For your original post in response to Oedipus, select one of the following ideas to elaborate on:
As you read Oedipus the King, be sure to make note of the various types of irony present in the play. Can you identify examples of all three (verbal, situational, dramatic)?
Oedipus the King is a Greek Tragedy (hint, hint: genre alert); therefore, there are some key components that exist in the play that are present in all Greek Tragedies. One component is the idea that human beings are flawed, and Greek tragic protagonists always have a tragic flaw that leads to their ultimate downfall or destruction. Can you identify Oedipus' tragic flaw? How does it contribute to his downfall?
Do you have a flaw that acts as an obstacle to your own success or can you think of an example of another person in real life that has a tragic flaw? You can consider politicians, historical figures, celebrities, or people you know personally. If you write about someone you know personally, you must conceal their identity by giving them a false name. Also, consider comparing yourself or this other person with Oedipus in the play.
Look up some of the other common elements to a Greek Tragedy. Which do you find in Oedipus?
King Oedipus is a great King who listens to his people and acts accordingly, but as in all tragedies the protagonist has a tragic fall and Oedipus's is acting before he thinks. This trait is exhibited throughout the entire novel. Although Oedipus is able to please his people by sending a messenger to find out the reason their city is falling apart, his flaw is also the reason Oedipus dies at the end. Because of his flaw, first, Oedipus kills a traveler on the road out of pure tantrum, which started the ball rolling towards his doom. Next, Oedipus demands for Creon to bring in witnesses such as the shepherd who saved him from the mountain-side and Tireias the prophet to give their information on Oedipus’s birth and coming to the city, no matter how much they protested. It never occurred to Oedipus that the witnesses were protecting him from some sort of danger, for Oedipus’s flaw stood in his way from seeing such a fact. This constant action and moving forward caused for the truth to surface and lead Oedipus to be banished from the city, but not before Oedipus stabbed out his eyes with his wife’s broach out of anger, and forces himself to live the rest of his life blind. However it is no one's business to over analyze another's actions for we all have flaws and none is better or worse than the other.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading Oedipus Rex, I couldn't help but remembering "The Labors of Heracles", or as we know him, Hercules. Like Oedipus, Hercules was impetuous and a bit capricious. You could say that they both had an inability to control their anger, which was their tragic flaw.
ReplyDeleteOedipus was angry that an oracle told him of his future father-slaying. While walking home, he killed men because of it. Though it is true that the man on King Laius's carriage pushed him aside, he certainly had no justification in killing him. His own anger is what caused his predicted future to become a reality.
Later, Oedipus is mad that Tiresias suggests to him that he is the killer of Laius, even after Tiresias didn't want to talk to him about it. He is so angered that he brings Creon out and tells him that he is going to kill him. He even suggests that Creon wanted to steal his throne, and made Tiresias say the things he did out of jealousy. If Jocasta wasn't there to level out his mind, Oedipus may have killed him.
It is true that Oedipus did not know his wife was his mother, but his destiny could've been avoided if he would have had a level mind when going about things. He was told he was going to kill his father and marry his mother, so maybe he should have made it his goal to never kill anyone. If he had never killed anyone, he couldn't have killed his father. The situation seems almost unavoidable, but there was a different possible outcome. Even though tragic flaws are exaggerated, it is important for us to learn them. We can all learn a lesson from reading about Hercules and Oedipus.
Original Comment
ReplyDeleteLike Oedipus, I had an anger issue as a flaw. My problem was that people literally couldn't understand what I was saying. The reason was that I am half deaf. This means that when I was learning words and speech as a young child I didn't always hear vowels and so would mispronounce some words. On top of this, when I spoke I could hear what I was saying as clear as day, even if it was a whisper, because everything sounded louder in my head. Therefore, I never spoke loud enough for people to understand what I was saying, but when they did, they didn't totally understand because of the mispronounced words. I never thought that people couldn't understand me. During a conversation, people would say, "What? Sorry I can't hear you, please speak louder. You're so quiet!". I did, or at least I did what I thought was louder which in reality was no change. After the fifth or sixth time of repeating one sentence, I had decided that they were deliberately ignoring me. I remember thinking, "My gosh! This is like the thousandth time I've told you and you still aren't getting it! Forget it! I am soooo not going to say it again!". Of course, I did. Each time I did though, there was no break through. I was still as inaudible as ever, and each time I repeated myself I got angrier. I would hit the person I was talking to, either on the shins or thighs, depending on which I could reach. The scary part was that these weren't little girl hits. These were hits that left people with bruises the size of toddler fists. Eventually, I would just give up and walk away. Or, my parents would get just as frustrated and sent me to a time out.
Looking back now, that was without a doubt the silliest thing I ever did. If I hadn't spent all my time bent up in anger thinking that people were ignoring me, I might have been quite the successful little chatterbox. I may have even formed better speech skills giving me a head start if I had listened to my family. Who's to say? All that's certain is that my speech wouldn't slip back as much as it does today.
