thesis for oedipus rex

Oedipus by Sophocles: a Tragic Hero

This essay about Oedipus in Sophocles’ “Oedipus Rex” positions him as the quintessential tragic hero, exploring the themes of human nature, fate, and the quest for truth. Through Oedipus’ story of unintentional self-destruction—fulfilling a prophecy by killing his father and marrying his mother—Sophocles sheds light on the complexities of human existence and the inevitable encounter with destiny. The narrative doesn’t just focus on Oedipus’ downfall but emphasizes his humanity, resilience, and the profound burden of awareness he carries. It underlines the character’s relatability through his flaws, making his tale resonate with the struggles inherent in the human condition. The essay reflects on how Oedipus’ tale is not merely a story of tragedy but a reflection on the courage required to face harrowing truths, making it a timeless piece that explores the essence of being human and the indomitable spirit of the tragic hero.

How it works

In the grand and often bewildering theater of literature, where characters both mighty and meek vie for our attention, the tragic hero holds a special place in our hearts and imaginations. Sophocles’ Oedipus, the beleaguered king of Thebes, is one of those characters who’s hard to forget once you’ve met him. Through the story of “Oedipus Rex,” Sophocles doesn’t just tell us a tale from a bygone era; he holds up a mirror to the human condition, reminding us of our perpetual struggle against the odds.

Oedipus is a man on a mission. Determined to rid Thebes of a devastating plague, he ends up uncovering a web of truths that eventually leads to his own undoing. The prophecy that haunted his cradle—killing his father and marrying his mother—unravels despite his best efforts to dodge destiny. It’s this journey, fraught with good intentions and tragic missteps, that cements Oedipus as the epitome of a tragic hero. His story isn’t just about the pitfalls of fate; it’s a deep dive into the human psyche, our fears, and the lengths we’ll go to for the truth.

But Sophocles’ genius lies not in making us mere spectators of Oedipus’ downfall. Instead, he invites us to walk alongside Oedipus, to feel his determination, his despair, and ultimately, his acceptance of his fate. Oedipus isn’t a hero because he triumphs; he’s a hero because he embodies the resilience of the human spirit in the face of insurmountable odds. His tale doesn’t just tug at our heartstrings; it raises questions about free will, knowledge, and the human capacity for suffering and redemption.

What makes Oedipus stand out in the crowded arena of tragic heroes isn’t just his tragic flaw or his downfall; it’s his humanity. His pride, his mistakes, and his quest for truth make him relatable. He’s not diminished by his errors; instead, they render him more human, more like us. The tragedy of Oedipus is not just in the sequence of events leading to his exile but in the burden of awareness he’s forced to bear. His journey towards this harrowing enlightenment, towards facing the truth no matter how ugly, is where his heroism truly lies.

The enduring appeal of Oedipus’ story is a tribute to Sophocles’ understanding of the human heart and his ability to weave a narrative that’s as relevant now as it was in ancient Greece. Through Oedipus, Sophocles explores with a tender yet unflinching gaze, the themes that define our existence: fate, the search for truth, and the enduring human spirit. Oedipus’ saga resonates with us because it is, at its core, a reflection of our own fears, aspirations, and the eternal struggle for meaning and identity in a world that often seems governed by capricious fates.

So, as we turn the last page of “Oedipus Rex,” we’re left with more than just a story of a king’s fall from grace. We’re reminded of the power of narrative to delve into the essence of what it means to be human. Oedipus remains a beacon of the tragic hero archetype, not just for the magnitude of his suffering, but for his courage in confronting it. His tale, etched by Sophocles’ hand, continues to echo through the ages, a poignant reminder of literature’s ability to capture the beauty and tragedy of the human experience.

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Building a Thesis Statement

The heart of any essay is its thesis statement; the heart of any thesis statement is the subject-verb-object core of the main clause.  Take the following steps to build your thesis statement from the heart outward.

1.       Build the core.   Choose a noun (or short noun phrase) that describes the main subject of your essay.  Make sure it covers the whole of your subject, but no more.  Then choose a verb that describes both precisely and comprehensively what your subject does in your essay.  Then choose a noun that is the main recipient of the action.  Put the three together in that order. Your objective is to put as much information as possible in the core.  For instance, here’s the core of a thesis sentence in an essay about Oedipus Rex . “ Oedipus Rex explains fate.”

2.       Add to it. Add clauses or phrases to your core to make it a full, descriptive, and interesting sentence.  You can add material before or after the core to concede something, to explain a cause and effect relationship, or to explain a consequence.  For instance, here’s the Oedipus Rex thesis with material added before and after: “At first glance, Sophocles’ most famous play appears to make its hero the victim of circumstance; nevertheless, Oedipus Rex explains fate as a function of character, not fortune.”

3.       Sharpen it. Look for vague, weak, or otherwise unsatisfactory words, phrases, and clauses in your thesis and make them more specific through either substitution or modification.  For instance, here’s the Oedipus Rex thesis sharpened: “Although Sophocles’ most famous play subjects its hero to deception, bad luck, and the crimes of his parents, Oedipus Rex nevertheless reveals fate to be primarily a function of character, not fortune.”

4.       Make your categories with key words. Look at the key works in the sharpened version: “ hero ,” “ deception,” bad luck,” “crimes,” “fate,” “character,” and “ fortune.”   The key words in italics are all potential sections for the body of the essay, especially if you design your thesis to analyze your subject according to defined categories. Not every thesis will list the main sections of your essay perfectly neatly, but almost every thesis will suggest useful divisions in your essay.

5.       Create a title by writing a noun phrase that contains a clear description of your subject and indicates something about your approach and thesis.  “Sophocles’ Idea of Fate” isn’t bad, but “Sophocles’ Idea of Fate in Oedipus Rex ” is better, and “Doomed by Character: Sophocles’ Idea of Fate in Oedipus Rex ” is even better than that.

