In Oedipus the King, the eponymous character and Creon refer to a creature they encounter prior to the events of the play—the sphinx. The creature hails from Egyptian mythology, yet appears in a Greek tragedy. Unlike her place in Egyptian mythology, she is a conniving, female monster who terrorizes the people of Thebes. Before the play begins, Oedipus became the king of Thebes and married Jocasta because he defeated her by solving her riddle. In addition, she prevented Creon from discovering Laius’ murderer. Because of the sphinx, Oedipus’s past is unknown to most of the Thebans. She is not physically present in the play; however the references made to her provide a greater context to Oedipus the King and reveal why the events of the play
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The most common combination was the body of a lion and a human head with the face of a reigning king or queen. These sphinxes embodied the power and duty of the ruler to defend Egypt” (Pinch 206). The ancient Egyptians admired these “benevolent” and male creatures (Gods and Symbols 114). However, the sphinx from Greek mythology differs from the Egytpians’ sphinx. “The Greek sphinx…has a body which is part dog, accompanied by the wings of a bird, the paws of a lion, and a female head and voice. The Greeks believed that the sphinx was evil and that it was ultimately destroyed when Oedipus answered her question…” (Mercatante 169). The Egyptians revered the sphinx, yet the Greeks believed her to be a vile, conniving creature. This suggests a negative attitude the Greeks harbored toward the Egyptians and perhaps toward women as well. The Greeks changed the sphinx into a riddling, female creature—implying that in ancient Greek society, a typical man would not exhibit these characteristics. This also implies that the Greeks may have seen different civilizations, such as the Egyptians, to be invaders—like the sphinx in the Oedipus myth. In the Oedipus myth, the sphinx was an enigmatic “monster sent by Hera” (Morford & Lenardon 383). Even though the creature has Egyptian origin, the myth suggests that the monster hails from Greek mythology, as in the myth she was summoned …show more content…
In response to Oedipus asking him why Laius’ killer was not searched for immediately after the murder, Creon notes that he did not attempt to track the killer of his former king because of “The singing, riddling Sphinx. She…persuaded us to let the mystery go and concentrate on what lay on our feet” (Sophocles 75). Because of the sphinx’s reign of terror, Creon never discovered that Oedipus is Laius’ murderer. This situation is Creon’s hamartia. The sphinx’s presence clouded Creon’s judgment. His missed the mark because if he had discovered that Oedipus killed Laius, Oedipus would have never become king nor married Jocasta; the events of the play would have never unfolded. Therefore, the sphinx is responsible for the events of the play not only because she is why Oedipus became the ruler of Thebes, but also because she is the reason why Oedipus was never discovered Laius’ murderer. The sphinx functions toward Oedipus’ hamartia. After killing his father, Oedipus encountered the sphinx. If he had answered the sphinx’s riddle incorrectly, then he would have been killed as well and would have never become king—the events of the play would not have happened. Even though he cleverly answered the riddle, leading to his attaining power and a wife, his wit in this moment eventually resulted in his
The most common combination was the body of a lion and a human head with the face of a reigning king or queen. These sphinxes embodied the power and duty of the ruler to defend Egypt” (Pinch 206). The ancient Egyptians admired these “benevolent” and male creatures (Gods and Symbols 114). However, the sphinx from Greek mythology differs from the Egytpians’ sphinx. “The Greek sphinx…has a body which is part dog, accompanied by the wings of a bird, the paws of a lion, and a female head and voice. The Greeks believed that the sphinx was evil and that it was ultimately destroyed when Oedipus answered her question…” (Mercatante 169). The Egyptians revered the sphinx, yet the Greeks believed her to be a vile, conniving creature. This suggests a negative attitude the Greeks harbored toward the Egyptians and perhaps toward women as well. The Greeks changed the sphinx into a riddling, female creature—implying that in ancient Greek society, a typical man would not exhibit these characteristics. This also implies that the Greeks may have seen different civilizations, such as the Egyptians, to be invaders—like the sphinx in the Oedipus myth. In the Oedipus myth, the sphinx was an enigmatic “monster sent by Hera” (Morford & Lenardon 383). Even though the creature has Egyptian origin, the myth suggests that the monster hails from Greek mythology, as in the myth she was summoned …show more content…
In response to Oedipus asking him why Laius’ killer was not searched for immediately after the murder, Creon notes that he did not attempt to track the killer of his former king because of “The singing, riddling Sphinx. She…persuaded us to let the mystery go and concentrate on what lay on our feet” (Sophocles 75). Because of the sphinx’s reign of terror, Creon never discovered that Oedipus is Laius’ murderer. This situation is Creon’s hamartia. The sphinx’s presence clouded Creon’s judgment. His missed the mark because if he had discovered that Oedipus killed Laius, Oedipus would have never become king nor married Jocasta; the events of the play would have never unfolded. Therefore, the sphinx is responsible for the events of the play not only because she is why Oedipus became the ruler of Thebes, but also because she is the reason why Oedipus was never discovered Laius’ murderer. The sphinx functions toward Oedipus’ hamartia. After killing his father, Oedipus encountered the sphinx. If he had answered the sphinx’s riddle incorrectly, then he would have been killed as well and would have never become king—the events of the play would not have happened. Even though he cleverly answered the riddle, leading to his attaining power and a wife, his wit in this moment eventually resulted in his