Sophia Morales Discussion 7

  • “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; that is how you succeed. 

I have to say I would have never chosen to read this play on my own, but I’ve sincerely enjoyed this piece of literature. While reading it, it helped me realize, unfortunately, where the Oedipus Complex (term coined by Sigmund Freud) comes from. 

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