Oedipus Rex

Ask litcharts ai: the answer to your questions.

Fate vs. Free Will

The ancient Greeks believed that their gods could see the future, and that certain people could access this information. Prophets or seers, like blind Tiresias , saw visions of things to come. Oracles, priests who resided at the temples of gods—such as the oracle to Apollo at Delphi—were also believed to be able to interpret the gods' visions and give prophecies to people who sought to know the future. During the fifth century B.C.E., however…

Guilt and Shame

The play begins with a declaration from the oracle at Delphi: Thebes is suffering because the person guilty of the murder of King Laius has not been brought to justice. Oedipus sets himself the task of discovering the guilty party—so guilt, in the legal sense, is central to Oedipus Rex . Yet ultimately it is not legal guilt but the emotion of guilt, of remorse for having done something terrible, that drives the play.

Sight vs. Blindness

When Oedipus publicly declares his intention to solve the mystery of King Laius's murder, he says, "I'll start again—I'll bring it all to light myself." Oedipus's vision and intelligence have made him a great king of Thebes—he solved the riddle of the Sphinx and revitalized the city. But he is blind to the truth about his own life. It takes the blind prophet, Tiresias , to point out his ignorance and to plant the first…

Finding Out the Truth

The terrible deeds that are Oedipus 's undoing actually took place long before the play begins. King Laius has been dead for many years, Oedipus has ruled for some time, and his marriage to Jocasta has produced four children. They might have all remained happy in their ignorance had the plague not come to Thebes and the oracle not commanded that the murderer of Laius be found. Good king that he is, Oedipus swears he…

Action vs. Reflection

In his quest for truth, Oedipus is a man of constant action. When the priests come to ask for his help, he has already dispatched Creon to the oracle to find out what the gods suggest. When the chorus suggests that he consult Tiresias , Oedipus has already sent for him. Oedipus decides quickly and acts quickly—traits his audience would have seen as admirable and in the best tradition of Athenian leadership. But Oedipus's tendency…

Literary Theory and Criticism

Home › Drama Criticism › Analysis of Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex

Analysis of Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex

By NASRULLAH MAMBROL on July 27, 2020 • ( 0 )

The place of the Oedipus Tyrannus in literature is something like that of the Mona Lisa in art. Everyone knows the story, the first detective story of Western literature; everyone who has read or seen it is drawn into its enigmas and moral dilemmas. It presents a kind of nightmare vision of a world suddenly turned upside down: a decent man discovers that he has unknowingly killed his father, married his mother, and sired children by her. It is a story that, as Aristotle says in the Poetics , makes one shudder with horror and feel pity just on hearing it. In Sophocles’ hands, however, this ancient tale becomes a profound meditation on the questions of guilt and responsibility, the order (or disorder) of our world, and the nature of man. The play stands with the Book of Job, Hamlet, and King Lear as one of Western literature’s most searching examinations of the problem of suffering.

—Charles Segal, Oedipus Tyrannus: Tragic Heroism and the Limits of Knowledge

No other drama has exerted a longer or stronger hold on the imagination than Sophocles’ Oedipus the King (also known as Oedipus Tyrannus or Oedipus Rex ). Tragic drama that is centered on the dilemma of a single central character largely begins with Sophocles and is exemplified by his Oedipus, arguably the most influential play ever written. The most famous of all Greek dramas, Sophocles’ play, supported by Aristotle in the Poetics, set the standard by which tragedy has been measured for nearly two-and-a-half millennia. For Aristotle, Sophocles’ play featured the ideal tragic hero in Oedipus, a man of “great repute and good fortune,” whose fall, coming from his horrifying discovery that he has killed his father and married his mother, is masterfully arranged to elicit tragedy’s proper cathartic mixture of pity and terror. The play’s relentless exploration of human nature, destiny, and suffering turns an ancient tale of a man’s shocking history into one of the core human myths. Oedipus thereby joins a select group of fictional characters, including Odysseus, Faust, Don Juan, and Don Quixote, that have entered our collective consciousness as paradigms of humanity and the human condition. As classical scholar Bernard Knox has argued, “Sophocles’ Oedipus is not only the greatest creation of a major poet and the classic representative figure of his age: he is also one of a long series of tragic protagonists who stand as symbols of human aspiration and despair before the characteristic dilemma of Western civilization—the problem of man’s true stature, his proper place in the universe.”

For nearly 2,500 years Sophocles’ play has claimed consideration as drama’s most perfect and most profound achievement. Julius Caesar wrote an adaptation; Nero allegedly acted the part of the blind Oedipus. First staged in a European theater in 1585, Oedipus has been continually performed ever since and reworked by such dramatists as Pierre Corneille, John Dryden, Voltaire, William Butler Yeats, André Gide, and Jean Cocteau. The French neoclassical tragedian Jean Racine asserted that Oedipus was the ideal tragedy, while D. H. Lawrence regarded it as “the finest drama of all time.” Sigmund Freud discovered in the play the key to understanding man’s deepest and most repressed sexual and aggressive impulses, and the so-called Oedipus complex became one of the founding myths of psychoanalysis. Oedipus has served as a crucial mirror by which each subsequent era has been able to see its own reflection and its understanding of the mystery of human existence.

If Aeschylus is most often seen as the great originator of ancient Greek tragedy and Euripides is viewed as the great outsider and iconoclast, it is Sophocles who occupies the central position as classical tragedy’s technical master and the age’s representative figure over a lifetime that coincided with the rise and fall of Athens’s greatness as a political and cultural power in the fifth century b.c. Sophocles was born in 496 near Athens in Colonus, the legendary final resting place of the exiled Oedipus. At the age of 16, Sophocles, an accomplished dancer and lyre player, was selected to lead the celebration of the victory over the Persians at the battle of Salamis, the event that ushered in Athens’s golden age. He died in 406, two years before Athens’s fall to Sparta, which ended nearly a century of Athenian supremacy and cultural achievement. Very much at the center of Athenian public life, Sophocles served as a treasurer of state and a diplomat and was twice elected as a general. A lay priest in the cult of a local deity, Sophocles also founded a literary association and was an intimate of such prominent men of letters as Ion of Chios, Herodotus, and Archelaus. Urbane, garrulous, and witty, Sophocles was remembered fondly by his contemporaries as possessing all the admired qualities of balance and tranquillity. Nicknamed “the Bee” for his “honeyed” style of fl owing eloquence—the highest compliment the Greeks could bestow on a poet or speaker—Sophocles was regarded as the tragic Homer.

