Blind to the Truth: The Fatal Flaw of King Oedipus Few things can survive for thousands of years without becoming irrelevant, unintelligible, or inaccessible to the general public. Oedipus Rex, which was written by ancient Greek tragedian Sophocles more than 2,500 years ago, is read in high schools across the globe, has been performed for countless audiences, and is constantly being analyzed by students and experts alike. The question that these experts ask: What truly brought about Oedipus’s downfall? Over the course of the play, Oedipus exhibits many obvious but small flaws such as pride, hubris, and shortsightedness. And yet, none of these fit Aristotle’s description of a hamartia, or fatal flaw. As Teiresias, the blind seer tells Oedipus,
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He has achieved great things; defeating the Sphinx and saving Thebes is an accomplishment to be proud of. And yet, often he is blinded by his pride, refusing to listen to any accusations made against him. When Creon attempts to defend himself against Oedipus’s charge of treason, Oedipus declares: “I find it hard/ to learn from the deadliest enemy I have…. that above all I will not hear you deny” (Scene II, 28). He will not even listen to Creon’s defense, so sure that he is right. Previously, when Oedipus consulted Teiresias as to who murdered Laios, the king before him, the seer proclaims that “you are the murderer of whom you speak,” (Scene I, 20) to which Oedipus replies: “Whatever you say is worthless” (Scene I, 20). Once Teiresias speaks against him, Oedipus calls him a liar. Furthermore, he goes on to mock the old man, recounting his achievements, namely his defeat of the Sphinx. He angrily describes the deed to Teiresias, saying “When that hellcat the Sphinx was performing here,/ What help were you to these people?....I thought [the Sphinx’s riddle] out for myself, no [one] helped me” (Scene I, 23). He is so proud of his past successes, he uses them as a defense when his honor is …show more content…
When Teiresias correctly names Oedipus as the murderer of Laios, and thus the source of Thebes’s plague, Oedipus declares “Now twice you have spat out infamy/ You’ll pay for it!” (Scene I, 20). He is unable to believe that he might be in the wrong. Later, after learning that he may actually have killed Laios, Oedipus hangs his hope on small details, remembering that the only witness of the murder described a group of killers, rather than one man. Of the witness, Oedipus tells Iocaste that “if he maintains that still, if there were several/ Clearly the guilt is not mine. I was alone” (Scene II, 44). He cannot see the net closing in around him, preferring to grasp at straws. Upon hearing that King Polybos of Corinth, whom he believes is his father, has died, he says happily, that “Polybos has packed the oracles off with him underground/ They are empty words” (Scene III, 50). Because the oracle had disclosed that he would be the one to kill his father, and the man he believes to be his father has died, he dismisses all oracles as
He has achieved great things; defeating the Sphinx and saving Thebes is an accomplishment to be proud of. And yet, often he is blinded by his pride, refusing to listen to any accusations made against him. When Creon attempts to defend himself against Oedipus’s charge of treason, Oedipus declares: “I find it hard/ to learn from the deadliest enemy I have…. that above all I will not hear you deny” (Scene II, 28). He will not even listen to Creon’s defense, so sure that he is right. Previously, when Oedipus consulted Teiresias as to who murdered Laios, the king before him, the seer proclaims that “you are the murderer of whom you speak,” (Scene I, 20) to which Oedipus replies: “Whatever you say is worthless” (Scene I, 20). Once Teiresias speaks against him, Oedipus calls him a liar. Furthermore, he goes on to mock the old man, recounting his achievements, namely his defeat of the Sphinx. He angrily describes the deed to Teiresias, saying “When that hellcat the Sphinx was performing here,/ What help were you to these people?....I thought [the Sphinx’s riddle] out for myself, no [one] helped me” (Scene I, 23). He is so proud of his past successes, he uses them as a defense when his honor is …show more content…
When Teiresias correctly names Oedipus as the murderer of Laios, and thus the source of Thebes’s plague, Oedipus declares “Now twice you have spat out infamy/ You’ll pay for it!” (Scene I, 20). He is unable to believe that he might be in the wrong. Later, after learning that he may actually have killed Laios, Oedipus hangs his hope on small details, remembering that the only witness of the murder described a group of killers, rather than one man. Of the witness, Oedipus tells Iocaste that “if he maintains that still, if there were several/ Clearly the guilt is not mine. I was alone” (Scene II, 44). He cannot see the net closing in around him, preferring to grasp at straws. Upon hearing that King Polybos of Corinth, whom he believes is his father, has died, he says happily, that “Polybos has packed the oracles off with him underground/ They are empty words” (Scene III, 50). Because the oracle had disclosed that he would be the one to kill his father, and the man he believes to be his father has died, he dismisses all oracles as