Oedipus Analysis
...appened to Oedipus had he stayed in Corinth, but it is the attempt to avoid his fate that dooms him to not only to fulfill the prophecy, but to suffer yet greater consequences. To think that he himself has the power to circumvent the prediction from the Oracle of Apollo shows that he did not feel humbled before Apollo. Punishment for this lack of faith takes the form of the plague which Apollo imposes on Thebes, an eventual consequence of Oedipus’s defiance and hubris towards him. (The death of Laius at the crossroads, was caused, in part at least, because Oedipus left Corinth. Speculation as to whether Oedipus would have killed him anyway is futile.) The punishment of all of Thebes is infinitely worse than the original prophecy, which involved only Oedipus’ family members. For the years between the destruction of the Sphinx, and the present time we are left to assume that Oedipus served his kingdom well, however we still see the essence of his original self-righteousness. When Tireisias is brought to him to help for the search for Laius’ killers this proud arrogance misleads him to contrive a scenario in which Creon desires to assume the throne. “Creon was reaching for my power, wanted to ambush me, get rid of me by hiring this cheap wizard,...who sees nothing but profit.” But it is the characters of Creon and Tireisias that serve as Sophocles’ archetypes of the ideal Greeks, playing opposite Oedipus, the tragic hero. While Oedipus is a good man, Sophocles illustrates the strict obedience required by the gods and the code of ethics of the Greek society. The Chorus sings,” Laws forged in the huge clear fields of heaven rove the sky shaping my words limiting what I do. Olympus made those laws not men....If a man walks through his life arrogant...does not fear justice, fear the gods....let fate make him stumble in his tracks.” Regardless of any retribution that may be to Oedipus’s credit towards the divinities, he is still ultimately responsible for each of his offenses, singularly. The ironic similarities between Tireisias’ present form and Oedipus’ future life accentuate the lack of wisdom that Oedipus has, compared to the prophet. The near parallel between the present...