In marked contrast to his secure and stable public role and private life, Sophocles’ plays orchestrate a disturbing challenge to assurance and certainty by pitting vulnerable and fallible humanity against the inexorable forces of nature and destiny. Sophocles began his career as a playwright in 468 b.c. with a first-prize victory over Aeschylus in the Great, or City, Dionysia, the annual Athenian drama competition. Over the next 60 years he produced more than 120 plays (only seven have survived intact), winning first prize at the Dionysia 24 times and never earning less than second place, making him unquestionably the most successful and popular playwright of his time. It is Sophocles who introduced the third speaking actor to classical drama, creating the more complex dramatic situations and deepened psychological penetration through interpersonal relationships and dialogue. “Sophocles turned tragedy inward upon the principal actors,” classicist Richard Lattimore has observed, “and drama becomes drama of character.” Favoring dramatic action over narration, Sophocles brought offstage action onto the stage, emphasized dialogue rather than lengthy, undramatic monologues, and purportedly introduced painted scenery. Also of note, Sophocles replaced the connected trilogies of Aeschylus with self-contained plays on different subjects at the same contest, establishing the norm that has continued in Western drama with its emphasis on the intensity and unity of dramatic action. At their core, Sophocles’ tragedies are essentially moral and religious dramas pitting the tragic hero against unalterable fate as defined by universal laws, particular circumstances, and individual temperament. By testing his characters so severely, Sophocles orchestrated adversity into revelations that continue to evoke an audience’s capacity for wonder and compassion.

The story of Oedipus was part of a Theban cycle of legends that was second only to the stories surrounding the Trojan War as a popular subject for Greek literary treatment. Thirteen different Greek dramatists, including Aeschylus and Euripides, are known to have written plays on the subject of Oedipus and his progeny. Sophocles’ great innovation was to turn Oedipus’s horrifying circumstances into a drama of self-discovery that probes the mystery of selfhood and human destiny.

The play opens with Oedipus secure and respected as the capable ruler of Thebes having solved the riddle of the Sphinx and gained the throne and Thebes’s widowed queen, Jocasta, as his reward. Plague now besets the city, and Oedipus comes to Thebes’s rescue once again when, after learning from the oracle of Apollo that the plague is a punishment for the murder of his predecessor, Laius, he swears to discover and bring the murderer to justice. The play, therefore, begins as a detective story, with the key question “Who killed Laius?” as the initial mystery. Oedipus initiates the first in a seemingly inexhaustible series of dramatic ironies as the detective who turns out to be his own quarry. Oedipus’s judgment of banishment for Laius’s murderer seals his own fate. Pledged to restore Thebes to health, Oedipus is in fact the source of its affliction. Oedipus’s success in discovering Laius’s murderer will be his own undoing, and the seemingly percipient, riddle-solving Oedipus will only see the truth about himself when he is blind. To underscore this point, the blind seer Teiresias is summoned. He is reluctant to tell what he knows, but Oedipus is adamant: “No man, no place, nothing will escape my gaze. / I will not stop until I know it all.” Finally goaded by Oedipus to reveal that Oedipus himself is “the killer you’re searching for” and the plague that afflicts Thebes, Teiresias introduces the play’s second mystery, “Who is Oedipus?”

You have eyes to see with, But you do not see yourself, you do not see The horror shadowing every step of your life, . . . Who are your father and mother? Can you tell me?

Oedipus rejects Teiresias’s horrifying answer to this question—that Oedipus has killed his own father and has become a “sower of seed where your father has sowed”—as part of a conspiracy with Jocasta’s brother Creon against his rule. In his treatment of Teiresias and his subsequent condemning of Creon to death, Oedipus exposes his pride, wrath, and rush to judgment, character flaws that alloy his evident strengths of relentless determination to learn the truth and fortitude in bearing the consequences. Jocasta comes to her brother’s defense, while arguing that not all oracles can be believed. By relating the circumstances of Laius’s death, Jocasta attempts to demonstrate that Oedipus could not be the murderer while ironically providing Oedipus with the details that help to prove the case of his culpability. In what is a marvel of ironic plot construction, each step forward in answering the questions surrounding the murder and Oedipus’s parentage takes Oedipus a step back in time toward full disclosure and self-discovery.

As Oedipus is made to shift from self-righteous authority to doubt, a messenger from Corinth arrives with news that Oedipus’s supposed father, Poly-bus, is dead. This intelligence seems again to disprove the oracle that Oedipus is fated to kill his father. Oedipus, however, still is reluctant to return home for fear that he could still marry his mother. To relieve Oedipus’s anxiety, the messenger reveals that he himself brought Oedipus as an infant to Polybus. Like Jocasta whose evidence in support of Oedipus’s innocence turns into confirmation of his guilt, the messenger provides intelligence that will connect Oedipus to both Laius and Jocasta as their son and as his father’s killer. The messenger’s intelligence produces the crucial recognition for Jocasta, who urges Oedipus to cease any further inquiry. Oedipus, however, persists, summoning the herdsman who gave the infant to the messenger and was coincidentally the sole survivor of the attack on Laius. The herdsman’s eventual confirmation of both the facts of Oedipus’s birth and Laius’s murder produces the play’s staggering climax. Aristotle would cite Sophocles’ simultaneous con-junction of Oedipus’s recognition of his identity and guilt with his reversal of fortune—condemned by his own words to banishment and exile as Laius’s murderer—as the ideal artful arrangement of a drama’s plot to produce the desired cathartic pity and terror.