Fortunetly, my anger is under control. I have learned that hitting people is unacceptable and that the right thing to do is to let the little things go. The bigger issues can be handled by going away for a while to cool off, so later I can calmly talk about what's bugging me and try to work out the issue.
Oedipus the King is extremely rich with irony. The story of Oedipus is legendary, therefore it is assumed that one will know his story before witnessing the play and will understand the vast use of dramatic irony. While the audience already knows that his wife is his mother and that he had killed his father, the former king, Oedipus and those surrounding him are unaware. Those watching see the events unfold as Oedipus finds out what the audience already knows, such as when Oedipus curses the murderer, as well as himself if the murderer shares his home, not knowing that he is automatically calling down both the curses on himself. Situational irony is also evident in the play: When Oedipus accuses Creon of treason, Creon insists that he wasn't trying to overthrow Oedipus's throne and that he wouldn't want the position of king because he prefers royal power over being royalty. The irony is established later in the play when Oedipus gives up his throne, putting Creon into the position of king. Verbal irony is spread throughout the play as well. Tiresias makes the sarcastic comment, “Aren't you the best man alive at guessing riddles?” seeming to refer to Oedipus solving the Spinx’s riddle; however he is really mocking Oedipus, pointing out his denial towards the truth.
ReplyDeleteA well-constructed plot is a motif in Greek tragedies and is especially evident in Oedipus the King. The play begins with the prologue, a dialogue between Oedipus and a priest and later joined by Creon, in which the problem of the plague is presented. After that is the first choral ode, often called the entrance ode, which is preformed by the chorus, a group of singers and dancers typically present throughout the play. Following the entrance ode is a series of alternating episodes, which includes speeches and dialogue between characters, and stasimons, where the chorus sings more odes in response to previous episodes. This pattern occurs three times in Oedipus the King, as Oedipus learns of his terrible fate and transitions from a proud king to a humble and pitiful blind man. The play ends with an exit ode by the chorus, pitying Oedipus for his misfortune, effectively wrapping up the play's excellent plot construction.
Emily Laske
Oedipus has a major flaw and that is that he acts before he thinks. He didn't realize till the end of the story that may actually be the murderer that he is looking for and by that time it was too late. By not thinking before he acted he caused a curse that he had called out to be brought upon him because he didn't think that there could be chance that he is the murderer and that causes not only him great pain, but also his family and leads to his downfall as king of Thebes.
ReplyDeleteJust like Oedipus I too have a flaw. My flaw, however, is that I am too competitive and I hate to lose. Ever since I was little this has been flaw. I play softball and if something didn't go my way, or there was a bad call, or we lost I would get so upset that I would just yell at anyone who talked to me and was in a bad mood for the rest of the day. One time I got so mad because I struck out even though I shouldn't have; well I was so mad that I threw my helmet at the fence and almost got kicked out of the game. It got so bad that my family would know not to talk to me if we team had lost.
Oedipus didn't learn how to overcome his flaw, but I did. I learned that I could use my flaw for good and not bad. Since I don't like to lose I learned to help encourage my teammates and by this they felt that they could do it and it would help us win or not lose so badly. I had to learn to overcome my flaw and sometimes I do fall back into my old ways, but Oedipus never learned to overcome his flaw and because of this he ruined his life, lost the throne, and was banned from the city of Thebes.
There is a flaw that I have that often times limits the amount of success I can achieve. This flaw is that I am not very comfortable with change. Now I’m not OCD or anything, you can move my stuff around and I could care less, but when it comes to things like my schedule or any type of activity I am participating in, we have a slight problem. For instance, I originally was not all that interested in trying out to be Drum Major of the marching band. I thought it would make my life really busy and I wouldn’t have time for this or that. Eventually, with a little persuasion, I decided to audition and I got the job. I was very excited about the honor, but I was very nervous about the job itself. A month went by and i packed up for Drum Major camp and readied my nerves. I arrived at the camp and didn’t know a single person. Still nervous I probably didn’t look very approachable, but after a couple days I met some Drum Majors from a school nearby. We quickly became friends and my whole experience changed from then on. Since that day, some of my most cherished memories have been while being a Drum Major of our school’s amazing band. I would not trade my experience for anything and had it not been for the people who helped convince me to audition, my flaw would have ridded me of the great opportunity I have been given to be successful.
ReplyDeleteOriginal Comment:
ReplyDeleteWhen considering the concept of a tragic flaw, I noticed that many prominent leaders throughout history have been marked by a similar fault—a thirst for power—and like Oedipus, it has caused their fall from the throne, so to speak. Of these politicians, two well-known and well-hated leaders are the French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte and the infamous Nazi dictator Adolph Hitler. These two notorious rulers share some uncanny similarities but also share the same tragic end.
