Oedipus Ruin

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Oedipus' Ruin

Sophocles is perhaps one of the greatest tragedians ever. Sophocles said that a
man should never consider himself fortunate unless he can look back on his life
and remember that life without pain. For Oedipus Rex, looking back is impossible
to do without pain. This pain stems from his prideful life. Oedipus is aware
that he alone is responsible for his actions. Oedipus freely chooses to pursue
and accept his own life's destruction. Even though fate victimizes Oedipus, he
is a tragic figure since his own heroic qualities, his loyalty to Thebes, and
his fidelity to the truth ruin him. Oedipus’ pride, strung from his own heroic
qualities, is one factor that ruined him. A hero prizes above all else his honor
and the excellence of his life. When his honor is at stake, all other
considerations become irrelevant. The hero “valued strength and skill, courage
and determination, for these attributes enabled the person who possessed them to
achieve glory and honor, both in his lifetime and after he died” (Rosenburg
38). Oedipus was certainly a hero who was exceptionally intelligent though one
can argue that killing four men at Phokis single-handedly more than qualified
him as a physical force of reckoning. He obviously knew his heroic status when
he greeted the supplicating citizens of Thebes before the palace doors saying,
“I would not have you speak through messengers, and therefore I have come
myself to hear you - I, Oedipus, who bear the famous name”(Sophocles 1088).
Oedipus is "guilty of Hubris- that is, that he is too sure of himself, too
confident in his own powers [and] a little undermindful of the gods” (Brooks
573). Oedipus, a hero of superior intelligence, also displays this
uncompromising attitude in his fealty to Thebes. Oedipus' loyalty to Thebes is
another factor that led to the tragic figure's ruin. Aristotle explains that a
tragic character is just and good, but his misfortune is brought about not by
wickedness or depravity but by error, pride, or frailty. Oedipus fits this
description perfectly. "The story of Oedipus fascinates us because of the
spectacle of a man freely choosing, from the highest motives, a series of
actions which lead to his ruin." (Dodds 23). Oedipus could leave the city
of Thebes and let the plague take its course "but pity for the sufferings
of his people compelled him to consult Delphi" (Dodds 23). When Apollo's
word comes back, he could leave the murder of Laius uninvestigated, but pride
and justice cause him ...

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