Oedipus

Overview

Folk Tale

• A tale or legend originating and traditional among a people or folk, especially one forming part of the oral tradition of the common people. • Any belief or story passed on traditionally, esp. one considered to be false or based on superstition.

The Folk Tale

• Laius and Jocasta were king and queen of Thebes, Greece. • An oracle prophesied that their son would grow up and kill his father and marry his mother. • To thwart the prophecy, Laius and Jocasta decided to kill their baby. • In those days, it was usual to leave an unwanted or defective baby in the wilderness

Folk Tale Continues

• • • • • • • • Shepherd found the baby. He gave the baby to a friend, who took it to Corinth.

The king and queen of Corinth couldn't have a baby of their own. So they adopted the foundling. Named him Oedipus (“swollen foot”) Nobody ever told little Oedipus the history of his birth. A drunk mentioned his being adopted. Oedipus questioned his parents, but they denied it. Oedipus visited various oracles to find out whether he was really adopted. All the oracles told him instead that he would kill his father and marry his mother. To thwart the oracles, Oedipus left Corinth permanently. Travelling the roads, Oedipus got into a traffic squabble and killed a stranger who (unknown to him) was King Laius. In one version, there was a dispute over right-of-way on a bridge. In those days, high rank got to go first, Oedipus identified himself as heir to the throne of Corinth, and for some reason, Laius's people simply attacked instead of explaining that he was king of Thebes. Some versions say that the rude Laius drove over Oedipus's sore foot, making him lose his temper.

Continuation and End

• Oedipus's intelligence saved the town of Thebes, and he was made king. (In a folk-tale within a folk-tale, Oedipus solved the Riddle of the Sphinx. "What animal has four legs in the morning, two legs at noon, and three legs in the evening?" The answer is "a human being -- babies crawl, adult walks on two legs, and the aged use walking sticks.") • Oedipus married Laius's widow, Queen Jocasta. He ruled well, and they had four children. • Oedipus and Jocasta found out what had really happened. Jocasta committed suicide, and Oedipus blinded himself and became a wandering beggar. • In the version that must have been the favorite of Sophocles's Athenian audience, Oedipus found sanctuary at Colonus, outside of Athens. The kindness he was shown at the end made the city itself blessed.

Moral of the Folk Tale

• Even if you try to thwart your destiny, you won't succeed! • Being a victim of gurus (oracle), society, and circumstances does not relieve one of the responsibility of thinking for oneself. It does make for a tragic hero, however. • Let life take its course. Your fate is already written and sealed. If you know all there is to know about your life, then why bother living? You'll spend the rest of your life worrying about what's to come. Embrace life and its surprises.

Predestination

• Ancient Europeans (Greeks, Vikings, others) were already talking about "predestination". If something were going to happen, it would happen, and there was nothing he/she could do about it. • People want to believe in the supernatural, and people like to tell each other about the rare occasions when something happens that a psychic said would happen. So money-making "psychics" make lots of predictions and keep them vague. • People have such a strong desire to believe in the power of supernatural prediction that they even invent stories of psychic predictions being fulfilled. Examples continue today of predictions of Nostradamos.

Predestination

•

Believing in predestination frees people from worry.

• Talking about unalterable destiny is extremely popular among soldiers going into battle -- a powerful antidote to obsessive fear that would slow or distract a warrior. Soldiers tell each other, "If the bullet has your name on it, you will die." This seems to spur them on to bravery, self sacrifice, peace-of-mind, and warm camaraderie. • Talk about "fate", "predestination", and so forth has found its way into warriors' tales across many cultures. • We also see this in peacetime, whenever people face frightful conflict.

Predestination

• Some Hindus and Buddhists have taught that a person's behavior in a past life predestines happiness or misery in the current one, by the laws of karma. • Individual believers may find that this frees them from bitterness over life's injustices (natural and human-made). • Belief in karma has awakened social conscience and kindness to strangers in those who believe that "what goes around comes around."

Secular Belief in Predestination

• The theme of predestination continues in secular literature. • Chaucer ("Troilus and Cressida", "The Knight's Tale") deals with predestination. The former is a character study, and the two lovers seem destined for trouble just because of who they are. • A popular fifties song proclaimed, "Che sera sera -- what will be will be."

