Oedipus the King - the Tragedy of Oedipus

Group Essay 3

Professor Marian Ellis

English 1302

3, April 2018

The Tragedy of Oedipus

In his play, Oedipus the King, (ca. 430 B.C.), Sophocles writes a literary tragedy about an ambitious king who stands up to confront internal as well as external forces with a formality that unveils the perceptiveness of the human soul in the face of disappointment and defeat. Sophocles illustrates this notion by demonstrating the protagonist's reputation and determination to complete some task or goal. This makes Oedipus admirable but internal tragic flaws such as an excess of pride and ambition lead him directly to disaster and the reckoning of his reputation. Through the use of literary elements such as hubris, catharsis, and catastrophe, Sophocles is able to establish a dramatic force that revisits the theme of inescapable fate. By using dramatic structure and tense tone, Sophocles is able to create a formal relationship with his audience.

Oedipus in Oedipus the King exhibits tremendous hubris throughout the play. Hubris is defined as “exaggerated pride or self-confidence” (Merriam-Webster). Oedipus boasts self-confidence and pride abundantly when he believed he could escape his fate. Oedipus’ knowledge of the prophecy being fulfilled could have been avoided if he listened to his wife, Jocasta, beg him to let the unknown stay unknown when speaking with the messenger. “Why ask of whom he spoke? Don’t give it heed; nor try to keep in mind what has been said. I beg you, do not hunt this out- I beg you, if you have any care for your own life” (1121-1122/1126-1127). Oedipus might have avoided knowing he fulfilled the prophecy, but his self-confidence got the best of him. His hubris of thinking he could escape his fate caused tragedy for himself, his wife, and his children.

Catharsis is defined as the feeling of pity and fear felt by the audience after a great tragedy. In Oedipus the King, the audience first experiences catharsis when Oedipus understands his part in the plague and the lie of his life. When Oedipus grasp what he has done, he immediately feels regret and guilt for his part. Soon after the audience then feels empathy and compassion for Oedipus during the time that the shepherd is remembering back when he carried Oedipus to a man who took him only to save him for a tragic destiny. At that time, Oedipus exclaims, “Light of the sun, let me look upon you no more after today! I who first saw the light bred of a match accursed, and accursed in my living with them I lived, cursed in my killing” (1156-1157). It is at this moment that the audience has compassion for Oedipus and is concerned about what he may do. Finally, the audience learns that Oedipus is blinded by his own hand and feels empathy for him because of the fate he had to live and his once high stature. “Luckless Oedipus, whom of all men I envy not at all” (1157). Throughout this remarkable tragedy, the audience experiences a variety of emotions including empathy and compassion.