The play concludes with an emphasis on what Oedipus will now do after he knows the truth. No tragic hero has fallen further or faster than in the real time of Sophocles’ drama in which the time elapsed in the play coincides with the performance time. Oedipus is stripped of every illusion of his authority, control, righteousness, and past wisdom and is forced to contend with a shame that is impossible to expiate—patricide and incestual relations with his mother—in a world lacking either justice or alleviation from suffering. Oedipus’s heroic grandeur, however, grows in his diminishment. Fundamentally a victim of circumstances, innocent of intentional sin whose fate was preordained before his birth, Oedipus refuses the consolation of blamelessness that victimization confers, accepting in full his guilt and self-imposed sentence as an outcast, criminal, and sinner. He blinds himself to confirm the moral shame that his actions, unwittingly or not, have provoked. It is Oedipus’s capacity to endure the revelation of his sin, his nature, and his fate that dominates the play’s conclusion. Oedipus’s greatest strengths—his determination to know the truth and to accept what he learns—sets him apart as one of the most pitiable and admired of tragic heroes. “The closing note of the tragedy,” Knox argues, “is a renewed insistence on the heroic nature of Oedipus; the play ends as it began, with the greatness of the hero. But it is a different kind of greatness. It is now based on knowledge, not, as before on ignorance.” The now-blinded Oedipus has been forced to see and experience the impermanence of good fortune, the reality of unimaginable moral shame, and a cosmic order that is either perverse in its calculated cruelty or chaotically random in its designs, in either case defeating any human need for justice and mercy.

The Chorus summarizes the harsh lesson of heroic defeat that the play so majestically dramatizes:

Look and learn all citizens of Thebes. This is Oedipus. He, who read the famous riddle, and we hailed chief of men, All envied his power, glory, and good fortune. Now upon his head the sea of disaster crashes down. Mortality is man’s burden. Keep your eyes fixed on your last day. Call no man happy until he reaches it, and finds rest from suffering.

Few plays have dealt so unflinchingly with existential truths or have as bravely defined human heroism in the capacity to see, suffer, and endure.

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Home — Essay Samples — Literature — Oedipus — The tragedy of Oedipus

The Tragedy of Oedipus

• Categories: Oedipus Oedipus Rex

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Words: 974 |

Published: Dec 18, 2018

Words: 974 | Pages: 2 | 5 min read

Table of contents

Hook examples for "oedipus" essay, "oedipus" essay example.

• An Unavoidable Fate: Step into the world of ancient Greece, where the gods wield power over mortal lives. Join me as we unravel the timeless tragedy of Oedipus and the inexorable grip of fate that leads to his downfall.
• An Intriguing Quote: Sophocles wrote, "Fate has terrible power." Let's delve into how the concept of fate and Oedipus's unwavering quest for truth drive the narrative, ultimately culminating in a tragic revelation.
• The Complexity of Self-Discovery: Explore with me the theme of self-discovery as we follow Oedipus's relentless pursuit of the truth about his identity. Together, we'll dissect the consequences of his actions in the face of an inevitable destiny.
• The Tragic Hero's Journey: Oedipus is the quintessential tragic hero. Join me in analyzing his noble qualities, tragic flaws, and the catastrophic consequences of his choices, all of which contribute to the profound impact of his story.
• A Timeless Tale of Hubris and Irony: Despite its ancient origins, Oedipus's story remains relevant today. Explore with me how themes of hubris, irony, and the human struggle against destiny continue to resonate with modern readers and thinkers.

Works Cited

• Jankowski, T. (2013). Oedipus Rex: a classic example of a tragic hero. Student Pulse, 5(05), 1-3.
• Kinyua, K. (2019). Oedipus Rex as a tragic hero : a critical analysis. Journal of Humanities and Social Science Research, 1(1), 30-36.
• Knox, B. M. (1979). The hero and the chorus in Sophocles' Oedipus at Colonus. Greece & Rome, 26(2), 104-117.
• Laios, K. (2018). Oedipus Rex and the tragic hero. Humanitas, 1(1), 23-38.
• McDonald, M. (2015). Oedipus Rex: a tragic hero revisited. Journal of Hellenic Studies, 135, 39-51.
• Pickard-Cambridge, A. W. (1953). The dramatic festivals of Athens (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press.
• Podlecki, A. J. (1966). The political background of the Oedipus Tyrannus. American Journal of Philology, 87(3), 225-244.
• Segal, C. (1982). Oedipus Tyrannus: tragic heroism and the limits of knowledge. Bulletin of the Institute of Classical Studies, 29(1), 93-105.
• Sophocles. (1954). Oedipus Rex. In R. Fagles (Trans.), The Three Theban Plays (pp. 33-99). Penguin.
• Webster-Merriam. (2022). Hubris. In Webster-Merriam Dictionary. Retrieved from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hubris

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Oedipus Thesis Statements and Essay Topics

Below you will find four outstanding thesis statements / paper topics for “Oedipus” by Sophocles that can be used as essay starters. All four incorporate at least one of the themes found in “Oedipus” and are broad enough so that it will be easy to find textual support, yet narrow enough to provide a focused clear thesis statement. These thesis statements offer a short summary of “Oedipus” in terms of different elements that could be important in an essay. You are, of course, free to add your own analysis and understanding of the plot or themes to them. Using the essay topics below in conjunction with the list of  important quotes from”Oedipus” on our quotes page, you should have no trouble connecting with the text and writing an excellent essay.

Thesis Statement #1: Family as Defined in  Oedipus

To the character of Oedipus, his biological parents are not his real parents. He views his adoptive parents as his true parents. He interprets the prophecies based on his beliefs about his family. When he marries his mother and has children with her, he is both their father and their half-brother. Examine the definition of family as outlined in the mind of Oedipus. Does it make his deeds any more or less distasteful because he does not acknowledge his biological parents as his true parents?