Creon’s Defense

• • • • The Chorus sings about the oracle at Delphi, which was supposedly the center of the world. "Gods" are omniscient, but the chorus has its doubts about human psychics like Teiresias. Creon comes in, incensed that Oedipus would accuse him of trying to smear him.

The Chorus says Oedipus is simply angry. Creon says he must be nuts. The Chorus says that to the king's faults and misbehavior, they are blind. ("See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil" -- the norm in a non-democracy.) Oedipus comes in and accuses Creon directly of planning a coup, using a smear by a crooked psychic as an excuse. He defends himself from the accusation of planning a coup. (1) Being king is too much trouble. (2) Creon has other worthwhile things to do. (3) Creon has everything he needs. (4) Creon has political influence anyway. (5) Creon is well-liked and isn't going to do an obvious wrong. "You build a good reputation over a lifetime. A single bad action ruins it." Irony. Oedipus isn't satisfied. He says he wants Creon executed for treason. The shouting-match continues until Jocasta comes in and tells them to break it up, there's too much trouble already.

What is Sophocles Saying?

• • • • • • • • • • • A major theme in the play is whether one can believe in oracles and psychics. "The gods" made the prophecies that led Oedipus into disaster. The sphinx appeared (she must have been sent by the gods), and Oedipus solved her riddle (the chorus says he must have been guided by the gods.) Teiresias could not solve the riddle, or detect the killer -- thanks to "the gods". At the beginning, Apollo's oracle simply says, "Find the killer" -- leading to the cruel ironies of the play. Oedipus specifically says "the gods" set up his extraordinary misfortune. And at the end, Apollo merely gives Oedipus the strength to carve his own eyes out of their sockets. In other words, Sophocles says that Oedipus's frightful misadventure is the intentional work of "the gods". At the end, everybody says this. Pure and simple. Nobody even asks why. The Golden Age of Athens was a time for thinkers, scientists, inventors, and for people to share ideas freely. Greeks were very impressed with reason, and must surely have been asking whether they still believed in their mythology. "Social conservatives" prosecuted Socrates for expressing doubts about "the gods", but only because they thought this would corrupt the minds of young people. People have often noted that comedy and melodrama have arisen independently in many cultures, but that tragedy has its unique beginnings in Athens's golden age - the first time that we hear people asking the tough questions about what they really believed.

Sophocles is saying, "Maybe the gods do exist... and are consciously and elaborately MALICIOUS. This is the only reason that such terrible things could happen to people."

Tragedy

• • • • • • •

A perfect tragedy should, as we have seen, be arranged not on the simple but on the complex plan. It should, moreover, imitate actions which excite pity and fear, this being the distinctive mark of tragic imitation.

It follows plainly, in the first place, that the change of fortune presented must not be the spectacle of a virtuous man brought from prosperity to adversity: for this moves neither pity nor fear; it merely shocks us.

Nor, again, that of a bad man passing from adversity to prosperity: for nothing can be more alien to the spirit of Tragedy; it possesses no single tragic quality; it neither satisfies the moral sense nor calls forth pity or fear. Nor, again, should the downfall of the utter villain be exhibited. A plot of this kind would, doubtless, satisfy the moral sense, but it would inspire neither pity nor fear; for

pity is aroused by unmerited misfortune, fear by the misfortune of a man like

ourselves. Such an event, therefore, will be neither pitiful nor terrible. There remains, then, the character between these two extremes- that of a man who is not eminently good and just, yet whose misfortune is brought about not by vice or depravity, but by some error or frailty. He must be one who is highly renowned and prosperous -- a personage like Oedipus.

Hubris

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Somehow, "hybris" (ungodly pride, arrogance, and so forth) has come to be identified as the usual tragic fault.

("Hubris" is the same word; the Greek letter "upsilon" looks like our "Y" and is its origin, but the sound was more like the "uhh" that I make when I have no idea what to say.) • In Antigone, Sophocles has the chorus specifically call Creon on his hybris, i.e., his impious decree "intended to promote national security".

