Oedipus The King Research Paper

In the play Oedipus the King, by Sophocles, Oedipus is the ruler of Thebes who is accused of murder and incest. The first accusation, murder, is based on the belief that Oedipus killed his father, Laius. Laius was the previous king of Thebes, before Oedipus’ reign. Before it is discovered that Oedipus is the murderer, the city of Thebes is convinced that a band of thieves killed Laius. However, the truth is that Oedipus murdered him. The second accusation that is brought upon Oedipus is incest. His wife, Jocasta, is later recognized as his mother. Oedipus is unaware of either of these crimes until they are accused of him, and when it is exposed that he is accountable for them he responds with horror. Although he is unaware of his wrongdoings, …show more content…
Oedipus gives orders to the entire city, enlightening them on how awful it is for their noble king to be “brought down in blood–” (293) He tells them this man needs to be banished, ignored, and never sheltered. Furthermore, he says, “Never let the holy water touch his hands. Drive him out, each of you, from every home. He is the plague, the heart of our corruption,” (274-276) This quotation describes how Oedipus feels about the way the killer of Laius should be treated. Even though he does not know he is bringing these consequences upon himself, they will not change for any specific person. Seeing that the murderer will be discovered, Oedipus should be affected by these consequences because they were decided by him. There is no excuse for Oedipus to escape being punished, because he cannot have a free pass for committing a murder. This is shown beyond doubt when Oedipus says, “ So I honor my obligations:” (278) In saying this, Oedipus means that he stands by his commitment to find the person who murdered Laius. In short, Oedipus believes that the man who has murdered Laius and put Thebes into a terrible state of plague deserves to be exiled and treated miserably. This means that Oedipus is responsible for his crime because he is the main reason that Thebes went through a period of struggle, and he needs …show more content…
His marriage to his mother is entirely his fault because he may not have been conscious of the fact that his bride was his mother, but he still married her. As the audience, it seems to us that Oedipus has no idea Jocasta is his mother. However, there are certain scenes that reveal the way the two of them interact, which can be interpreted like mother and son. For example, when Oedipus and Creon are arguing, Oedipus says, “Precisely. I caught him in the act, Jocasta, plotting, about to stab me in the back.” (718-719) This is an example of Oedipus complaining to Jocasta with one side of a dispute, like a little boy would to his mother. Jocasta’s reaction, “Oh god, believe it, Oedipus,” (722) shows feelings of aggravation, because she does not want to listen to Oedipus and Creon fight anymore. In saying this, Jocasta is telling Oedipus that he needs to stop arguing and give it up. This moment gives the impression of a mother being irritated, and a son stubbornly agreeing with what his mother wants. Regardless of the fact that Oedipus was naive to the information that Jocasta is his mother, there are many hints throughout the play that warned Oedipus about the current circumstances. Nevertheless, Oedipus was ignorant to these hints and was unknowledgeable about his marriage until it was too late. On account of this, Oedipus should be blamed for incest because of his benighted