What took my attention about this play is the question of why the foot are like a symbol in this story. I do not know if piercing someone foot together will apply in history as a method to distinguish the unwanted or a symbol for being cursed? Oedipus was found with this characteristic. The messenger who was send to give the news of Oedipus’s dead father tells him how he found him when he was a baby: “ I freed you when your feet were pierced at the ankles” ( Sophocles 47). Jesus also had his ankles pierced in his crucifixion and he died for our sins. Is this a version of Jesus in Greeks time? Oedipus marries his mother and Jesus born from a woman who was miraculously blessed with a baby. The Greeks use to tell stories and myths about gods, significant events at wars... etc using this as an example of good and bad, the punishments and rewards that these actions bring.

The Character of Oedipus

In every Greek tragedy the main character must have a hamartia that will lead to their downfall. In “Oedipus Rex” Oedipus depicts many good qualities that make him a competent king, however, it is these same qualities that caused his terrible fate.

            The character of Oedipus can be described as being confident. In the line “So I have come here myself. Who am called Oedipus, and known to all”. (Sophocles 7-8). This line implies that Oedipus is well aware of his potency. He considers himself a strong leader and those around him are just as aware of this as he is. He had made history by saving his city and defeating the Sphinx so he believes he can use his intellect to unravel the mystery of the city of Thebes.

            The character of Oedipus can also be described as selfless. He cares very deeply for his people. In line 98 through 99, when asked if he would like to speak in private with Creon, Oedipus replies  “Speak to everyone, for I consider their pain more important even than that of my own soul”. He shows a lot of chivalry. He wants to help his people and their safety and tranquility yields more importance than his own. He is willing to discuss private concerns with all of his people because he deems them worthy of knowing.

            During the dialect with Creon, in lines 100-135 Oedipus shows to be inquisitive. He is asking many questions and attempting to decipher the underlying cause of the suffering in Thebes. “What? For one thing could lead us to learn many, of those he saw, had nothing to say but one thing”. (Sophocles 127-128). In this line, Oedipus depicts excessive determination and hope. Oedipus is insisting that Creon tells him what happened because he feels this will help the problem at hand. 

            However it is this same determination and inquisition that causes Oedipus downfall. He insisted on finding the culprit to rid the city of evil. He found out who it was but with great pain. At one point, even Jocasta had warned him not question any further but Oedipus is as stubborn as he is determined. Another flaw Oedipus has was his excessive arrogance. Of course, he has every reason to feel confident in his capabilities considering he did at one time save the city of Thebes. His excessive pride caused him to no listen to Creon, Jocasta, or Tiresias. Even at the beginning Oedipus felt he could overpower the gods by doubting them.

Intelligence vs. Wisdom: Anna Troy

Oedipus is intelligent and deftly uses this intelligence to reason, however, his lack of wisdom is what inevitably leads to his downfall. Oedipus’ keen intelligence is proven through his ability to solve the riddle of the Sphinx at Corinth. Being that he was the only person able to solve this riddle he was revered as a savior and crowned king of Corinth. This display of intellect gives him of such esteem that he’s almost comparable to the gods. The chorus exclaims, “Now, I do not hold you equal to the gods, nor do these children who sit at your hearth, but we judge you the first of men both in the ordinary chances of life and in the contingencies of the divine.” (Sophocles 34) Although he utilises his intelligence to solve riddles and later on in the play to unravel the mystery of Laius’ killer, he lacks another important trait, which is wisdom. He seems to only look at the events of his life solely through a logical point of view, and seldom reflects upon his own actions or the advice given to him by others. This inability to have insight into the cause of his actions is what ends up being the demise of his power. Although in the end, it seems that insight replaces his power when all he has left is himself, a blind man, who cannot see, and thus must look within.