Napoleon’s swift rise from a lowly Second Lieutenant to Commander in Chief of the French Army is the first sign of his tragic flaw. However, after he seized control of a vulnerable, post-revolutionary France, his need for power is truly shown. He aimed to expand the French Empire and in effect, his own control and soon had conquered much of Europe and the Mediterranean including Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Poland, Egypt, and modern-day Israel and Lebanon. Although he had power which frightened the likes of the British Empire and the United States, he sought more and eventually invaded Russia, trapping him and half a million soldiers in a bitter Russian winter. With virtually no provisions, only ten thousand men returned to France; ultimately, the invasion of Russia led to his downfall. Napoleon’s tragic flaw of insatiable hunger for power caused him to lose everything.
Like Napoleon, Hitler’s rise to power was shockingly quick. Beginning as a general member of the German Workers Party, Hitler developed his own political philosophy and formed the Nazi Party in merely a year, granting him his first taste of power. After the start of WWII and becoming the “Führer” of Germany, Hitler’s need for power pushed him to capture Austria, Sudetenland, the Rhineland, and Czechoslovakia, and occupy over twenty other countries including France and Italy. Ironically, Hitler made the same mistake as Napoleon and invaded Russia during the winter causing a shortage of food and supplies. As a result of Hitler’s hunger for power, thousands lost their lives, and Hitler lost his chance at winning the war. After this turning point, Nazi-Germany lived its last days, eventually ending with Hitler’s suicide—a result of his tragic flaw.
http://library.thinkquest.org/C0110901/standard/timeline.html
http://www.geographia.com/russia/rushis05.htm
http://www.rossel.net/Holocaust01.htm
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/occmap.html
http://worldwar2database.com/html/barbarossa.htm/page/0/4
Oedipus the King is layered heavily with irony. When Oedipus hears Apollo’s decree that his people are plagued by an evil within their midst, he is at the forefront of finding the killer and bringing justice to Laius’ death. Of course we as the audience are aware, unlike Oedipus, that the killer is Oedipus himself. He does himself in by bringing curses down on the man who would dare kill his own king. These curses come back to haunt him when he realizes that he is the actual killer. This would be an example of the situational irony and dramatic irony in the play. The situational irony being that he curses the killer, but the killer is himself. The dramatic irony being that we know from the onset of the play that he is the killer.
ReplyDeleteIn Scene II, Tiresias enters and Oedipus explains to him the situation and he says, "Pheobus sent in answer to our sending an oracle declaring that our freedom from this disease would only come when we should learn the names of those who killed King Laius, and kill them or expel from our country." This is the verbal irony, because Oedipus is saying that they learn the name or names of the killers, but little does he know that he knows the name very well, because it is his own.
In Response to Anthony MichShaw...
ReplyDeleteWhat you have stated is true, Oedipus is rich with irony! The dramatic irony you have pointed out is spot on! Oedipus is naive of his crime and curses himself unknowingly. He also does not intend to bring curses upon himself, which makes that example situationaly ironic as well.
However, I think you need to brush up on your definition of verbal irony. As defined by dictionary.com, verbal irony is irony in which a person says or writes one thing and means another, or uses words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of the literal meaning.
The example of verbal irony which you have given us actually falls in the category of dramatic irony. Oedipus in no way meant a different thing when he explained the situation to Tiresias. Pheobus really did give an answer that freedom would come if they learn the names of Laius' murderers. It's not like he means to hide the names from anyone, because he's none the wiser! Since he does not know that he's the wanted man, and is still confused about the situation, but we, the readers are not, that makes it dramatic irony.
Harrison Jones
ReplyDeleteOedipus
Original Comment
In the story of Oedipus, the reader learns quickly that Oedipus, the King of Thebes, has a few problems. From the very beginning of the story we know that the city of thebes is under a huge plight of disease and the people come to Oedipus asking for help, they assume he can cure what is wrong because he has saved the city once before and we already can begin to put together Oedipus's past and issues. Oedipus saved the city of Thebes when it was under siege from the great Sphinx. When he defeats the Sphinx his arrogance grows and after the people of Thebes proclaim him king he marries the old king's widow. His arrogance grows continually until his life begins to unravel. When the pieces of the puzzle to his life begin to come together it is Oedipus's arrogance and self-worth that is his downfall. He repeatedly calls out the blind oracle and puts him down from being insane. He refuses to hear what the prophet from Apollo has to say when he is the only one speaking the truth. It takes hearing the truth from a messenger and Shepard in order to crack his arrogance and ego and bring him back down to earth. Oedipus's flaw is arrogance and it plays out in the fact that everything in his life has gone his way when in reality none of it should have gone his way. The gods never wanted him to succeed and instead of accepting the truth from the beginning he fought it with all his power and arrogance till the bitter end. It is a tragic flaw because it forced him to go all the way to insanity instead of stopping and realizing it could still be fixed. oedipus is a perfect example of a Greek Tragedy lifted high and shot down at his moment of pride.