Thesis Statement #2: The Role of the Prophecy

Throughout  Oedipus , several prophecies are brought forth. It could be argued that the reaction of his biological parents lead to the prophecies being fulfilled. Laius orders Jocasta to kill her son. She cannot do it, so she orders a servant to do it for her. The servant then leaves Oedipus to die from exposure rather than killing him outright. These actions contribute to the prophecy about Oedipus’ birth becoming truth. Additionally, each character interprets the prophecies based on his or her own beliefs and thoughts. Discuss the relationships between the prophecies and some characters’ beliefs about them.

Thesis Statement #3: Fate and the Tragic Hero

Many readers express pity for Oedipus at the conclusion of the play, as Oedipus did not mean to commit the crimes and misdeeds that befall him.  Some see Oedipus as a “tragic hero” whose one major flaw brings him ruin and sorrow, making the audience feel pity.  However, Oedipus almost seems to disregard the evidence of his crimes that Tiresias gives him.  Did Oedipus have any free will to avoid the tragedies in “Oedipus” or was he meant to live in exile because of his fate?  Does Oedipus have a major flaw that characterizes him as a “tragic hero”?

Thesis Statement #4: An Analysis of Jocasta

Jocasta is at the center of much that occurs within  Oedipus . When Laius orders her to kill Oedipus, she passes the unpleasant job off to one of her servants and does not make sure that it is done. Later on, she unknowingly marries that same son and bears his children. She is both grandmother and mother to them without realizing it. When Oedipus is seeking out the truth behind the prophecy about killing his father and marrying his mother, Jocasta realizes the truth before he does. She tries to prevent Oedipus from pursuing the knowledge. Analyze the role that Jocasta plays in the events of the story. How often does her influence or decision make a difference in how things happen?

Oedipus and Blindness in “Oedipus Rex” Essay

In the play, Oedipus Rex, blindness and vision are opposing symbols. They are also both two-fold, that is they are sort of like a double-entendre in that they have both tangible and intangible symbols. In fact, it occurs all through the play in one way or another. There are those parts that have to do with the blind prophet, Teiresias, and those which refer to the blind Oedipus after he put out his own eyes. Then there are those places where the blindness is symbolic and not real at all, but really far more serious than the real blindness. In fact, this play seems to be all about the opposing forces of vision and blindness, real and symbolic.

Almost every time sight or blindness is mentioned it carries both meanings. In fact, they often occur in pairs, showing the audience the difference between wisdom or vision and blindness or ignorance. This is the first time in the play where either is mentioned, and sleeping and blind is contrasted with seeking and finding, “In this land, said the god; “who seeks shall find; / Who sits with folded hands or sleeps is blind.” (line 140) The line is made complete at the end of this part, (line 354-5) “Teiresias; he of all men best might guide / A searcher of this matter to the light.” It is just after this, that Oedipus says that he does not understand why the prophet does not attend since he has been sent for twice. Of course, we find out that he does not want to talk to Oedipus, since he knows that the source of the pestilence is the king.

Finally, Tieresius arrives, and Oedipus greets him, “Teiresias, seer who comprehendest all,/Lore of the wise and hidden mysteries,/High things of heaven and low things of the earth,/Thou knowest, though thy blinded eyes see naught” (line 380-83) Oedipus keeps at Tierasius, even accusing him of conspiring with Creon, Oedipus’ friend, until he finally speaks in anger, “since thou hast not spared/To twit me with my blindness–thou hast eyes,/Yet she’s not in what misery thou art fallen,/Nor where thou dwellest nor with whom for a mate.”(544-7) He goes on to say that Oedipus will see what horrible things he has done, and end his days as a blind wanderer. (lines 548-562) Again, this is a kind of blindness for Oedipus, because he does not believe the seer. Before he leaves, once more Tierasius says that Oedipus is blind, even though he sees and prophesies that he will become a blind wanderer. “For blind of seeing, clad in beggar’s weeds,/For purple robes, and leaning on his staff,/To a strange land he soon shall grope his way./And of the children, inmates of his home,/He shall be proved the brother and the sire,/Of her who bare him son and husband both,” (line 603-8).

During the part for the chorus this is mentioned again as they pray to Apollo, “But that a mortal seer knows more than I know–where Hath this been proven? / Or how without sign assured, / can I blame Him who saved our State when the winged songstress came,/Tested and tried in the light of us all like gold assayed? (line 661-6)They ask how they can know the truth when all they have seen is that Oedipus saved their country from the Sphinx. When Creon enters he asks, “Were not his wits and vision all astray/ When upon me he fixed this monstrous charge?” The chorus answers, “I know not; / to my sovereign’s acts I am blind” (691-3). They are talking here simply of spiritual or intellectual blindness, and claim innocence, saying they saw nothing. Creon argues his case and on lines 811-13 he points out that Oedipus is making rash charges without proof, another kind of emotional blindness. “But O condemn me not, without appeal,/ On bare suspicion. ‘Tis not right to adjudge/ Bad men at random good, or good men bad.”

Jocasta comes out to see them quarreling, and says they should not do this in front of the whole city, telling her brother to go home and her husband to go inside. After Creon leaves, still angry for being accused of conspiracy with the seer, Tierasius, and Jocasta stays to reassure Oedipus, the audience begins to “see” that this mystery is about to be resolved and that Oedipus is guilty. Jocasta also begins to fear the truth she suspects, that Oedipus might be her son. Oedipus questions her, “’Tis a dread presentiment/ That in the end, the seer will prove not blind./One further question to resolve my doubt.” (line 1040-2). They exit and once more the chorus pray for vision or wisdom, asking for vision from Zeus (line 1225-7).

