Sacrificial Scapegoat In Oedipus Analysis

Register to read the introduction… Jung's theory also says that often the hero becomes the sacrificial scapegoat for his people or country. The sacrificial scapegoat is defined as a hero who must die for the well being of his country, people, or for the sins of his people in order to save the land (Guerin 163). In addition Jung says that the death of the hero as a sacrificial scapegoat can often be attributed to the hero's hubris, or excessive pride in themselves and their accomplishments (Guerin 168).

Oedipus is an archetypal hero because he follows the quest, and is later the sacrificial scapegoat. His quest is when he leaves his parents, who have raised him, Dorian Merope and Polybus, out of fear of the oracle. Oedipus performs the impossible task of answering the riddle of the sphinx and saves the city of Thebes. His quest ends with him marrying the queen rather than the princess, and becoming the …show more content…
Jocasta comes into the scene and Oedipus tells her that Teiresias said he was responsible for killing Laius. When this is said Jocasta tries to reassure Oedipus by telling him the story behind Laius' death, at a place where three roads meet. This is where the evidence of Oedipus as an archetypal sacrificial scapegoat begins. The killing of his father happened on his quest, and Oedipus carried out his fate while trying to avoid it. Therefore, when Jocasta explains to him why she thinks it is impossible for him to have killed Laius, things are becoming devastatingly clear to Oedipus. Jocasta says, "An oracle came to Laius from the Pythian Priests that he would die at the hands of his child and mine. Yet the story we heard was that the robbers murdered Laius in the place where three roads met," (Sophocles 17). This is the line that triggers Oedipus' …show more content…
The story of Laius' death and his journey from Corinth coincidentally coincide. Oedipus explains that he was in Delphia where the three roads met and that he too killed a man and his men in that spot. He declares that he is the one who has killed Laius and is the source of the plague and hunger occurring in Thebes. At this point in the story, Oedipus' world crashes and he takes the blame for the plague and realizes he will be banished from Thebes for the sake of his people. Oedipus feels the beginning consequences and pain from being the sacrificial scapegoat. He knows he is the culprit and from this point in the play, where he confesses to the crime, he officially becomes the sacrificial