Oedipus the King
The riddle of the sphinx is answered by Oedipus, but also played out in his own life.
Much of human life is not explicable or controlled by human means. This is the portion
of life with which Greek tragedy is concerned.
Fate: those forces in the world that we are unaware of, or ignorant of, and that
affect our lives no matter how “good” we are, or how honestly we have lived. If fate
works against us it is not our “fault,” but we still pay the price.
The consequence of Oedipus’ search for the one who pollutes Thebes is his own
downfall, no matter how honestly he wants to help the city.
Fate vs. Free Will: If Oedipus is not free to act, then Oedipus the King is not a tragic
play. As Wallace Gray says:
Many readers of Oedipus the King think the actions within the play are
predetermined. This “everything is fated” theory of the play destroys its
significance and renders it unworkable as tragedy. The tragic hero must have free
will, must work out his destiny without divine command. (Gray 46)
Hamartía: often mistranslated as “tragic flaw,” hamartía is actually more a mistake in
judgement, an error arising from ignornance—sometimes a positive characteristic that
works ironically to the character’s detriment, such as Oedipus’ intellectual honesty.
Hubrís: often translated as “pride.” It could also be interpreted as “exuberance.” Oedipus
is proud of his role as hero of Thebes and is eager to get to the root of the problem of the
plague that Thebes suffers from. His exuberant, vigorous pursuit of the truth uncovers his
background and results in his fall.
Anagnorisis: discovery or recognition. A change from ignorance to knowledge. In
Oedipus, the discoveries bring about the reversal of his fortune.
Peripeteia: reversal of fortune. From high to low, happiness to misery, from a king to a
blind beggar.
The opposite state of things is produced by the messenger, who, coming to
gladden Oedipus and remove his fears as to his mother, reveals the secret of his birth.
Pity and Fear: Tragedy is supposed to arouse pity and fear, but is also supposed to purge
these feelings in a catharsis.
--arouses pity because we feel that the hero doesn’t deserve his fate.
--arouses fear because we identify with the hero and realize chance and fate might
work out a reversal in our fortunes too
--purges pity and fear because we learn something about the dignity of man, and
are satisfied at the end of the play that something good is affirmed even though
the result is disastrous to the individual. It reconciles us to life.
Character is Fate
Character traits of Oedipus: his is impetuous, volatile, and brutally honest.
Impetuosity: he leaves Corinth when the oracle of Delphi tells him he will kill his
father and marry his mother—goes straight to Thebes where his real mother and
father are.
Volatility: on his way to Thebes, he kills his father in a quarrel about right-ofway.
Honesty: he is determined to find the truth about the polluted one that Thebes
harbors, who is the reason for the plague, even when the evidence begins to point
at him.
Hubris: pride (or exuberance). His ability to save Thebes from the Sphinx makes
him eager to solve the riddle of Laius’ killer.
Hamartia: tragic flaw, or miscalculation. In his haste to save the city, he ruins
himself.
His anagnorisis (recognition) brings perepeteia (reversal of fortune).