In the following 300 lines, a visitor arrives to tell Oedipus of the death of his father, Polybus, hoping he will return home to rule. But Oedipus is still afraid because his mother lives and the oracle had foretold also that he would wed his mother and have children by her. So the visitor reveals that Polybus adopted him as a foundling and that it was he, himself who gave the child with his feet riveted together. He says the child was given to him by a shepherd he assumed was from Laius’s house. At this Jocasta becomes almost overcome with fear, because she knows what Laius did with the child. Oedipus says he must know and sends for the shepherd.

When the shepherd arrives, he is questioned and finally reveals that he took the child from Jocasta, and it was believed that it was her son from Laius. He was supposed to leave the baby exposed, but he pitied the child and figured he could give it to the shepherd from a distant land instead. He did not know the curse which was laid upon the child, so his act was one of simple kindness and pity for an unwanted child. When Oedipus realizes that he is, indeed, that child, then he suddenly “sees” the truth. “Ah me! ah me! all brought to pass, all true!/ O light, may I behold thee nevermore!/ I stand a wretch, in birth, in wedlock cursed,/ A parricide, incestuously, triply cursed!” ( line 1675-8).

Another messenger arrives to tell of the death of Jocasta and describe how the king found her and used her dressing pins to put out his own eyes. The messenger repeats what Oedipus said as he describes the horrible sight. “No more shall ye behold such sights of woe,/Deeds I have suffered and myself have wrought;/Henceforward quenched in darkness shall ye see/Those ye should ne’er have seen; now blind to those /Whom, when I saw, I vainly yearned to know” (line 1784-8). So now we clearly understand that Oedipus finally sees with wisdom that he was wrong and he has blinded himself so he will never see what he has done and what has been done to him. The sight here is both real and figurative.

When finally the audience again sees Oedipus, he is blind and says that he did it by his own hand and he has come to his prophesied end. “An end to dread to tell, too dark to see.” The chorus questions him about why he has done such a thing and Oedipus tells them,” Ah friend, still loyal, constant still and kind,/Thou carest for the blind./I know thee near, and though bereft of eyes, Thy voice I recognize.” The chorus replies, “O doer of dread deeds, how couldst thou mar/Thy vision thus? What demon goaded thee?” Then Oedipus replies, ”Apollo, friend, Apollo, he was/ That brought these ills to pass; But the right hand that dealt the blow /Was mine, none other. How/

How, could I longer see when sight/ Brought no delight?” He is still blaming the god, though he says he blinded himself, he blames the god for ordaining the cause. He still sees no fault in his arrogance and pride.

In lines 1893-1920, the chorus asks if Oedipus would not have been better off dead than living blind and we get all kinds of symbolic uses of sight and blindness as Oedipus replies that he could not bear to look upon his father or mother in the shade, and cannot bear to look upon the beauty of Thebes nor the faces of those whom he has so damaged by his presence and his sins, killing his father and marrying his mother, begetting children he cannot look in the face because they are cursed through him. He is condemned by his own words to death or banishment.

At the end of this play, Creon returns and brings with him the two daughters, Antigone and Ismene, who are led in to see their father before he goes into exile. He apologizes to them for what he has done, “Hands of a man who blindly, recklessly,/Became your sire by her from whom he sprang. He has begged Creon to care for them” (2033-4). He touches them and laments their fate, knowing that no man will want to marry them, because of their lineage. He says his sons can make their own way as men but begs Creon to care for his daughters since they are destined to be without a parent or spouse to provide for them. It is probable that orphan women who cannot marry become either slaves or prostitutes, and Oedipus cannot bear the thought of his daughters living like this.

Creon urges him to go inside, but Oedipus says he must be taken away to a desert and be banished from Thebes. Creon says it is for the god to declare this and sends Oedipus inside, declaring that this willfulness is what got him into such a horrible fix, that he needs to understand that this need to be master is what brought his downfall. Then Creon makes a final speech to all Thebans to pity their former king, “Who of all our townsmen gazed not on his fame with envious eyes?/ Now, in what a sea of troubles sunk and overwhelmed he lies!”(2096-7).

So we see the play has come full circle and the blind seers prophesy has come to pass, along with the predictions of both oracles. Oedipus was blinded by his pride and led into the actions which brought his sins upon him. He was too prideful to ask the oracle to explain the prediction. Then he was too prideful to let Laius pass. He killed his father, not knowing who he was, and being blinded once more by pride. He accused the seer and Creon falsely because he had not the wisdom to know that the oracle spoke the truth. He was so full of himself after solving the riddle of the sphinx that he failed to consider that if he married at all, it was possible to fulfill the oracle’s dire predictions. He just did not “see” the possibilities. He probably could not understand why the god would punish him so. Finally, he understood the horror, and then blinded himself, fulfilling the prophecy of Tierasius. However, even at the end of the play, he has to be reminded by Creon that his pride is blinding, and has brought all these things to pass.

Sophocles, 2008, Oedipus Rex , f. Storr translator, The Internet Classics Archive. Web.

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IvyPanda. (2021, October 11). Oedipus and Blindness in "Oedipus Rex". https://ivypanda.com/essays/oedipus-and-blindness-in-oedipus-rex/

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Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Oedipus and Blindness in "Oedipus Rex"." October 11, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/oedipus-and-blindness-in-oedipus-rex/.

• The Main Idea of “Oedipus Rex” by Sophocles
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• ‘Trifles’ by Susan Glaspell Review

Oedipus Rex or Oedipus the King

By sophocles, oedipus rex or oedipus the king essay questions.

Oedipus remains in the dark. Do you agree?

This question asks you to consider the importance of dark and light, and therefore perhaps also sight, in the play. Think metaphorically (i.e. 'in the dark' - unknowing) but also literally (Oedipus' blinding at the end of the play).

Oedipus is old before his time. Do you agree?

This question asks you to consider question of youth and age in Oedipus - though the action of the play happens in a single day, how might Oedipus be considered old? You might also want to think about fathers and children and the impact generation has on age.

