Oedipus Rex Analisys - 895 Words

In Oedipus Rex, Sophocles portraits one of the most intriguing and fascinating traits of the human nature: the search for truth regarding who we are and the realization of the paths reserved by our future fate. The play starts with the presentation of the main character: Oedipus, the king of Thebes. Sophocles presents Oedipus to the reader as a majestic figure who addresses his attention to the people of Thebes from his palace. The city had been hit by a devastating plague due to Laà ¯os (the previous Theban king) murder and Oedipus was believed to be able to help them overcome that hardship. As the play develops, the reader is provided with the fact that Laà ¯os, Oedipus biological father, and Iocastà ª, his biological mother, learned†¦show more content†¦At the end of the play, Oedipus hit his eyes but he could see the truth about himself. Should we blame Oedipus for everything that happened? Should the king be held responsible for Iocastà ªs death and his own suffering and shame? Indeed, the tragic hero is responsible for some circumstances that happened during the play. For an instance, he was directly connected to Là ¯ons death. He did not control his own emotions and exploded in rage, fatally attacking the former Theban king and his few companions. This action itself was the initial step to his whole tragic fate. But his actions alone should not be considered as enough evidence to blame him if we take the whole context into account. According to the play, Oedipus fate was already set up by the Gods even before his birth. How the king could change and control his own destiny? How would he be able to change Gods wishes? Up to which extent should Oedipus be responsible for the consequences of actions that, although he was part of them, he was unable to control? Oedipus was nothing rather than a key character used b y Apollo who was the true architect of this whole tragedy. The biggest and most fascinating irony in Oedipus Rex was the kings commitment and persistence in finding and punishing Laà ¯os murderer, ignoring the fact that the killer was