Oedipus the Noble King

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Oedipus the Noble King

The play Oedipus the King was written by Sophocles and it is a famous Athenian tragedy. The first performance of the play took place in 429 B.C. and it was part of a trilogy by Sophocles. The play’s main character is known as Oedipus and he ruled Thebes, but unfortunately married his mother and he even killed his father. This tragedy shows that even noble kings can at some point suffer from a tragic downfall. Human beings will always make mistakes, but they should not be judged by the bad acts they have committed. They should be judged by the wise decisions that they make for the benefit of others. This paper seeks to give a critical analysis of why Oedipus was a noble king based upon his many desirable qualities.

Oedipus is seen as a man who had an extremely great insight and possessed the power of swift action. During the opening scenes of Oedipus the King, there were many exceptional qualities that were present in the life of Oedipus. He was an excellent ruler who constantly kept on anticipating the needs of his subjects. For example, when the citizens of the city of Thebes begged him so that he could do something concerning the plague, his true nature revealed itself. In fact, Oedipus was a step ahead of his people as he already knew about the plague and had even come up for a solution to end it. He had already made plans and sent Creon to an oracle that was situated at Delphi, in order to obtain advice concerning dealing with the plague. Later on, it is evident that a looming danger existed because Oedipus had a habit of acting swiftly and this had dangerous effects (Plumptre, 2005).

Strength and Determination are some two unique qualities that Oedipus displayed most times. The play written by Sophocles has attempted to portray the king of Thebes (Oedipus) as being an extremely dignified and powerful man. Throughout the course of the play, Oedipus’ classic tale is brought to life and audiences are marveled. There are many times that life became quite unbearable especially in the life of Oedipus, but he was able to handle it well. He was able to maintain his trustworthiness and nobility during the difficult times in his life. Sophocles was able to let the readers as well as audience from the start know that the fate of Oedipus had already been pre-determined. In the future, he would marry his own mother and end up killing is father (Plumptre, 2005). Despite the fact that Oedipus was not aware of this fact, one starts to view Oedipus as being a person as well as a king. Also, throughout the entire play the audience clearly sees the dignity, strength and power of Oedipus. There are times that the nature and character of Oedipus changes, he is still a trust-worthy and noble human being.

There are not many individuals who would claim or even prove that they love others more than themselves. It is no wonder that Oedipus acted out of love because he dearly loved his city as well as his family. This shows that Oedipus was a man who demanded a lot of respect because of the manner, which his actions seek to show his character. He did not act out of wrath or pride, and the reason why he his quick temper can be explained. Oedipus wanted to find the quickest solution that would assist him stop the tragic flaw in the city of Thebes from affecting his people. He is an individual who displayed his intellectual honesty and this enabled him to make quick judgments that had a beneficial impact (Plumptre, 2005).

The identity held by Oedipus is similar to that of other heroes that existed before him. His identity was present in his name and the reason why Sophocles kept on echoing his name throughout the play. This shows that even Sophocles had a deep respect for the character known as Oedipus. There is good and sufficient reason as to why Oedipus was extremely confident in everything that he did. He was able to save the city of Thebes from the curse brought about by the Sphinx. In a matter of time, Oedipus was able to gain power and thus become the king of Thebes. It even reached a point whereby, Oedipus could constantly proclaimed his own name in a profound manner. He believed that his name was powerful to the point whereby it had healing powers. He often proclaimed that “Here I am myself-/ you all know me, the world knows my fame: / I am Oedipus” (Plumptre, 2005).

The confidence and swiftness of Oedipus is still seen even as Oedipus the King comes to an end. It is easy to see that while interrogating Creon, he calls for Tiresias and even makes threats to banish Creon and Tiresias. He had earlier on demanded that he be exiled after he had already called a shepherd that took him to Corinth. Also, before being exiled he has ensured that a servant that had escaped from Laius would be called. He is quite confident to the point whereby even when he is in constant motion he always kept in mind about what awaited him. There are times that his fate could not be controlled, but he was able to contain it because of his noble nature. Oedipus knew that in order to succeed in life he had to find peace. It was because of his noble nature that he was able to forge friendships easily. The friendships were responsible for influencing his success whenever he wanted to solve issues affecting people he cared about (Plumptre, 2005).

Determination is another unique attribute that Oedipus had and it enabled him to accomplish many things. It he was not determined, he would never have known the true identity of the real killer of Laius. Also, he would never have known the real truth regarding his life, and in my opinion this is not in any way a flaw. Instead, this shows that he was an admirable and prized human being, and this was brought out by his determination. In order to save his people from eminent disaster Oedipus had to solve the mystery (Plumptre, 2005). He believed in the information he received from the Delphi oracle concerning banishing the killer. If he had not heeded to the oracle’s warning, Thebes would have been destroyed. This shows that Oedipus acted in the same manner as any good and noble leader would as he was acting in the best interest of his citizens. In conclusion, all the evidence proves that Oedipus was a noble king but he had to face his tragic fate.

Reference

Plumptre, E. (2005). Oedipus Rex by Sophocles. Retrieved from Digireads.com