In response to Harrison:
ReplyDeleteI agree with Harrison that Oedipus’s tragic flaw is arrogance. Although other blogs pointed out additional faults such as his quick temper, it is his arrogance that is the root of these other problems. Like Harrison pointed out, his pride blinded him to the truth of Tiresias’s prophecy, but it also leads him to madly accuse the prophet of conspiracy. Due to his arrogance, the pompous king was furious that such an “inferior” man would accuse him. His anger at the uncooperative shepherds is also an onset of his self-importance. In his opinion, these subjects should obey his every command, including confessing their dealings with the Theban baby in the mountains. It is only when his pride is tarnished by the fulfillment of the prophecy that Oedipus meets tragedy, and he stabs his own eyes out with the pins from Jocasta’s robes. Arrogance is indeed his downfall, causing him to ignore the truth for so long despite multiple warnings.
Harrison Jones
ReplyDeleteOedipus
In Response to Elizabeth K.
I agree that another flaw of Oedipus was his quick thinking in the wrong direction. His quickness to act is often hat can make a powerful leader and the worst leader. There is a very fine line between having control and directing your life swift and with purpose but when you act too quickly often your own mind cannot analyze its thoughts fast enough. Oedipus has his actions follow him throughout the novel and this fact scares his people and his friends and family. People throughout the book constantly strive to slow him down, because they are trying to protect him from himself. Again his arrogance and standpoint that he has to be right only compounds his quick decisions and drives him further and further into a hole. I also agree that we all have our own flaws and that no one person is safe from a flaw. I feel that some people's flaws are worse for their positions in life than others. To be controlling in a leadership capacity is way worse then to be controlling as a cab driver. We all must embrace our flaws and move on instead of being caught up on them and letting our flaws get the best or rather the worst of us.
In response to Emily L:
ReplyDeleteI agree with your selection of irony in Oedipus the King, but I also feel that the most significant piece of verbal irony is in the title itself. The title specifically emphasizes Oedipus’s status as ruler through the direct statement “the King.” If the choice had not been deliberate, the title could have easily read “King Oedipus.” This intentional emphasis makes it all the more ironic that this great King falls from the throne in disgrace. Although he is an all-powerful king, Oedipus has no power over his own fate. In this way, the title subtly mocks Oedipus and his pride in his royal title, a title which is disgraced by his marriage to his mother and his murder of his father. In the end, Oedipus the King is no longer king at all.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteMarianne Maresh
ReplyDeleteOriginal comment
King Oedipus' tragic flaws are he is angry and quick to blame other people. When the tragedy begins, Oedipus eagerly waits for Creon to return with news describing how to get rid of a plague taking over the city of Thebes. He is happy to hear that the plague can be abolished by killing the man who killed the previous king of Thebes, Laius. However, no one knows the true identity of the murderer. Creon, Oedipus' brother-in-law, sends for a prophet, Tiresias, to determine the murderer. When Tiresias approaches Oedipus, claiming he is Laius' killer Oedipus becomes enraged. In a fit of anger, he accuses Creon of bribing Tiresias to say he is the killer in hopes of taking over the throne of Thebes. Creon tries to argue with Oedipus, but he refuses to change his mind. Oedipus is very quick to blame people to get out of uncomfortable situations. When he gets angry, he acts before he thinks of the consequences. We later find out that he in fact did kill Laius over a dispute about who has the right of way on a road. Had Oedipus but his pride aside and not assume Laius is wrong, he probably could have avoided the confrontation. Oedipus' anger heavily contributes to his downfall. When Oedipus is young, he is told he will one day kill his father and marry his mother. Shocked at what he hears, Oedipus flees his town and becomes kind of Thebes. He is unaware Laius is his true father. He killed his father during one of his temper flares for a very trivial reason. While he did not know Laius was his father when he slaughtered him on the road, Oedipus should have controlled his feelings and thought before acted. Had he been nicer, he would not have killed his father, and the prophecy would not have been fulfilled.
I can identify with Oedipus' anger problem. Like many people, I get angry and act without thinking. For example, I may have a bad day at school. Instead of trying to relax enough to communicate my problems to my parents, I get upset and fight with them. At the time I do not realize I am acting out of frustration and feel my parents are against me. This is similar to how Oedipus convinces himself Creon has betrayed him. After I think about the reasons behind fighting with my parents, I understand I was out of line, not them. I can also identify with Oedipus' habit of blaming other people. When I was little I would often do things I knew I was not supposed to do. I would blame my older brother for my actions to escape punishment. While my attempts to blame him were usually thwarted (my parents knew me all to well :D), I did not want to take responsibility for my actions. Oedipus shows this trait when he hesitates to admit to killing Laius. Both Oedipus and I learned that, no matter what the consequences, taking responsibility for our actions is key to gaining trust.