This play happens backward. Do you agree?

This question asks you to consider the structure of the play. Look at the section on 'Myth' and consider the way Sophocles alters the story to turn it into a drama. What does Oedipus know at the start of the play? What does he know at the end? What events actually occur during the play - or have all the events happened before it begins?

How might a consideration of the conditions of Greek theatrical performance impact upon our understanding of Oedipus Rex?

This question asks you to consider the importance of the Greek theatrical conventions (particularly masks) that would have originally been employed when Oedipus was performed. Think practically - there were no electric lights, no recorded music, and perhaps even no props. How might this change your interpretation of the play? (See 'About Greek Theater' for more information).

Is Oedipus Rex a private or a public play?

This question asks you to consider the relationship between public and private (or between oikos/polis) in the play. What is the outcome for Thebes? What is the outcome for Oedipus? Is Oedipus to be considered as a father/son/brother or simply as the king of Thebes?

Might Oedipus be more than one man?

This question asks you to consider the play's central inconsistency as potentially one of its themes. The Thebans have heard that Laius was killed by more than one man; in fact, Oedipus alone committed the murder. Think of Oedipus' various roles in the play - king/brother/father/son - and consider whether the conflict of the play might be a conflict between the one and the many.

Do you agree that Oedipus' tragedy happens because of a 'tragic flaw'?

This question asks you to consider that Oedipus' tragedy happens because of a tragic flaw - an opinion that many critics would strongly disagree with. Why do the events of the play happen? Whose fault is it - if anyone's? See Oedipus and Aristotle for more information about the idea of tragic flaws.

"The old seer had eyes" (Oedipus the King, 748). Discuss ideas of sight and blindness in the play.

As well as thinking literally about blindness in Oedipus (Teiresias, in particular) consider the relationship between knowledge and sight. Does Oedipus have any insight into things - can he, perhaps, see better without his eyes?

"I stumbled when I saw" (Gloucester, in Shakespeare's King Lear ). Compare Oedipus Rex to any other play of your choice.

This question invites you to compare Oedipus to any other play. You might want to think about themes, about characters, or what you consider to be the ultimate lesson of the play - just remember to keep comparing: write about both plays at once, not one and then the other. See Useful Comparison Points for some good ideas.

How does Oedipus come to embody the riddle of the Sphinx?

This question requires you to make a connection between the Sphinx riddle's answer - 'man' - and Oedipus' fate. Oedipus, as a consequence of seeking the answer to his kingdom's plague, manages to go through the three stages of the Sphinx's riddle. He is the baby with pierced ankles, crawling on four feet to escape a messenger who would kill him. Then he is the proud adult, king of Thebes, walking on two feet. And finally he is the old, blinded man, walking with a cane, cast out of his own kingdom.

Oedipus Rex or Oedipus the King Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for Oedipus Rex or Oedipus the King is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

What does Oedipus seem to believe about his ability to control his own destiny?

It is important to remember that, even at this first stage of the play, Oedipus’ pride does not bring about any of the events that cause the plague. The murder of Laius, after all, happened many years ago, and he already has four children fathered...

Character analysis please?

Oedipus is the king of Thebes, married to Jocasta. He is unaware, at the start of the play, that he has murdered his father and slept with his mother. Soon he learns that it was he that put his kingdom at such terrible risk, and blinds himself...

• Oedipus the King

Jocasta is both Oedipus' wife and mother, though, she is unaware that she has married her son. When she learns that her son was not killed, and was in fact her husband, Jocasta takes her own life.

Study Guide for Oedipus Rex or Oedipus the King

Oedipus Rex (Oedipus the King) study guide contains a biography of Sophocles, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About Oedipus Rex or Oedipus the King
• Oedipus Rex or Oedipus the King Summary
• Character List

Essays for Oedipus Rex or Oedipus the King

Oedipus Rex (Oedipus the King) essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Oedipus Rex (Oedipus the King) by Sophocles.

• Hubris in Antigone and Oedipus
• Hubris in Greek Mythology
• Anagnoresis
• Poetics and the Great Greek Tragedy: Oedipus Rex
• The Vision of Blindness: Sight Versus Insight in Sophocles' Oedipus the King

Lesson Plan for Oedipus Rex or Oedipus the King

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• Relationship to Other Books
• Bringing in Technology
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E-Text of Oedipus Rex or Oedipus the King

Oedipus Rex (Oedipus the King) e-text contains the full text of Oedipus Rex (Oedipus the King) by Sophocles.

Wikipedia Entries for Oedipus Rex or Oedipus the King

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The ending of Sophocles’ Oedipus rex

• Patrick J. Finglass

This article defends the authenticity of lines 1424–1523 of Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex in the face of a recent attack, and establishes that doubts about this section were first raised at the beginning of the eighteenth century.

© by Akademie Verlag, Berlin, Germany

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Oedipus the king fate vs. free will help on thesis statement

lovedance888 1 / 7   Mar 23, 2012   #1 Im trying to think of a thesis satementent for the oedipus the king topic free will vs. fate. the thesis statement should include: 1) 3 points (ABC) examples 2) good vocab usage 3) be 1 sentence thanks!

chalumeau /   Mar 23, 2012   #2 Why don't you try to come up with something, and I'll tell you if it's a thesis. I don't want to write your thesis.

OP lovedance888 1 / 7   Mar 23, 2012   #3 Both the concept of fate and free will played an intregal part in Oedipus' destruction. I need 3 points to support it though

chalumeau /   Mar 23, 2012   #4 It's been years since I read Oedipus but I'll try to show you an example. Decisions based on fear, haste, and superstition contribute to fate overcoming free will in Oedipus Rex. Not the best example of a thesis, but it's a start. See how I use three general points to say that something else occurs. X + Y + Z ------> A > B

chalumeau /   Mar 23, 2012   #5 It's a good essay. Here's the thesis: "His pride, ignorance, insolence and disbelief in the gods, and unrelenting quest for the truth ultimately contribute to his destuction." I would narrow it down to the pride, the disbelief and the quest. Everyone is ignorant of something at sometime. He's a king how can he be insolent? How are these related? Disbelief in the gods-----> disbelief in fate? Quest for truth-----> Free will? You have to become a philosopher in order to write about these old plays. :) I live in modern times and don't believe in fate or superstitions, so it's hard to convey these archaic systems in modern terms.