As Oedipus uses deductive reasoning to investigate the murder of Laius, he calls upon the opinions of others to find the truth behind the killing. Tiresias a blind man, who has the gift of prophecy, is held highly for his knowledge when the chorus says, “I know that my lord Tiresias most always sees the same as my lord Apollo; from  him one investigating this might learn the wisest things.”(Sophocles 292) However when he speaks the truth of Laius’ killer, Oedipus is too angry and suspicious to believe his words. He lacks the ability to look at his own actions even when they are being blatantly pointed out to him. A wiser Oedipus would have listened to the words of others and instead of instantly becoming defensive and accusatory, he would have contemplated this evidence more thoroughly. He denies and relevancy to Tiresias’ claims and says, “the trusted Creon, my friend from the beginning, beguiles me and secretly desires to oust me, engaging this craftily-working wizard, this tricky beggar, who sees clearly only for profit, but is blind when it comes to skill.” (Sophocles 400)

Oedipus Rex: Claim by Omri Shafir

Claim: Throughout the play, Sophocles uses the characters to question the notion of immeasurable, incomprehensible powers such as destiny and the gods. He also presents certain characters that try to fight against these immeasurable powers. Through the events that follow by the end of the play, Sophocles shows that the gods and one’s destiny are indeed valid and those who question it are doomed regardless of their meddlesome curiosity.

        I plan to support this claim by showing moments within the play where different characters question the gods and destinies. One can say that this meddling in affairs they could not possibly understand instead of just accepting it leads to their fates at the conclusion of the play. One example is Jocasta, who is often shown questioning destiny (“And so I would not look to prophecies, not here or anywhere else.” [Sophocles 881-882] and also “It’s best to live at random, however one can.” [Sophocles 1001-1002]) and hangs herself by the end of the play.

        I also plan to look at Creon’s character who seems to be the most grounded of the characters and who seems to understand that there are incomprehensible powers governing the world he finds himself in and its best to accept that instead of trying to fight it (He would rather not be king, for example)

Writing Through Literature: Blog #1 on Oedipus Rex

As the story of Oedipus Rex continues to develop the audience founds out that Oedipus name directly relates to the prophecy and his character. Oedipus names means swollen feet and because his feet were damaged it could also been said that his character is damaged. This was also a symbol of the evil things that Oedipus might do in the future. His name could also be ironic because since Oedipus feet were scared while he was an infant this in fact marked him for his suffering from his birth. It was one point Sophocles tried to make in the story that you can’t control your destiny. The scars on his feet also symbolize Oedipus ignorance. Oedipus ignores the meaning of his name and the origins in which it comes because of this Oedipus unleash terrible curses upon him. Oedipus even stated “Oh why must you mention that old affliction” (Sophocles, 1060). This line was said while a messenger was explaining where Oedipus was found which is the key to the play. Finding out the who his parents are and as you can see in the quote above Oedipus does not try to connect what his name means to the prophecy that he is  supposed to fulfill. Oedipus ignorance can be seen throughout the whole play. An example of Oedipus ignorance being shown is when he talks to the blind prophet Tiresias about who is polluting the city of Thebes. Oedipus wants to find out who is polluter of the city because he is the king and it is his job. However since Tiresias knows who the polluter which is Oedipus himself Tiresias does not want to reveal this information because it will do no one any good. Oedipus reply’s by saying “You worst of wicked men! You would anger a stone! Will you reveal nothing, but instead show yourself unmovable and impractical” (Sophocles, 353-355). This line was clearly spoken in ignorance by not knowing who is parents are. Oedipus chooses to not listen to the prophet because he believed he knew best about his own affairs which in fact marks the tragedy of the story Oedipus Rex.                        

Blog 1 on Oedipus Rex by David Dickerson

As one reads Oedipus Rex, the reader gets a look into the characteristics of the title character. Oedipus can be seen as caring, stubborn and emotional. In the beginning of the play, Oedipus is informed of the pollution that plagues the city of Thebes. Oedipus is aware and states "I have sent Creon, to Apollo's home at Pytho, so that he may learn what I should do to save this city." This shows how caring he is towards the city he rules. A person in his position would rule with Tyranny, not caring for the citizens or what plagues them.

