is confident that no one will ever find out the truth and he has no doubt that Creon will not find any proof. He is not worried and now that he knows what he did he will try as hard as he can to protect the people from his truth, so he can continue to be a “successful” king. His hubris will be his destruction.

Oedipus acts like there is no way he can be convicted of this crime,
but his hubris has no chance against the wave of uncertainty coming his way.