Oedipus Greatness Essay

I think that Oedipus’s greatness comes from his soul. He leaves his home to avoid a horrible prophecy and protect his family only to walk strait into it. His greatness is present in his actions, when he defeats the Sphinx with his cunning and ability to solve the sphinx’s riddle. I think his cunning and loyalty to his city are part of his greatness but they also lead to his downfall. His needs to know the truth and stop the plague that has befallen his city, but this leads to the truth of the prophecy that he tried so hard to avoid. His flaws are shown in the passage when he recounts his murders acts on a road that seems like it might be where Laios meet his demise. His denial of fate and his weakness of loyalty are shown. At the end of the poem the chorus states that Oedipus’s downfall was his own greatness and that no man should have such good fortune. So to end the paly the chorus states that Oedipus’s biggest flaw was his good …show more content…
Jocasta or Iokaste in my opinion is a good queen and has a sense of mortality that causes her death. I don’t think that anyone is ever justified on committing suicide, but with that said I don’t know what else she could have done in this situation. I think that in her pain and self-loathing she did not think of others, like her daughters, only herself. Tiresias is a blind prophet. His insight is particularly important because when he enters that play the conflict begins. When he enters the play Oedipus is skeptical of his knowledge perhaps because of his blindness. Oedipus first shows his rage in this passage calling Tiresias a traitor to his people. Tiresias is very nonchalant about this interaction simply stating that it does not matter what he says, the truth will come out. Tiresias blindness is important because he was blinded by the gods for telling man their secrets. This might be why he refuse to tell Oedipus who the killer