Major Symbols in Oedipus Rex/Oedipus the King
Oedipus Rex/Oedipus the King is written by the Greek writer, Sophocles. In this play, you can find various major symbols such as the swollen feet and the plague of Thebes that are described below by Writer Mahar. These symbols indicate how elegantly Sophocles wrote the drama to show the tragedy of the king, Oedipus. In other words, these indicate how brilliantly the writer connected the dots from the start until the end of his tragedy.
Major Symbols in the Tragic Play:
The following are the major symbols of the Greek play, Oedipus Rex:
Swollen Feet:
Oedipus literally means swollen foot. The king’s ankles were pinned together after his birth, and he was given to a shepherd to be left on the mountain Cithaeron to die. Because of his swollen feet, the name “Oedipus” was given to him by the adopters located in another city, Corinth. According to the writer, the word, Oedipus, symbolises a person who was destined or tied to fulfill the prophecy of killing his father and marrying his mother since his birth. No matter how hard he tried to avoid the tragic incidents by moving away from Corinth, he could not avoid his bad luck. In this way, the writer intelligently chose a meaningful name to denote what he showed through the plot.
The Crossroads:
The crossroads is a point where three roads meet in Oedipus Rex. This is the same location at which Oedipus killed his father, King Laius. In Greek dramas, a crossroads is not merely a geographic location but a location where a critical choice is selected. Therefore, according to Sophocles, the crossroads is a symbol of the union between the past and future of Oedipus. Apparently, the crossroads offers three paths for travellers, but in reality, there was no choice for Oedipus other than to follow the path that leads him to fulfill his prophecy of killing his father.
The Monster, Sphinx:
There is one monster, Sphinx, shown in Oedipus Rex whose riddle was solved by Oedipus. The people of Thebes were suffering because of the monster. It killed those people who couldn’t solve its riddle. Its riddle is, “What is the name of the creature who walks on four legs in the morning, two in the afternoon, and three in the evening?”. The answer is man. Oedipus solved the riddle, became a saviour of Thebes, and ruled the city of Thebes as its king after marrying Jocasta (the widow of Laius).
So Sphinx is a symbol of those monstrous forces that can be defeated by human intellect, but human intellect is limited as well. So, Oedipus who solved the riddle of Sphinx with his intellect could not solve the riddle of his identity timely and fulfilled the prophecy unintentionally that caused his doom. He became blind, lost his mother (Jocasta), and left Thebes forever to remove the city’s plague. This shows that a human mind can be great in solving horrible problems but can’t solve all sorts of disastrous issues timely.
Light and Darkness:
In the play, the king, Oedipus, declared to bring the matter of the murder of Laius to light. But when the light of the truth came in front of him that revealed he murdered Laius, and the previous king was his father, he couldn’t bear the light. So because the truth was too tormenting for him, he chose darkness by blinding himself and exiting Thebes. Therefore, the light is a symbol of truth and Apollo, the god of the sun and prophecy, in the play. And darkness symbolises the after-effects of that light in the play.
The Plague:
Besides, the plague is a symbol or physical manifestation of a certain moral corruption in the play. So the play starts with the destruction the plague was causing for the people of Thebes. For example, the crops were failing, the cattle were diseased, and the women were dying during childbirth. In the play, the cause of the plague is told by Apollo’s oracle to be the man who murdered Laius and still was residing in Thebes. Only his punishment or departure from Thebes could save the city. Therefore, the plague is shown as a moral stain caused by the king, Oedipus, whose unknown crimes polluted the city of Thebes and were causing the high-level destruction for Thebans.
Conclusion:
So that’s all about the major symbols in Oedipus Rex or Oedipus the King. It is hoped that you like the content posted today. And if you have any question or feedback related to the piece, then let the author know through the comment section or contact form. Plus, share the piece with your fellows to assist them learn the symbolic analysis of Oedipus Rex as well.