Marianne Maresh
ReplyDeleteIn response to Ashley
Ashley brings up an interesting point about overcoming tragic flaws. She is right, Oedipus never overcame his tragic flaw. Like her, I have also conquered my flaws.I learned getting angry at people does not solve problems and taking responsibility for my actions helps me become a better person. In Ashley's case, she was able to turn her flaw into something positive. While Oedipus probably could not have found positive uses for his anger and lack of responsibility, he still did not try to overcome his flaw. It is difficult to admit to having a tragic flaw, but admitting it is the first step towards changing for the better. Oedipus decided to deny his flaw instead of embrace it. This lead to his demise.
Marianne Maresh
ReplyDeleteIn response to Natalie Sanders:
I agree that Napoleon and Hitler both share a flaw similar to Oedipus. Leaders often strive to expand their empire, this is a natural inclination. In the case of Napoleon and Hitler however, this thirst to take over surrounding countries led to their downfall. For example, after taking over Austria, Hitler probably assumed taking over another country would not be difficult. As he continued to overpower country after country, he began to think Germany was invincible. Little did he know Russia would finally put an end to Germany's empire. I believe it is very easy for people to forget that we are only human and can be defeated at any time. After all, what goes up must always come down.
In Response To Marianne Maresh...
ReplyDeleteI acknowledge your original statement about Oedipus' anger. I do not disagree that this is a flaw he has, but after reading what others have said I am inclined to believe that anger is not the greater flaw. I think Oedipus' greater flaw is that he is a very proud man.
Although you wrote about anger as Oedipus' flaw, I don't think you could have said it better yourself when you wrote, "Had Oedipus but his pride aside and not assume Laius is wrong, he probably could have avoided the confrontation." Had he been willing to admit he was wrong and that Laius should have the right of way, he wouldn't have gotten so worked up over it and avoided this entire situation. He would have avoided killing his father and making his mother a widow in need of a new husband and king to rule by. The prophecy would have been false, as you have already pointed out. However, that isn't Oedipus' character. Oedipus would be doomed to continue in his prideful ways. While it is true he did get angry at Tiresias, it is also true that he refuses to accept Tiresias' answer as truth. Tiresias' says he is the killer three times: "From this day forth, keep far from every person here and me-The rotting canker in the state is you.", "I say, you murdered the man whose murderer you require.", and "I say that you and your most dearly loved are wrapped together in a hideous sin-blind to the horror of it."(36,37). Each time Tiresias tries to explain his fate Oedipus responds with disbelief: "It made no sense (...)", "What!", and "Exulting in abuse? You think you can go on?" (37). Then, as others have said, he disregards Tiresias as an 'inferior' man. It doesn't stop there, in his pride he blames Creon for bribing Tiresias to say such things. In turn, the people try to reason with him and explain to him that they are not at fault, and that is what makes him angry. (He can't be wrong about this, he's the king! How dare they disagree with him! The king can do no harm!) So, we are both right in a way. Oedipus does have anger and pride as flaws. I just happen to think that pride is the greater flaw out of the two.
Harrison Jones
ReplyDeleteOedipus
In Response to Marianne M.
I agree with Marianne's statement about Oedipus and his quick temper and lack of foresight but I really like that she tied Oedipus's tragic flaw to her own flaws of anger and jumping to conclusions. It is very wise of a reader to not only hear the story but to tie the story back into your own personal life. Much as Marianne did when she was younger and think most will agree we all took actions that would end up in consequences. We all share some of the same flaws as Oedipus. We are all humans and just as Oedipus acts like a child, we all act like children sometime in roder to dal with hardships. I can personally say that I have been guilty of quick decisions and temper. We all want to blame others but that is not what makes a true leader. We are agains brought back to the fact that Oedipus was never supposed to be king and his foolish actions thrust him into poer without him maturing at all. Marianne truly hit the nail on the head in saying we are all Oedipus and Oedipus is all of us in some way shape or form in our lives.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteCarrie Shuler
ReplyDeleteOedipus the King
Original Comment
Greek tragedies have several common elements. One of these is the idea that the main character, or protagonist, has a tragic flaw, meaning that he has a trait that will one day lead to his downfall. In the case of Oedipus, this could be one of many things. It could be his overwhelming pride, his opinion that he is always right, or his fear of being wrong. However, his most terrible flaw is that of acting and then thinking. There are many cases during which Oedipus meets failure due to this tragic flaw. One such case is when he declares that the murderer of Laius shall be disowned and banished from Thebes. Little does he know, he is the murderer, and thus his decision leads to his future departure from the city. Another situation is when he places blame on Creon for plotting against him for the throne. He believed that Creon created the rumors about Oedipus being the murderer just so he would be thrown off of the throne and Creon could take his place. Consequently, Creon is the next king, though it was not due to the so-called “rumors”. However, his panic caused him to investigate the matter even further, leading him to the discovery that he was actually the killer. A third example of his lack of thinking occurs when he pokes out his eyes. He already knows that he shall be banished, but once he has complete blindness, he is of no use to his daughters and cannot truly help them in any way. The only thing he can do now is ask Creon to take his place as their father. Finally, in one instance, Oedipus just fails to think throughout the whole play. At a young age, he was told that he would one day murder his father and marry his mother. Jocasta confirms that the same prediction was made about Laius’ son. It does not take much to connect the dots, yet Oedipus made a whole lot of rash decisions before he realized what the two prophecies meant. Had Oedipus thought situations through and analyzed the facts, he may not have met the fate that he did. If he had just explored the prophecy more as a young man, he would not have met his end in the way that he did. Thus, his tragic flaw was his failure to think and make rash decisions as a result.
