Oedipus the King

Introduction This is an Athenian tragedy by Sophocles. The main character Oedipus is the King of Thebes. Oedipus’ own fault brings him down and in an embarrassing way. The literature work presents a perfect example of tragedy. King Oedipus is the protagonist in the play. His tragic error is linked to a natural curse on his biological father.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Oedipus the King specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Analysis of the tragic error The chronology of events begins when a young man learns about a rumor that King Polybus and Queen Merope are not his biological parents. Innocently, Oedipus sets out on a journey with the intention of permanently moving away to thwart the Oracle, which is unknown to him. Oedipus feels that if he is far away then he may not harm his foster parents whom he now believes are his biological parents. The first part of his tragic error occurs during this journey. Oed ipus meets a stranger, who unknown to him is his biological father, Laius. A quarrel ensues which eventually leads to a fight. By the end of the war, Oedipus kills everybody except one person in the stranger’s entourage (Storr, 2008)). The cause of disagreement was a very simple argument between them over who had the right-of-way. All This takes place while the two, King Laius and his Son Oedipus are unaware of their identities. Oedipus did not even know that the stranger he was fighting was a King. The second part of King Oedipus tragic error, ironically occurs after Oedipus uses his wisdom to free the Kingdom of Thebes. It is interesting to see how wisdom and the wish to rescue Thebes drive Oedipus into a classic tragedy. Oedipus answers the riddle from Sphinx to deliver the Kingdom of Thebes from a curse.† What is the creature that walks on four in the morning walks on two at noon and walks on three in the evening?† The Sphinx asked,  ´ Man,† Oedipus re sponded. The reward for this work was for Oedipus to be made the King of Thebes. He was then given the Queen of Thebes, Jocasta, to marry. The Queen incidentally was his biological mother. This opens both ends of the tragic error. The Oracle he ran away from was then fulfilled. Oedipus is a victim of fate, killing his father and his mother. The order of events is guided by his brilliance in which Oedipus attempt to unravel the truth. This is in addition to control his destiny .This however, climaxes into the tragedy that leads to his embarrassing downfall.Advertising Looking for essay on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More When he discovers that he has a curse following him, just like ant other human being and King for that matter, sends Creon his brother-in-law to seek advice from Apollo. â€Å"King Apollo! May his joyous looks be presage of the joyous news he brings!† He says. The news from Apollo seems to bring the expected joy and hope. Creon, â€Å"Good news, for even intolerable ills. Finding right issue, tend to naught but good.† Creon explains that evasion will only come after the murderer of Laius; the former King is found and prosecuted. With determination to avert his curse, Oedipus commits himself to apprehend the murderer and make sure justice is done. Ironically, Oedipus is the killer himself. Further complications arise when Jocasta disapproves the blind prophet’s prophesy that King Oedipus killed the former King Laius. The news from the prophet is in fact true but a mystery to understand. Jocasta advises Oedipus not to be bothered by looking for the murderer. She says who the man is. Let it be. Twere wastes of thought to weigh such idle words.† However, Oedipus is not convinced and insists to pursue the matter. However, an obscurity in itself regenerates in Oedipus memory regarding a babyhood story of him being an adopted youngster. Jocasta’s flow of the story looked very similar to the one the old man told him in his childhood. Members of his Kingdom through the song continue to persuade him further but he resists (Storr, 2008) He continues his probe to know the murderer of Laius, the former King. The fatal chronology of events fulfills the prophesy of the tragic error when Jocasta discovers that her second husband is actually her son and a child whom together her first husband King Laius dumped in the forest to avert a curse. To her surprise the child was a live, a King and worst of all her husband whom they had four children together. With glaring in her face and because the situation then was an abomination, Queen Jocasta kills herself by committing suicide. This happens shortly before King Oedipus also discovers the truth. Oedipus realizes that he in deed killed King Laius, his biological father that he was married to his biological mother, and together they have four children (Grene, 2010). The events of the situat ion become unbearable. Oedipus, in accepting his mistake requests for punishment. He ends up being a beggar who wanders all over. The moral lessons Athenians learnt a lot from the tragic error by their King, Oedipus. Among the lessons, the Athenians learnt that destiny could never be thwarted. Oedipus in quest to know the truth and his wish to control his destiny ended disastrously. His father, Laius and his mother Jocasta conspired to kill their son in an attempt to evade destiny.