OP lovedance888 1 / 7   Mar 25, 2012   #6 how should i fix my essay?

chalumeau /   Mar 25, 2012   #7 Start with the thesis as I described above. Disbelief in the gods-----> disbelief in fate? Quest for truth-----> Free will? Do you see the connections that were on the tip of your tongue? "Oedipus' unyielding desire to uncover the truth about Laius' murder and the mystery surrounding his own birth, led him to the tragic realization of his horrific deeds." Good sentence Find two or three quotes that support 1) pride 2) disbelief in the gods 3) quest for truth. The quotes you found are good ones, but they don't necessarily support your thesis. Also try to use the PRESENT TENSE. Almost all teachers want you to use the present tense in an analysis essay. I would love to read another draft.

OP lovedance888 1 / 7   Mar 29, 2012   #8 ok thank you, but I am still struggling on finding 3 points and quotes to use in my essay. Could you please edit the essay I wrote? Thanks :)

OP lovedance888 1 / 7   Mar 29, 2012   #10 ok, how would you rewrite the things you edited in my paper?

chalumeau /   Mar 29, 2012   #11 Find two or three quotes that support 1) pride 2) disbelief in the gods 3) quest for truth. The quotes you found are good ones, but they don't necessarily support your thesis. Also try to use the PRESENT TENSE. Almost all teachers want you to use the present tense in an analysis essay. Does the pride counterbalance the disbelief in the gods? Does pride support the quest for truth or is there some other reason? I'm not writing the essay for you. (I already wrote one my senior year of high school and did receive an A on it.) What works best in Oedipus is finding simple relationships and describing them. I think that you had a good start, but if you are unwilling to do anything else--your fate will be not much better than I predicted. Most teachers these days don't even write comments. I remember getting a few words at the ends of my essays. You are fortunate that you found someone willing to work with you. For free! I'm an unemployed A student! And, you still aren't using this opportunity?

OP lovedance888 1 / 7   Mar 29, 2012   #12 alright.. and fyi- im not asking you to write the essay for me... and i appreciate you helping me,,your just not clear for me to understand...Just please use nicer words, what you said was alittle mean and insulting... thanks for the help

chalumeau /   Mar 29, 2012   #13 "ok, how would you rewrite the things you edited in my paper?" Yes, you were asking me to rewrite the paper. It's the one rule of the edit. If I choose to help you construct sentences, then it's a gift. It's something you can't expect or ask me to do. Would you say, "Dad, give me $50 I want to buy something?" No. But, if your Mom or Dad said, "Here's $50 for your birthday," then you take it and thank them. It's the same rule. How am I being unclear? Maybe if you ask some additional questions, I'll figure out where you're stuck.

OP lovedance888 1 / 7   Mar 31, 2012   #14 Yes, but I phrased what I ment to say wrong. And clearly, you are bragging about being an "A" student after graduating, i am also an "A" student. i didnt know you were this mean and rude...

chalumeau /   Mar 31, 2012   #15 Dear Saran, You are taking what I'm saying the wrong way. I was hoping that you would take my advice after learning that I received mostly A's my senior year and in college. I was not the A+ writer (although I admit I did receive a couple A+'s on college papers). I'm not your teacher. I'm not bragging. You don't know me from any other stranger. Right? I don't know you. I just thought you should take me up on my offer to help you with your paper. It's friendly advice on my part. "i didnt know you were this mean and rude..." This sort of comment you make to someone you know? I can't believe anyone on this website would have hard feelings. It's free advice!! I'm not judging you as a person. I don't know you, nor will I ever know you. I pointed out the weaknesses in your introduction. I would have continued with the remainder of the essay, but you are stalling at every point. I received a C on an essay my junior year in high school. It was a bump up from the D my classmates gave me! Ouch. That really hurt. (It was a girl from my old church too.) I'm glad that I received the low grade, because it taught me something important that I didn't know before. (NOT humility.) It was that my parents were wrong sometimes. I asked them for a little help with the paper, and it was the wrong advice!! Before this time, every single question I ever asked them they answered correctly. Every single question, so I obeyed them unconditionally. At that time, I realized that everyone made mistakes including my parents. After that, I didn't feel as badly receiving a bad grade. What sort of comments does your teacher use? If you were paying for advice, what would you expect me to say?

pinkflutter - / 2   May 2, 2012   #16 Analysis on Oedipus the King quotations Hi, My english told me to dig deeper (have depth in my analysis) of the following quotes. I don't know how to have depth in my analysis. The analysis should be 4-5 sentences, and have a deep and meaningfull meaning Here are the quotes: 1.Oedipus says, "What can I ever see? What love, what call of the heart/ can touch my ears with joy? Nothing, friends." 2.Oedipus says, "Listen to you? No More. I must know it all, / I must see the truth at last" 3.Oedipus says, "Now my curse on the murderer, Whoever he is, / alone man unknown in his crime or one among many, let that man drag out his life in agony, step by painful step" 4.Jocasta said, "Stop- in the name of god, / if you love your life, call off this search! / My suffering is enough." Thank You!!

alan alvarado - / 1   Mar 17, 2013   #17 Oedipus the king uses symbolism to show fate unfolds truth;Advice on thesis statement Hi I needed help with with my thesis statement for oedipus the king in making sure that my literary element and theme go together. Thesis: In Oedipus the king, Sophocles uses symbolism to show that fate unfolds truth. Im confused on how to find words to put a good thesis together. help please. Thanks!