Kaitlin Aleshire
ReplyDeleteOriginal Comment
Oedipus the King is a Greek Tragedy that I believe we all can learn from. It helps us to learn that our anger is best when it’s a controlled anger (much like revenge, it is best when cold). But our dear king has such a hot, red anger that he cannot control it, much less what he says. I believe this to be his tragic flaw, if he had not had such anger he may not have killed Laius. I do believe however that this is the Gods’ or Fates’ way of punishing Laius and his household for wanting Oedipus to be killed because of an Oracle’s prediction. If they had never asked, or been told, the waiting future then perhaps it would have been different. Knowing the future is a business best left to those who live it, at least that is my belief because the main thing I learn from Greek Tragedies is that those who are told they have a horrible deed to do, run away thinking it for the best, but they really run straight into what they were ‘predestined’ to do. Knowing the future may be fine, but not for the worst event in your life; if I were given the option, I would rather not know what great horrible thing I may or may not do.
Kaitlin Aleshire
ReplyDeleteIn response to: Emily Lerner
I agree that Oedipus’ tragic flaw was anger. But as in each story, there must be balance; In 1984 the government’s policies were balanced with the Proles who drank, cursed, and were not very well educated. In Oedipus the King, Oedipus’ wife/mother is his balance; she has a calm and steady mind to offset his short temper. Each character in the story seems to have a balance, it’s this duo of King and Queen who must balance each other out. I think that Jocasta could have lived without Oedipus, but he could not have ruled without her. I believe that if Jocasta and Laius had not abandoned Oedipus at birth because of a prophecy, that he would have become a much better person, and one day a great king.
Kaitlin Aleshire
ReplyDeleteIn response to: Ashley
I believe that Oedipus does act before he has a chance to think, but I believe this is just an attribute of his anger. But I do agree with you that because he did not have a clear head, and simply acted was the root of his curse; which in time led to his downfall as king. If he had not killed Laius over something as small as moving off the road, then I believe that this entire mess of Jocasta’s suicide and Oedipus making himself blind could have been avoided. I would like to think that a sane person would have avoided running in to a man with body guards on the road, but I’m simply going to think that most likely he isn’t all there.
In Response to Ashley:
ReplyDeleteI agree with Ashley that one of Oedipus' flaws is that he does not think through his actions. After hearing the prophesy, Oedipus runs away never to return to his home. At that moment, he should have stopped and thought about what the best plan of action would be. Running from the people who he suspects are not actually his biological parents (making them immune from the prophesy) might not be the best idea. He could have went home and told his parents about the prophesy or at least said goodbye. He should have thought about how much pain he would cause his parents by leaving them. Maybe they would have confessed that they are not his biological parents so that he would not worry about harming them, and then Oedipus would grow up to become King of Corinth. The next moment where Oedipus lacks sound judgment is when he kills Laius and his attendants. Oedipus should have stopped and asked himself a few questions like: What would I gain from killing all of these people? Do these people really deserve to be killed for pushing me off the road? If he recognized that he would gain nothing from killing them and was only doing it out of anger, Oedipus probably would not have killed all of those people. Lastly, Oedipus does not think through the action of stabbing out his eyes. After realizing that the horrendous prophesy came true, he is overcome by emotion and painfully blinds himself. Again, Oedipus should have stopped and asked himself questions like: What would I accomplish by blinding myself? Will it really make everything better? Can it bring Jocasta back from the dead and take away the family's shame? I agree with Oedipus' decision to leave Thebes and live in the mountains, but I feel that stabbing his eyes out was completely unnecessary. If Oedipus exercised more patience and thought through his actions, he could have prevented so much pain.