Though caring he may be, Oedipus is quite the stubborn person when he does not agree to what others are saying. A scene between Oedipus and a prophet Tiresias sparks controversy among the palace. Tiresias explains that he is the pollution and Oedipus is angry with his accusation, stating "you live in one single night, so that you can never harm me or any other who sees the light." When placed with power, he shows that he is strong enough to rule over Thebes. However, because of this power he posses Oedipus refuses to hear what he does not want to hear. He is clearly stubborn against all points of truth revealed from Tiresias.

As the play draws to a near, Oedipus is aware of the prophecy said to him about his parents. When it is revealed of Oedipus past, he begins to breakdown. Oedipus even goes to the great beyond by gouging out his own eyes in sadness. He claims that he cannot see what he has set within his family, such as his own incest children. In an ironic twist, he has been blind to the truth and is now forced to be blind in reality. When Oedipus speaks to his two daughters he begins cry. He cries because he knows the life his children will have to live. Though be a King, Oedipus shows he has been emotional about himself and gives the reader a sense of how emotional he actually was. He now knows that deep down inside has has longed questioned who he truly was in life.

Blog #1 on Oedipus Rex

Here is your first blog for English 102--Subject: Oedipus Rex.  Remember that you will be submitting an essay March 21 (right before break) on Oedipus so you may think of the blog as your first draft.  The blog should be between 300-400 words and should address one of the questions below. You should quote from the play 2-3 times in support of your claim.  If you are concerned about how to map out an essay, please see page 8 of our coursepak (Anatomy of an Essay).  For the blog I just want you to make a claim and support it.  When you quote from the play, put author and line numbers in parentheses: (Sophocles 250).  Please complete this blog by Wednesday March 13, midnight, so we can discuss your ideas on Thursday, March 14.

Possible Topics:

1.  The character of Oedipus: what are his strengths?  what are his weaknesses?  How are his strongest qualities also those that hurt him, mislead him, blind him?  How does he change?  What must he learn?

2.  How do different women (or female figures) in the play function?  Trace the progression of Oedipus's understanding of the women who lead and mislead him.  Note that the oracle at Delphi (who speaks for Apollo) is a woman so you have three women to consider: the sphinx, the oracle, Jocasta.

3.  Throughout the play, there is an implicit and at times explicit contrast between wisdom and reason.  Oedipus's failure to recognize this distinction is the source of much of his blindness.  Explore the contrast between reason and wisdom in the play.

4.  Imagery of darkness and light fills the play: Oedipus says "I will bring what is dark to light."   He begins with a keen eye and ends up blind.  Yet if light is a metaphor for wisdom, when does he have the greatest wisdom--at the beginning or at the end?  Think through how the metaphors of light and darkness work in the play.  Make a claim and support it.

5.  The plague:  disease and pollution are the framework through which Oedipus comes to understand himself and his situation.  What does Oedipus need to understand about pollution and its cure?  How is he the doctor, the disease, the healer?

6.  How is Oedipus's name and what it means an interesting and ironic symbol? Connect this symbol to Oedipus's character and to the action of the play.  How does he misuse, misunderstand his feet?

7.  Irony and the structure of drama: contrast Oedipus at the opening of the play to Oedipus at the end: consider the numerous ways in which he has become the opposite of what he was: king to beggar; innocent to guilty; insightful to blind . . .and yet we might say he is better in the end.  Why?

8.  Different characters in the play have different attitudes towards the gods.  Examine these--what is the difference between Oedipus and Creon; Oedipus and Jocasta?  What does the chorus think?  How does Sophocles lead us to think about the gods in the end?

Important: if you don't like any of these topics, feel free to create your own.  The goal is to make a claim about character, imagery, or dramatic structure and support it with evidence from the play.