“If a man walks with haughtiness (1010) of hand or word and gives no heed to Justice and the shrines of Gods despises—may an evil doom smite him for hiss ill-starred pride of heart! — if he reaps gains without justice (1015) and will not hold from impiety and his fingers itch for untouchable things.” This quote by Jocasta is something we have all experienced, either personally or otherwise. There are so many instances where a person is too arrogant to see the error in their ways and is then allowed to continue with the same behavior without any consequences. “O God, I think I have called curses upon myself in ignorance.” This quote by Oedipus’ is something we have all experienced at one point or another. Many people, including myself, have put themselves in a situation where anger has clouded our judgement. Anger and pride can blind a person from being able to see where they are wrong in any situation. I feel for Oedipus in this moment where we can see he is beginning to realize that he has been wrong the whole time, leading him to accuse a close and evidently loyal friend of such a heinous act based on emotion rather than solid proof. His pride can be seen as a flaw but is also something to be respected if wielded correctly in his role as a king. Beyond simply being angry, I believe Oedipus’ pride was driven by fear of not knowing and therefore not being able to control any outcome. Throughout humanity, I believe this is too common. I have definitely had to learn that you are unable to think clearly when you are angry, and it is only healthy to stress over the things you can control versus the things that you cannot; […]
Daily Archives: March 8, 2023
Reading Oedipus the King, I was struck by the timeless human experiences and behaviors it depicted. The play is a tragedy that follows the life of Oedipus, a man who unknowingly kills his father and marries his mother. Through this story, Sophocles explores the themes of fate, free will, and hubris. The idea of fate is a major theme in Oedipus the King. Oedipus is fated to kill his father and marry his mother, and despite his best efforts to avoid this, he is unable to escape his destiny. This idea of fate is a timeless human experience, as many of us feel that our lives are predetermined and that we are powerless to change our fate.The idea of free will is also explored in the play. Oedipus is determined to find out the truth about his past, and he is willing to take risks and make difficult decisions in order to do so. This idea of free will is a timeless human experience, as many of us feel that we have the power to shape our own destiny and make our own choices.
The timeless or human behaviors I found within the reading Oedipus is the uncontrollable and unknowing of your fate. You can believe yourself to be a strong and grand person. As Oedipus is this personality he doesn’t believe he’d live the life of a societal fear and how broken a man can become as he learns the truth of his life. Learning that his wife has been his mother all along, learning that he in fact had killed his father, In knowing this, Oedipus is faced with the reality that we are not in control of our lives and our destinies. We can be manipulated by bigger forces than we understand. As Oedipus believes he is doing the right thing when he was not at all regarding something he did not know and while his efforts were in good intentions of his people, he failed them, another mundane and human behavior we can relate to.