Lauren Jones
ReplyDeleteOedipus Rex
Original Comment
Sophocle’s Oedipus Rex can definitely be classified as a common Greek tragedy. I mean, it has the basic and obvious characteristics of a tragedy, such as the serious themes of human sufferings (such as Oedipus unknowingly committing incest with his mother and having her children—a.k.a. almost like his siblings), and that the play’s goal is to excite the deeper human emotions (the play teaches the lesson of remorse, what can happen with too much paranoia, and how no one can control their own destiny, like Oedipus so desperately tries to).
Another common element of a tragedy is the tragic hero. According to the great Greek philosopher, Aristotle, there are four characteristics of a tragic hero, and Oedipus accurately fits each of them. The first is the hero’s position. The hero is generally of noble birth, respected, admirable, and has a long way to fall. Seemingly, Oedipus is a king, born of Laius and Jocasta, rulers of Thebes, and he is well-respected, honored, and obeyed. Next, tragic heroes have tragic flaws (called harmartia). In Oedipus Rex, Oedipus’s tragic flaw seems to be his paranoia and his want to control his own destiny. He becomes so wrapped up in not making the prophecy of him becoming his mother’s husband and him killing his own father come true that he unwittingly walks right into the prophecy, so to speak. His flaw is tragic because no one can control their own destiny—it is already predetermined. The third tragic hero characteristic is the reversal or catastrophe, when the hero’s tragic flaw causes him to lose his powerful position and leads him to his tragic end. Likewise, once Oedipus realizes that he indeed is his father’s killer and that his efforts to escape his destiny are in vain, he goes to Jocasta to confront her. There, he sees that she has hung herself in shame and in the pain of what sins he has unknowingly committed, he blinds himself with the gold pins from her clothes. His tragic end is not death, but rather, exile from Thebes, forever to live with the painful knowledge that he has killed his father, married his mother, and beget children that are like his own siblings. The fourth characteristic of a tragic hero is the recognition or catharsis when the hero realizes, too late, that his tragic flaw will be the cause of his own tragic end, and yet they accept the forces of nature which they have been fighting against. In this case, Oedipus realizes too late that he was so caught up in fleeing his terrible prophecy, that he failed to see that he was making the prophecy come true, right under his nose. He realizes that he has been fighting his destiny for so long, and finally, destiny wins, and he can meet his tragic end via exile from Thebes with a shattered and shameful reputation.
Aristotle also wrote in his drama theory novel Poetics, three unities of a Greek Tragedy that can relate to Oedipus Rex. For one, the play should only take place within the space of one day. In this play, it is unspecified what the duration of the time setting is, but all of the events happen so rapidly that perhaps it could happen in one day. The second unity is that the place setting should only be one specific place. In Oedipus Rex, the setting is clearly Thebes, and while other places, such as Mount Cithaeron, are mentioned, the hub of the play is mainly Thebes, where Oedipus starts and meets his tragic end. The third unity is that the play is mainly focused on one plot without any subplots. Now Oedipus Rex strays a bit from this unity. The main plot is Oedipus realizing his true parentage and that the prophecy of him marrying his mother and killing his father has come true, but there is the subplot of the plague in Thebes. In order to rid the Theban people of the plague, Laius’s killer must be found and exiled. Thus, the two plots are connected, and so this play does, in a sense, fulfill the third unity. Overall, Oedipus Rex is a riveting play that fully qualifies as a true Greek tragedy that will continue to transcend time.
Lauren Jones
ReplyDeleteOedipus Rex
Response to Emily Lerner
Emily, I really liked the comparison you made between Hercules and Oedipus. Once I thought about it, I can really see how similar they are, and really, how many tragic heroes seem alike. I completely agree with your assertion that Oedipus’s tragic flaw was his uncontrollable anger. It seems interesting that you think that perhaps Oedipus’s life could have taken a different path. To think that if Oedipus would have just chilled out and not gotten too excited and paranoid about the prophecy coming true then perhaps he would not have had such a tragic life and downfall. Even though he was set up against one of the worst forces of nature—destiny—I do see your viewpoint that Oedipus could have proven his prophecy wrong by swearing to never kill a man. I feel a bit of pity and sympathy for Oedipus and the way his fate turned out because even without his crazy anger issues, he was bound to fall. When pitted against fate, one is bound to lose. Try as one might, fate can only be tempted, but never changed. To realize what one’s fate is and not be able to do anything would drive one mad. In this play’s case, it drove Oedipus mad. I do agree that tragic flaws tend to be exaggerated, and yet I still wish that Oedipus could have done something to realize his tragic flaw sooner. I guess that is a common reader’s response to tragedies: the wish or hope that the hero or heroes would have realized their tragic flaws sooner, so that the tragedy could be averted. I suppose we shall all just have to live with the gnawing and dissatisfied feeling that Oedipus could have avoided his tragic fate. Technically his fate would have happened sooner or later, but just knowing that we, as the readers, saw his tragic flaw before he did, leaves a bitter feeling and wishful thinking of what could have happened if he had realized it, too, early on.
