I chose line 66 to 76 by Oedipus:
OEDIPUS: “I pity you, children. You have come full of longing, but I have known the story before you told It only too well. I know you are all sick, yet there is not one of you, sick though you are, that is as sick as myself. Your several sorrows each have single scope
and touch but one of you. My spirit groans for city and myself and you at once.
You have not roused me like a man from sleep; know that I have given many tears to this,
gone many ways wandering in thoughts,”.
In this line, Oedipus is saying that while he understands what the people are going through, in a sense, he is making it about him being self-centered and having an exaggerated sense of self-importance. When he says, “I know you are all sick, yet there is not one of you, sick though you are, that is as sick as myself’. He is a king, and he has everything at his disposal; Oedipus has no needs that are not met, has not lost his health. No pestilence has to touch him personally, yet he disregards the feelings of those suffering and is being affected by the circumstances in the city. This behavior makes him a king who is egocentric and narcissistic.
2 thoughts on “Keila Orellano DB 2 – Oedipus”
Good evening Keila, You chose some very interesting lines here we can see how multitude of young people come before King Oedipus to beg for help, to seek help before him, But Odipo does not have the best attitude towards their plea since he says that he knows that they are sick but nobody is sicker that him. That is, the King says he feel pain before the city, for himself and for others but with his attitude he demonstrates the opposite, his duty is to worry about others and ensure the needs of the people since he is the governor, It is one of his great responsibilities, This fact shows that he is only thinking of himself and not of the other the rest, He is only thinking of his own benefit.
Hello Keila, you brought up an interesting thought that a group of young people approach King Oedipus and plead for his assistance. He doesn’t appear to have the most admirable attitude toward them, claiming that no one is sicker than he is. This demonstrates that he is solely concerned with himself and not with the needs of others. Also agree with what Mikla said.