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Oedipus' Pride and His Downfall - Online Term Papers

Oedipus' Pride and His Downfall

Oedipus's "justifiable" pride is based on his position of power, and at the onset of Oedipus Rex, Sophocles paints the protagonist as a just, if not arrogant ruler. He calls his subjects "children," and calls himself a "world-renowned king," which he undoubtedly was. However, the king later asserts his genuine concern for his people: "My zeal in your behalf ye cannot doubt; / Ruthless indeed were I and obdurate / If such petitioners as you I spurned." Therefore, Oedipus emerges early in the play as a sympathetic character who is not entirely corrupted by his status. However, because of his lofty position and the dire circumstances in which the play opens, the king seems exquisitely poised ...

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fail," Oedipus does not speak out of selfish pride but from his strength as a leader.
However, the king's character unravels rapidly. The first time Oedipus exhibits the tendency to grow dangerously arrogant is in his paternalistic reaction to the chorus and his response to their prayers. The King assuages them by frankly asserting his near-divine authority: "Thus as their champion I maintain the cause / Both of the god and of the murdered King." Oedipus views himself as being fully capable of attending to the physical and emotional needs of the people before carefully assessing the situation. Moreover, he compares himself to the gods in this passage. Although driven by a genuine need to be a strong, fearless leader who can lead by courage and example, Oedipus appears obviously capable of hubris. At this point in the play, though, Oedipus balances his sense of pride with a willingness to take the fall if need be: "if with my privity / He gain admittance to my hearth, I pray / The ...

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Oedipus' Pride and His Downfall. (2016, March 24). Retrieved January 13, 2026, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Oedipus-Pride-and-His-Downfall/105500

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PAPER DETAILS

Added: 3/24/2016 04:02:21 AM
Category: Film & Theater
Type: Premium Paper
Words: 981
Pages: 4

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