Analysis Of Sophocles Oedipus The King

Analysis of Oedipus the King At the beginning of Sophocles' tragic play Oedipus the King, the primary character, Oedipus, is considered a hero by the people of Thebes. In reality, though, Oedipus was an awful person: he murdered his father and married his mother, eventually having four children with her. The people were unaware of Oedipus’ actions and had created such a strong illusion of him that they found it hard to believe anything negative allocations against him. So, when the citizens of Thebes finally found out the truth about Oedipus, they went from adoring him to scorning him, and the true reality of Oedipus was constructed. Oedipus was considered a hero to the people because he answered the sphinx's riddle and freed the city from her rule, and because of it the citizens of Thebes declared him their new king following the death of Laius. At this time, the city was in a famine, and the people believed Oedipus was the person they needed to save them again. Citizens looked to him for guidance, and one of the priests even stated, "Oh Oedipus, king of the land, our greatest power!" (160). Oedipus even went as far as to claim he was equivalent to a god, pronouncing, "You pray to the gods? Let me grant your prayers" (171). …show more content…
Tiresias was a blind prophet, and though he could not literally see, he could figuratively see and understand things no one else could. In an argument with Oedipus he boldly declared that Oedipus himself was "... the curse, the corruption of the land!" (179) and followed that by simply stating, "I say you are the murderer you hunt" (180). Tiresias did not have to overcome the illusion that the Theban people had created He knew the truth, and could speak freely about it, whether or not people chose to listen to