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Oedipus the King specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This never worked as Oedipus was eventually rescued and he lived to fulfill what fate dictated. The curse that turned to be fate for the generations was brought by Laius’ moral decadence. In his youth, he raped a young woman he was teaching. Rape is a vice that is not condoned by the society. This was the source of the curse. The two Kings, Laius, and Oedipus, tried to thwart it but never succeeded. The Athenians learnt that destiny has its mechanisms of ensuring that it is never avoided. Their King had sort advice from Apollo in trying to avoid a terrible curse that had befallen him. The response circumvented things back to King without his knowledge. Oedipus, then on following up the matter destroyed himself (Berg, 2011). It was clear to them that if something were predestined to happen, it will happen no matter what takes place. Athenians believed in the fulfillment of prophesy. The tragic events of their King, Oedipus simply reinforced their belief. Their two Kings should have believed in fate. To the Athenians it would never have come in such a torturous way. King Laius and Queen Jocasta would not have conspired to kill their son. This means that King Polybus and Queen Merope would never have brought up Oedipus. This would have reorganized the way fate would have happened. Most important being that Oedipus would never h ave bothered to unravel the mystery of his birth. When the Athenians analyzed the order of events through the tragic error by King Oedipus, it was clear that the cause was an immoral behavior. Laius had been offered an opportunity to tutor a young woman. Laius forgot the good reception he had been given, he instead of concentrating on his job became immoral. The society and especially in Athena upheld morals. The whole tragedy would have been avoided at the tiptop. It would be easy for Laius to uphold simple but important ethics than letting the entire generation go through pain and embarrassment. Application In comparison with the modern world, there is great difference in the beliefs and a change between that generation and the current one. In the modern world, leadership is learnt and the leaders do not run their countries alone. Decisions are never unilateral, to am extent that even the foreign nations influence internal affairs of other countries. Forms of leadership have also changed. Analysis of those seeking leadership including their history are done.Advertising Looking for essay on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Religion also plays a great role in the difference. Though religion existed in the Athena, the difference is in the faith. The judicial system takes the opportunity to rehabilitate those with moral decadence. Laius would have been jailed for rape. He would never have had a chance to rule since his behavior would never allow him. In the modern society, Hitler, the former Chancellor of Germany represents a leader with a tragic error. He started the Second World War and died a painful and embarrassing death. References Berg, S. (2011). Oedipus the King. New York: Oxford University press. Grene, D. (2010). Oedipus the King by Sophocles. Chicago: University of Chicago press. Storr, S (2008). Oedipus the King: Original play. New York: Internet classic commentary. This essay on Oedipus the King was written and submitted by user Grayson Carson to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here. Oedipus the King Table of Contents Introduction Man versus man conflict Man versus nature Man versus himself Conclusion Works Cited Introduction ‘Oedipus the King’ is a play written by Sophocles in Ancient Greek at around 430 B.C. set in a fabulous past of the ancient Greek. Throughout the play, the king is determined to understand several issues about the community and himself.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Oedipus the King specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More As a result, he seeks help from the Theban chorus; Tiresias, the blind prophet; Creon, his brother in-law; Jocasta, the Oedipus wife and the shepherd. Throughout the play, conflict stands out as the main theme as exposited by exploring the three elements of conflict from the play viz. man versus man, man versus himself and man versus nature. Man versus man conflict A conflict exists between the king and the prophet Tiresias. The play begins by investigation into the cause of death of Laius, the former Theban king. When the Oedipus King seeks advice from the prophet Tiresias, to his surprise, the prophet tells him that Oedipus was responsible for the murderer of Laius. In disbelief, the King becomes annoyed with Tiresias and they end up into a heated argument. The king blames the prophet for accusing him for the murder (Sophocles 306). While the King maintains his innocence, Tiresias holds that the murderer of Laius is a Theban citizen whom they have a blood relationship. The manner in which Tiresias leaves the palace evidences unhidden conflict between him and the Oedipus King. In addition, the king is in conflict with his brother in-law, Creon. When the prophet accuses Oedipus for the murder, the king blames Creon for masterminding the accusations. The king believes that Creon is determined to undermine him. As a result, the king calls for Creon’s execution. Another conflict exists between Jocasta and the prophets. Jocasta beli eves that prophets are liars and the king should take none of their advice. â€Å"Listen and I’ll convince thee that no truth in these prophets† (Sophocles 316). This quote reveals that Jocasta does not believe in prophets any more. There is also conflict between the king and the shepherd. When the shepherd refuses to give information on murder, the king threatens to execute him. Man versus nature Theban community is in conflict with nature. Oedipus king is determined to fight the plague, which has affected the community. As Sophocles indicates in the Creon’s conversation with the king, the leadership of Theban community is investigating the cause of the plague: â€Å"Let me report then all what god declared.Advertising Looking for essay on literature languages? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More King Phoebus bids us straightly extirpate Fell pollution that infests the land, and no more harbor an inveterate sore† (Sophocles 315). From this quotation, it is clear that the people of Theban are determined to fight to the end the plague that runs through the community. As illustrated on the first scene, the priest and the Theban choir have also visited the palace to seek aid for the plague. The king gives them hope by noting that â€Å"but I grieve at once both for the general, myself and you† (Sophocles 267). To grieve in ancient Greek meant cooperation with the suffering. Plague is a natural disease and therefore fighting it evidences this kind of conflict. Man versus himself The king is in conflict with himself. The community expects exemplary behavior from their king, especially in such ancient setting. As the play illustrates, the king killed his father and slept with his mother. The king’s behavior is in conflict with the character of Oedipus king. It is therefore vivid that the king is in conflict with himself. The shepherd is also in conflict with himself. Once requested to come and testify on the murder of Laius, he agrees and in fact provides some information to the king; however, after sometime, he begs to leave without further questions (Sophocles 300). This illustrates the shepherd’s conflict with himself. Conclusion The major conflict arises when the prophet accuses the Oedipus for the murder of the former king. Since the entire play revolves about the murder, it is therefore justifiable that conflict is the major theme in the play ‘Oedipus the King’. King’s conflict with the prophet and Creon illustrates man versus man conflict while the community’s battle with the plague evidences the man versus nature conflict. The king’s behavior is in conflict with what is expected of him thus underscoring the man versus man conflict. Works Cited Sophocles. â€Å"Oedipus the King.† The Collection. Trans. Francis Storr. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1912. This essay on Oedipus the King was written and submitted by user Nylah U. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here. Oedipus the King There is a variety of elements of drama that writers can choose from, when writing their works. These elements include theme, plot, characters, and language among others. In Oedipus the King, Sophocles uses the element of theme to produce a thrilling composition. The three important themes here include the power of conventional law, disposition to disregard the truth and confines of free will.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Oedipus the King specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Themes Sophocles uses the theme of power of conventional law. The need to bury the dead surpasses any law regardless of how the dead person was evil or unpopular. This comes out clearly for Creon after assuming power in Thebes. After losing his power to Creon, Polynices dies. Unfortunately, Creon being the king commands that Polynices corpse be left unburied for dogs and birds to feed on him and everyone; who had been wronged by this wicked ma n, see him. (Sophocles 98). Because Polynices was a wicked man, Creon assumes this fact justifies his acts. It is true that Polynices had insulted everything and everyone including religion and power. However, as the play unfolds, the audience realizes that burying the dead is not tied to state rules and it has nothing to do with citizenship and loyalty, but has everything to do with humanity. Creon comes to learn, though late; that, the rotting body of Polynices was more of lewdness than punishment. Even though there was no written law in Greece customs to bury the dead, the conventional laws, tied to humanity had power over the state. Again, Sophocles shows how people have the disposition to disregard the truth. Even though Oedipus knows the truth concerning Laius’s murder, he does all he can to exculpate himself. Oedipus knows very clearly that he killed Laius single-handedly; however, he is clinging to the side of the story that claims that Laius died in the hands of st rangers. On the same basis, Oedipus chooses to ignore the oracle while Jocasta overlooks the fact that her son was to kill her husband. Oedipus knows this very well but in an attempt to feel good they deliberately choose to ignore the truth. The ironical part of this part notwithstanding; the audience cannot fail to see the vehement denial of truth. People have eyes; they see but choose not to acknowledge and accept the truth. Finally, freewill has limits and this comes out clearly in this story. Prophecy and oracles were respected amongst Greek people during this era. This same oracle had predicted that Oedipus was going to murder his own father and take his mother to bed. On the other hand, prophecy had let Jocasta know that her son would kill her husband and sleep with her. Advertising Looking for essay on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More As events unravel, it is clear to Oedipus that he is that boy talked o f in Jocasta’s story; however, he cannot use his freewill to change things. Things have gone out of hand such that, they cannot be restored; not even by freewill. Conclusion Sophocles employs the element of theme to communicate with the audience. The theme of this story was to address issues that were affecting the people of Thebes during this time and even in times to come. The audience can easily know what Sophocles meant by writing this script. This is because even as the audience looks back in real life, the issues addressed here are easy to identify with in the society today. These are not foreign events happening to Oedipus only; no, they are happening in real life, right under the watch of the audience. This element of drama comes out strongly and makes the play compelling. Works Cited Sophocles. â€Å"Oedipus the King.† Berg, Stephen Clay, Diskin. Ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 1978. This essay on Oedipus the King was written and submitted by user Eugene L. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.