One cannot understand the dilemma that Oedipus is stuck in in the classical Greek play Oedipus Rex. Being stuck between his own interests and the interests of his polis, emphasized by his position as King of Thebes, causes a tragic realization and emphasis on the many values of the people of his time and culture.
The biggest issue Oedipus is faced with is his importance to his polis. With the polis being an essential part of Greek identity, Oedipus holds the issue of the ensuing plague as a high priority. This traces to the Greek importance of harmony and order for without these in the polis the Greek people are very uncomfortable and will go to many lengths to fix the issue and to gain eudemonia in their city-state. This, unfortunately, is …show more content…
As the sphinxes popped out and presented Oedipus with a riddle they gave him a very narrow set of options. Either he could answer the question and marry the Queen of Thebes or he would die. This again, is a decision one cannot expect him to make in the way of death as no man will choose death over life.
There are, however, a couple ways one could blame Oedipus for his knowledge of his doing, but not for his doing of it. Oedipus had a need to protect his polis, as King he had a responsibility to that. He also had a responsibility to perform catharsis and clean the city as to reach eudemonia. So, yes, one could argue that he could have not pursued the issue. This choice is not a life and death one as the previous were. But, again, one cannot blame him for doing so as it was in the best interest of his people.
This is how one could conclude that Oedipus was not to blame for his eventual downfall. Many of his situations were not in his control and if they were his only two options were life and death. Also, Oedipus had the clear responsibility to his people and his other choices you cannot place much blame onto him for. The classic phrase, “Stuck between a rock and a hard place,” is the best way to describe the tragedy of Oedipus
The biggest issue Oedipus is faced with is his importance to his polis. With the polis being an essential part of Greek identity, Oedipus holds the issue of the ensuing plague as a high priority. This traces to the Greek importance of harmony and order for without these in the polis the Greek people are very uncomfortable and will go to many lengths to fix the issue and to gain eudemonia in their city-state. This, unfortunately, is …show more content…
As the sphinxes popped out and presented Oedipus with a riddle they gave him a very narrow set of options. Either he could answer the question and marry the Queen of Thebes or he would die. This again, is a decision one cannot expect him to make in the way of death as no man will choose death over life.
There are, however, a couple ways one could blame Oedipus for his knowledge of his doing, but not for his doing of it. Oedipus had a need to protect his polis, as King he had a responsibility to that. He also had a responsibility to perform catharsis and clean the city as to reach eudemonia. So, yes, one could argue that he could have not pursued the issue. This choice is not a life and death one as the previous were. But, again, one cannot blame him for doing so as it was in the best interest of his people.
This is how one could conclude that Oedipus was not to blame for his eventual downfall. Many of his situations were not in his control and if they were his only two options were life and death. Also, Oedipus had the clear responsibility to his people and his other choices you cannot place much blame onto him for. The classic phrase, “Stuck between a rock and a hard place,” is the best way to describe the tragedy of Oedipus