Truth

• Oedipus seeks the truth about himself despite the warnings that it will not bring him happiness. Today, most people admire those who bravely seek the truth about nature, and about themselves. • Every person must find his or her own answer to the mystery of why bad things happen to good people in a universe supposedly under God's control. • Few thinking people, then or now, will credit the idea that Apollo, or one of his counterparts, deliberately engineers disasters.

But Sophocles's theme rings partially true to those who approach the universe as a mystery where perhaps there is more than there appears to be.

Hamartia

• In Greek tragedy consequences. , the concept of to the actions of the hero.

hamartia

error in judgment or unwitting mistake is applied • For example, the hero might attempt to achieve a certain objective X; by making an error in judgment, however, the hero instead achieves the opposite of X, with disastrous as an • Oedipus tries to avoid killing his father and marrying his mother, but by his actions instead causes those very things to happen.

Metaphor Analysis • • • •

Throughout Oedipus the King, Sophocles employs one continuous metaphor: light vs. darkness sight vs. blindness.

A reference to this metaphor occurs early in the play, when Oedipus falsely accuses Tiresias and Creon of conspiracy:

–

Creon, the soul of trust, my loyal friend from the start steals against me... so hungry to overthrow me he sets this wizard on me, this scheming quack, this fortune-teller peddling lies, eyes peeled for his own profit-seer blind in his craft!

–

Tiresias responds by using the same metaphor: So, you mock my blindness? Let me tell you this. You with your precious eyes, you're blind to the corruption of your life, to the house you live in, those you live with-who are your parents? Do you know? All unknowing you are the scourge of your own flesh and blood, the dead below the earth and the living here above, and the double lash of your mother and your father's curse will whip you from this land one day, their footfall treading you down in terror, darkness shrouding your eyes that now can see the light!

Metaphor Continues

– Though at this point the reader cannot be sure which character is right, eventually Tiresias comes out the winner.

– This is revealed as Oedipus learns his tragic fate, saying, O god-all come true, all burst to light! O light-now let me look my last on you! I stand revealed at last-cursed in my birth, cursed in marriage, cursed in the lives I cut down with these hands! – Here again, the metaphor of light, which represents truth and knowledge, is present.

– Ironically, this causes the king to gouge out his eyes, which have been blind to the truth for so long. He screams, You, you'll see no more the pain I suffered, all the pain I caused! Too long you looked on the ones you never should have seen, blind to the ones you longed to see, to know! Blind from this hour on! Blind in the darkness-blind! – Oedipus furthers Sophocles' sight metaphor when he defends his decision to humble himself through blindness: "What good were eyes to me? Nothing I could see could bring me joy.“ – The idea of sight is critical in

Oedipus the King

.

– Though Tiresias is physically blind, he sees the truth from the beginning, while Oedipus, who has physical eyesight, is blind to his fate.

– By the end, Oedipus makes his eyes blind when he learns the truth and finally sees.

• • • • • • • • •

Theme Analysis

Ancient Greeks cared deeply about the pursuit of knowledge.

The truth was often a terrifying concept, they still saw it as a critical virtue.

As Oedipus grows in terrifying self-knowledge, he changes from a prideful, heroic king at the beginning of the play, to a tyrant in denial toward the middle, to a fearful, condemned man, humbled by his tragic fate by the end.

At first, Oedipus appears to be a confident, valiant hero. This is especially true during the situation alluded to at the beginning of the drama, when he solves the Sphinx's riddle.

Although Oedipus is not a native Theban, he still chooses to answer the riddle of the Sphinx despite her threat of death to anyone who fails to answer correctly.

Only a man like Oedipus, a man possessing tremendous self-confidence, could have such courage.

When Oedipus succeeds, freeing the city from the Sphinx's evil reign, he becomes instantly famous and known for his bravery and intelligence.

Here, Oedipus' bold actions seem to be a blessing, a special gift from the gods used to benefit the city as a whole.

Indeed Oedipus is idealized by the Thebans, yet at times he seems to spite the gods, assuming authority that normally belongs to them. For example, he pompously tells the Chorus, which implores the gods for deliverance from the city plague, "You pray to the gods? Let me grant your prayers" Yet the people accept, even long for, this language from their king. Since the gods don't seem to give them aid, they place their hopes in Oedipus, this noble hero who has saved Thebes in the past and pledges to save it again.

