Oedipus Character Analysis in Oedipus Rex

Oedipus is the central character of the classic Greek tragedy, Oedipus Rex or Oedipus the King. He is the king of Thebes and is kind, just, wise, determined, and courageous. He is the man who saved the city of Thebes from the monster, Sphinx. During the play, Oedipus strives to save the city from a devastating plague. But his weaknesses (hamartia or tragic pitfalls), which are hubris, impulsiveness, stubbornness, and anger, cause his tragic downfall while solving the issue of the plague. He finds out in the process that he killed his father and married his mother unknowingly. And in today’s article, you will learn about the analysis of Oedipus’ character so that you can understand the tragic hero thoroughly to be prepared for your test, exam, or anything else.

Analysis of Oedipus’ Character:

The following are the analytical points that show the full picture of Oedipus’ character in Oedipus Rex:

Oedipus’ Behaviour Analysis — Prologue & Scene 1 of the Play:

In the prologue and scene 1, we see Oedipus as a compassionate and just king who’s concerned about his people (Thebans) suffering the effects of the plague and intends to do everything fairly to save them. The city is facing a terrible plague that causes the death of its inhabitants and crops, etc. Oedipus once saved the city of Thebes by solving the riddle of the monster, Sphinx, due to his wisdom and courage. So he is once again determined that he can save the city, this time, from the plague that can be removed by the death or exile of King Laius’ murderer according to Apollo’s oracle. But when he meets Teiresias to get some guidance in finding the killer of King Laius, he has a verbal fight with the blind prophet in the middle of their conversation, and Oedipus even taunts him for his blindness. The interaction between the king and prophet shows the extreme pride and anger of Oedipus as he accuses Teiresias of murdering Laius and plotting against the current king. Oedipus thinks that his brother-in-law, Creon, paid the prophet to say horrible words against him for snatching his throne. He accuses the prophet just because the blind seer refuses to guide him in finding the killer during their meeting by saying that the truth is futile for Oedipus. The king also curses the blind prophet in anger and proudly rejects his ability to see beyond human limits by citing an event when Oedipus saved Thebes from Sphinx despite the prophet’s fortune-telling ability.

Oedipus’ Behaviour Analysis — Scene 2 of the Play:

In the scene 2, Oedipus and Creon argue over the accusation of treason that Oedipus laid against Creon in the scene 1. Oedipus doesn’t want to pay much heed to the arguments Creon makes for his safety and intends to kill him to show the world the punishment for treason. This incident shows the impulsiveness of Oedipus as he doesn’t even intend to ensure whether Creon is a traitor or not. He makes a hasty decison of punishing his brother-in-law with death just because he feels it must have been Creon who had paid the prophet for speaking against him. Then, we see him investigate the murder of Laius by summoning the shepherd who survived at the crossroads where the previous king was murdered. He suspects himself to be the murderer as he also killed a stranger who resembled Laius after being insulted by him at a crossroads. Jocasta comforts him by saying that even if he murdered the previous king, at least he is not his son. According to her, the prophecy for Laius that he would be killed by his son is incorrect because her baby boy had died a long time ago. Therefore, Oedipus should also not believe in any prophecies. Well, Oedipus kills a stranger and his attendants at a crossroads after being insulted by him. That insult is not serious enough for a crime like group murder. The incidents of Creon’s argument and Laius’ murder show that impulsiveness is a part of King Oedipus’ nature.

Oedipus’ Behaviour Analysis — Scene 3 of the Play:

In the scene 3, when Jocasta realises the truth after the conversation among Oedipus, herself, and the Corinthian messenger that Oedipus is her son and had murdered her previous husband, Laius, she pleads with Oedipus to stop his investigation. She even says harsh words to him in agony. But he doesn’t accept her plea nor pay heed to her words said in agony. He feels that she tried to stop him because she doesn’t want to know about his birth origin as it might be of a low rank. He impulsively accepts his gut feeling about her agony as true and doesn’t even think for a second time about any other reason behind her woe despite the chorus’ words of anxiety. This shows that Oedipus is a highly stubborn character. And he is so courageous that even the idea of low birth origin doesn’t terrify him as a king. But with his determination, he doesn’t even care about the feelings of his queen who goes away into the palace after his refusal with much sorrow. This stubbornness is one of the factors that causes his doom in the play’s exodus.

Oedipus’ Behaviour Analysis — Scene 4 & Exodus of the Play:

In the scene 4, when the Theban shepherd tells Oedipus the truth about his origin that he is the son of Laius and Jocasta, he feels devastated and rushes into his palace. He realises that he murdered his father and married his mother, so the prophecy that he strived to avoid became a part of reality. In this scene, even the Theban shepherd doesn’t want to tell him the truth, but the stubbornness of Oedipus doesn’t let him remain silent for long. When forced by the king, the shepherd breaks his silence and tells Oedipus the reality of his parentage. Then, in the exodus, we are told that he had blinded himself after Jocasta committed suicide. So he punishes himself as a just ruler by blinding himself and requesting to be exiled. He requests Creon, who treats Oedipus with cautious mercy, to send him away from Thebes so that the plague can be removed with the exile of King Laius’ killer. Plus, he blinded himself because he felt that he could not see his parents normally after his death due to his horrible crimes. According to him, the penalty of death wasn’t better for him, so he chose blindness as his punishment. It is important to note here that Oedipus doesn’t even refrain from punishing himself and requesting his banishment in the play because of his just nature. He is shown as a noble person, but fate causes his doom in the play because his father, Laius, raped a young boy, Chrysippus, (the son of King Pelops), so Apollo cursed Laius with the tragic fate that Oedipus also had to suffer from according to Greek mythology. But bear in mind, the play doesn’t mention the rape story anywhere. That’s the background information to show that the gods’ hatred isn’t for Oedipus but for the crime of his father.

Conclusion:

So that is all what I have to share with you regarding the character analysis of Oedipus. I hope you understood all the points clearly. And if you feel that this piece is quite useful, then please share it with your connections. In this way, they can also learn about the character analysis of King Oedipus.