Trying to Explain Tragedy in Oedipus the King, a Play by Sophocles

Sophocles’ Oedipus the King tells the tale of Oedipus, the King of Thebes, who became king by marrying the widow of the previous king, Laius. From Oedipus, I studied the passage from line 249 to line 322. In an effort to “make sense” of the passage, I was able to recognize inconsistencies between what Oedipus was saying and the common beliefs of the time, which would distort the passage’s meaning if read out of context. The passage is written in such a way that dramatic irony is prevalent, and this irony makes it hard to “make sense” of the passage.

As per the information that we were given, in Oedipus the King, “sense” refers to the truth that always existed, but still needed to be sought for, to be acknowledged. Due to this knowledge of what “sense” is, an inconsistency was spotted in the beginning of the passage. The overall truth of the time was that the Gods are the ultimate rulers, and even kings bend to their will, but in the passage it seemed as though Oedipus was putting himself right next to the Gods.

Oedipus says “You pray. But if you listen now to me, you’ll get your wish (249 – 250). When he says this, it seems as though he is saying “you pray to the Gods to help you, but I am just as powerful as them so if you listen to me, your wish will be answered.” Oedipus is full of arrogance, and although he may be earnestly trying to help his subjects, the way that he talks to them portrays himself as an arrogant man who wishes to equal the Gods.

Get quality help now

Prof. Finch

Verified

Proficient in: Oedipus The King

4.7 (346)

“ This writer never make an mistake for me always deliver long before due date. Am telling you man this writer is absolutely the best. ”

+84 relevant experts are online

Hire writer

This goes against the belief of the time where Gods were to be feared and obeyed, not challenged.

Oedipus’ statement, however, would brand him a traitor against the Gods if it were to be read outside of the context of the poem. Since Oedipus is a king, his statement could be forgiven and just viewed as arrogance, as opposed to blasphemy. In this passage, Oedipus attempts to coax the people of Thebes to give him any clues on who they think the killer of Laius is, and if they know exactly who did it, to reveal his name. As told by the Gods, if the killer of Laius is punished then the suffering of the people of Thebes will come to an end, and so it only makes sense to punish him. In the effort to encourage the people of Thebes to reveal the killer, he also says that no one may help him in any way. He says that if the killer reveals himself to Oedipus in confidence “he will be sent out from this land unhurt and undergo no further punishment” (266 – 267). By saying this, he tries to make the killer think that it is in his best interest to surrender because if he does not then “the worst of agonies will wear out his wretched life” (287 – 288). Oedipus calls himself “an ally of the god,” and in doing so, he basically puts a curse on the killer (282).

Oedipus curses the killer, and since he himself is the killer of Laius he actually put a curse on himself. This is a perfect example of dramatic irony because as readers, we know the truth, and since we know the truth we have just witnessed a man unknowingly putting a curse of pain onto himself. In another example of dramatic irony, Oedipus promises to pursue the matter of punishing Laius’ killer as though he were fighting to avenge his father (310). This is, in my opinion, the ultimate example of irony because Oedipus is, in fact, Laius’ son as well as his killer. In an effort to “make sense” of the problems faced by the people of Thebes, inconsistencies occur through the promises that Oedipus makes because insists on punishing the killer, but it is human nature to fight for self-preservation. It would be understandable if Oedipus tries to bargain with the people of Thebes once it is revealed that he is the killer in an effort to save his life, but because of his position it would be difficult for him to go back on his word. A king is supposed to be a just person. A king is the ultimate judge. If the judge goes back on his proclaimed sentence, then he loses respect and lowers the standards of the court. Due to this, an inconsistency is created through the predicted outcome.

One prediction made by readers is that Oedipus would exile himself from Thebes because of the promise that if the killer surrenders then he will be exiled from the land without any further punishment (266-267). This would be a way for him to uphold the law and preserve the standards of a king’s court. Another prediction is that once he realizes he is the killer that they have been searching for, he will remain silent because he does not want to let go of his throne and admit that he has committed a crime. This second prediction goes against the human nature of self- preservation because then Oedipus will suffer in agony for the rest of his life due to the curse he put on the killer. In an effort to “make sense” of the situation that the people of Thebes are facing, the King of Thebes vows to find and punish the murderer of Laius because only then will the suffering end, as prophesied by the Gods. The “truth” of Thebes is that the current king is the abandoned son of Laius, who gained the throne by murdering Laius and marrying his wife, Jocasta. This is a game of fate. Jocasta abandoned Oedipus when he was a baby because it was prophesied that their son will be the murderer of Laius.

She abandoned him so that the prophecy would not come true, and yet, it still did. This game of fate is the absolute truth of Thebes. When Oedipus tries to make sense of the tragedies taking place in Thebes, he later uncovers this truth and there is a realization that everything that is happening is the “truth” that was created by the Gods and cannot be avoided. In Oedipus’ dialogue with the Chorus Leader, the inconsistencies that were spotted while he was trying to make sense of the situation pointed to the dramatic irony of his fate. In a way, his whole life was just a play for the Gods; their prophecy led to all of the suffering, and they still demanded punishment even though if they had never made the prophecy, then all of this would not have happened. Since “truth” are realities created by Gods, then some realities would not exist if they had just kept some details to themselves.

References

1. Sophocles. Oedipus the King. Trans. Ian Johnston. Ed. Jeffrey Brown. N.p.: n.p., 430 BC Print. Brown, Jeffrey, PhD. “Making Sense of Tragedy.” EN 340: Tragedy. Lecture.