Oedipus Values

Throughout Greek history, you will find that the arts, such as drama and architectures, were highly valued. There were a lot of plays put on for the people, whether it be comedy or tragedy. The writer of tragedy, Sophocles, wrote the play Oedipus Rex. This is about a king who is trying to solve why there is a terrible plague in his country, Thebes. When told that he must kill or ban the killer of Laius, the previous king, he sends people on a search for servants or others who might know who was the murderer. But little did he know what we knew- that it was him. He was trying to find out about himself when told this, denying it until the only option was to banish him from the land. In the book Oedipus Rex, the main character, Oedipus, has certain values that are similar and different to Christian values. …show more content…
He is a very prideful person. He wants to look good, so when in a heated discussion with a man named Tiresias, who told him he was the murderer of Laius, he denies it and insult Tiresias. “There is, but not for you. You don’t have this, since you are blind in you ears and mind and eyes.” (Sophocles, 390) This is what Oedipus says to Tiresias when blamed for killing Laius. He also values knowing himself. He can’t deal with the fact that there might be some fact that he doesn’t know about himself. “It is impossible when I have such signs, I will not discover my birth.” (Sophocles, 1085) He says this to his wife when she tries to stop him from searching, and telling him to ignore all of this. He also values knowledge. If he doesn’t know something, he seems to put everything down until he finds out the truth. “What’s this? I will investigate any story.” (Sophocles, 305) These values aren’t the same as Christian values,