Oedipus the King Case

Sophocles' Oedipus the King is the tale of a man that was marked at birth to do the unspeakable act of killing his father and marrying his mother. Despite his efforts to prevent this from happening, Oedipus unknowingly fulfills the prophecy the gods have laid out for him. Throughout his journey, Oedipus has to use his cleverness and bravery to overcome obstacles; this leads him to become King of Thebes. As the King, Oedipus is a strong and noble leader to his people; however, Oedipus is seen differently by others. He has the flaws of a common man; he is rash, short tempered and arrogant. Because Oedipus is such a flawed character, he is viewed differently by different people, making one uncertain of his true identity.

Oedipus is seen as an honourable, noble and intelligent person. It is because of Oedipus' intelligence that propelled him to be loved and honoured as King of Thebes: "It was you.../That broke our bondage to the vile Enchantress (Sophocles 33-34). Thebes was under the oppression of a wicked Sphinx that had a riddle that no one could answer. However, everything changes when Oedipus comes along. Oedipus solves the Sphinx's riddle and rids Thebes from its oppression. By doing this, the people of Thebes are impressed by Oedipus' intelligence and make him King. As a king, Oedipus is noble: "You will find me as willing an ally as you could wish" (Sophocles 136). When the city of Thebes is under a cursed plague, Oedipus rises up to the occasion to help his people. This shows how noble of a person Oedipus actually is. He cares for his people and wishes to help them as a king should. On top of this, Oedipus is an honourable person; upon hearing of the injustices of Laius' murder, Oedipus wishes to "fight for him now" (Sophocles 263). Despite having minimal knowledge of Laius, Oedipus still wishes to avenge his death. This shows that Oedipus is an honourable person because he will still fight injustices for anyone regardless of whether they are a friend or a stranger. Because of his actions, Oedipus is seen as an honourable, noble, and intelligent person. However, not everyone sees Oedipus the way the people of Thebes do.

Oedipus is also seen as a rash and arrogant person that is quick to conclusions. Oedipus' rash attitude has caused him to commit the act of murder: "It was the driver that thrust me aside and him I struck, for I was angry" (Sophocles 807-808). Oedipus' anger causes him to murder a number of men including his own father, King Laius. This shows that Oedipus has a flaw: his rash anger and his lack of the ability to control his temper. Another example of Oedipus' rash anger is when he lashes out at Creon: "By no means I would have you dead, not banished" (Sophocles 618). On suspicions that Creon is conspiring to take the throne from him, Oedipus threatens Creon. However, Oedipus' threat is more severe than his