Theme

• Soon, however, Oedipus' character changes to a man in denial-a man more like a tyrant than a king-as he begins to solve the new riddle of Laius' death.

• A growing paranoia grips Oedipus when Jocasta recounts the story of her husband's murder, leading the king to suspect his own past actions.

• Yet Oedipus is not quick to blame himself for the plague of the city indeed he tries to place the burden onto others as he continues his investigation, blindly trusting his own superior ability while ignoring the damaging evidence that surrounds him.

• For example, when Tiresias accuses Oedipus of being the murderer, the king takes the counter-offensive, actually accusing Tiresias of the murder when he asserts, "You helped hatch the plot, you did the work, yes, short of killing him with your own hands . . ." • Similarly, he blames Creon for conspiracy and treason, charging, "I see it all, the marauding thief himself scheming to steal my crown and power!" In this way, Oedipus chooses to attack the messenger while disregarding the message. Besides spiting the prophet, Oedipus also fuels the wrath of the gods, who vest their divine wisdom in Tiresias.

Theme

• The Chorus underscores the vengeance of the gods when it warns, "But if any man comes striding, high and mighty, in all he says and does, no fear of justice, no reverence for the temples of the gods-let a rough doom tear him down, repay his pride, breakneck, ruinous pride!" • Sophocles portrays Oedipus as a tyrant of sorts; indeed the peoples' greatest blessing has become their worst curse. • Oedipus becomes a man humbled with the pain and dejection of knowing the truth of reality as the overwhelming evidence forces him to admit his tragic destiny.

• Sophocles shows the sudden change in his protagonist's persona when Oedipus condemns himself, saying, "I stand revealed at last cursed in my birth, cursed in marriage, cursed in the lives I cut down with these hands!" • Yet the transformation of Oedipus' character is most clearly demonstrated when he chooses to gouge out his eyes.

• Now, finally seeing his horrible fate, he makes himself physically blind like Tiresias, the true seer told he was blind to the truth.

• Oedipus furthers Sophocles' sight metaphor when he defends his decision to humble himself through blindness: "What good were eyes to me? Nothing I could see could bring me joy“.

• • • • • • • • Theme Consequently, Oedipus can no longer be called a tyrant, let alone a king, after being humiliated in this way, unable to see or even walk without assistance.

His attitude toward Creon also seems dramatically altered when the new king approaches Oedipus, who implores the audience: "Oh no, what can I say to him? How can I ever hope to win his trust? I wronged him so, just now, in every way. You must see that-I was so wrong, so wrong" In this way, Oedipus, who greatly humbles himself before Creon and the rest of Thebes, completely changes his demeanor for the third time in the play.

This character transformation coincides with several other key themes of the work.

First, as the play progresses, Oedipus gradually leaves his ignorant bliss, eventually learning his awful fate. Here, Sophocles raises the question, is the painful knowledge of truth more important than the happiness of naivete? Is ignorance bliss?

Sophocles is not simply referring to the fictional character of Oedipus;

Oedipus the King

was intended to reflect the nature of the Athenian rulers of the time. Like Oedipus, these rulers were bold and daring, known for their intelligence and heroism. But they were also known for their arrogance and their "risk it all" attitudes.

On one hand, they saw themselves as protectors of the city, while at the same time they were unable to defend themselves as individuals. Similarly, fifth century Athenians struggled over many religious issues. As humanism grew in Athens, many citizens, particularly those in leadership positions, saw themselves as increasingly independent of the gods.

They questioned whether their lives were results of fate or free will.

Theme

• Though Jocasta initially believes that fate-namely, oracles and prophecies-means nothing, she later changes her tune when she realizes that her divine prophecy has come true. • Oedipus, the epitome of human intellect, also challenges the gods; yet by the play's conclusion it is clear that the gods have won out.

• Sophocles asserts that the gods are more powerful than man, that there's a limit to human ability and reason.

• Lastly,

Oedipus the King

serves to explain the causes of human suffering.

• Though Oedipus' fate is determined, the reader still feels sympathy for the tragic hero, believing that somehow he doesn't deserve what ultimately comes to him. Here, Sophocles attributes, at least partially, human suffering to the mere will of the gods.