Theme Of Hubris In Oedipus

“Creon is no threat. You weave your own doom” (page 21). Through the entirety of Oedipus Rex, a play written by Sophocles, the character Oedipus undergoes an array of events which accumulate and inevitably lead to his demise as a tragic hero. Throughout this tragedy, Oedipus demonstrates hubris, or blind certainty, through many events and his naivety towards others ideas, thoughts, and opinions. Oedipus who was prophesized to kill his father and marry his mother, attempted to run away from that fate, but inevitably failed. Through a course of actions, from gaining his status by solving the Sphinx’s riddle, then marrying the queen and becoming king, the events portrayed in this play demonstrated his tragic flaw and showcase an error caused by …show more content…
When Teiresias, the blind prophet, originally appears to Oedipus, he urges Oedipus not to persist in asking him about the murderer, for his own good. He tells Oedipus, “I do not intend to torture myself. or you. / why persist in asking? You will not persuade me” (Page 18). Despite the insistence of Tiresias not to ask for the information, Oedipus’s hubris clouds his thoughts and he becomes blindly certain that Tiresias is just an old, blind man who is trying to insult him. This matter may have been resolved more peacefully if Oedipus accepted Tiresias’ plea’s, or asked to speak in private and not to the public about the murderer. Instead, Oedipus creates another misstep by insulting Tiresias over and over again, calling him, “A wicked old man you are..have you no feeling at all?..Who could endure your arrogance to the city?” (Page 18). He insults him repeatedly, enraged that Tiresias is withholding information, not understanding the hints that he is receiving due to his incredible amount of hubris. This brings him closer to recognizing the error he commits and takes him further through his downfall. Tiresias inevitably reveals the information that Oedipus is the murderer, to which Oedipus characteristically dismisses as false. His hubris is evident where, when Creon persists about the truth about Oedipus being the murderer, Oedipus …show more content…
A messenger arrives and reveals that “The king is dead...Polybus was not your father” (Page 53). Of course that point doesn’t reveal enough to make Oedipus realize the truth because of his Hubris. Oedipus then continues through his investigation even though Jocasta 's persistent attempts to stop him. She tells Oedipus “You are fatally wrong! May you never learn who you are!” (Page 57). She clearly understands the situation which Oedipus has put everybody through, but once again, his hubris keeps him from understanding the situation that has arisen. The shepherd then arrives and reveals the entire truth stating that “I pitied the baby..He saved him- but for what a fate!..No man living is more wretched than Oedipus” (Page 64). It was through the Shepard that he reveals the truth about the whole ordeal in a moment. As the nature of a tragic hero goes, Oedipus heroicness causes him to destroy himself through his tragic flaw of his blindness. Through the entire play, Oedipus is trying to achieve a moral purpose in his journey, but in this stage of Anagnorisis, he finally recognizes that the prophecy he has been avoiding the whole time had already been fulfilled and he will have to punish himself for the crime he has committed with no other possibilities. Oedipus exclaims, “ O Light, may I look on you for the last time!” (Page 64). Recognizing the person he truly is completes the Anagnorisis stage, leaving