Lauren Jones
ReplyDeleteOedipus Rex
Response to Natalie Sanders
Natalie, I love how you related Oedipus Rex to two of the most infamous historical figures—Napoleon Bonaparte and Adolph Hitler. I agree strongly that one of Oedipus’s tragic flaws was a “thirst for power.” It is interesting how the struggle for power seems prevalent in each of the four A.P. English summer reading novels, (except maybe Siddhartha—well, perhaps a struggle of power in terms of the mind and where the thoughts should lie). Getting back to Oedipus Rex, I can totally see the similarities between Hitler, Napoleon, and Oedipus. Each figure, whether fictional or real historical people, had a similar flaw—power hunger—that drove them to their own unhappy endings. Hitler committed suicide when he realized that he had lost most of his power; Napoleon lost most of his morale and power when Russia invaded France; and Oedipus stabbed his eyes, blinding himself, hoping to never see again and to be exiled from Thebes so that he would not have to face his people with a new guilt and shame-ridden reputation. Having you compare real-life figures to the fictional Oedipus really made me see that although tragic flaws are sometimes exaggerated, they can occur in real life. Fiction, of course, is made up for entertainment, and yet, some of what is written is plausible and can theoretically occur in reality. It seems almost scary that a situation like Oedipus’s could occur in real life, but the tragic flaw of power hunger is one that continually seems to plague our world today, yesterday, and tomorrow. People cannot seem to learn the lesson and consequences of power hunger and thus I predict it will continue to be a tragic flaw for many in years to come.
In response to Marianne Maresh:
ReplyDeleteThe way you put it, I think we can all identify with Oedipus's anger problem. We've all had times where we have fought with our parents and thought that they (and possibly even the world) were against us. What a great real world example to Oedipus's reaction to Creon. His anger blinded him to see a friend just as our anger sometimes blinds us to see our loved ones. I also liked your connection to blaming someone else for your actions. I believe that as children we have all tried to pass on the blame. Who knew that relating Oedipus to our younger selves could help us understand him so much better? In this way of thinking, Oedipus's tragic flaws are much more understandable.
In response to Carrie Shuler:
ReplyDeleteYour post pretty much sums up what I thought about the play. I suppose it's dramatic irony. We as the reader are sort of like, "Really, Oedipus? Really?" when he misses all of the obvious clues as to who the murder is. Perhaps he was in denial, too. Tiresias told him the same thing that a prophet had told him when he was young. Wouldn't that be enough of a no-brainer? I also thought that his fate was avoidable. If he had been logical and thought about his fate more, he could have taken a different path. Instead, his tragic flaw got the best of him. This sounds a bit harsh, but his failure to reason throughout the play was even a bit humorous.
In response to Carrie Shuler
ReplyDeleteThat is a great point that you made Carrie, saying that if Oedipus had looked into the prediction a little bit more as a child or even perhaps asking his "Parents" I am sure there would have been a different result. For even though his adopted parents would have been ashamed, I am sure they would tell him the truth of the matter as to not harm any innocent others in the process. Oedipus does indeed make rash decisions without forethought and weighing the consequences. A man's job especially after his wife dies is to ensure that his children have a steady and predictable life, to think about them, and not of your own personal pain. Oedipus, however, so rash and self-centered forced Creon into the position of father where he should have never been in the first place.
In response to Kaitlin Aleshire
ReplyDeleteI do agree with you that anger is his tragic flaw, or getting angry too quickly, but knowing our future is not something that can be related to outside of Greek Mythology. It is called Mythology for they are all admittedly not real fables. Oedipus's running from home "in order to save his parents" is a display of a natural feeling that all humans have, fear and love mixed into one. The beauty about Mythology is that it was written by humans and is able to display human traits, but not God punishing his people. Oedipus ran out of fear, but also he did what he rationally believed was right in order to protect his parents whom he love and believed he was putting in danger. Oedipus could not rationalize the fact he would hurt those he loved, so he ran from it and nothing more.
In response to Kaitlin Aleshire
ReplyDeleteI agree that knowledge of the future is a curse more than a blessing. For instance, in our society people often wish they could know the winning lottery numbers or be able to see what the stock market was going to do. This may seem to them to be a complete benefit that they will get lots of money fast, but they do not think of the negative consequences. With money comes the desire to spend money, lots and lots of it. So just because someone gains a little money through fortune they will often suffer due to their ignorance of how they use it. So people who wish to know the future only see the part of the future which they want to see. They neglect to see all of what they can see and therefore do not act in the way that would truly benefit them.
In response to Carrie Shuler
ReplyDeleteI also believe that Oedipus' tragic flaw is his tendency to act before he thinks. This gets him into trouble many times and allows for his fate to set in upon him. I believe that is also a common flaw in people today, particularly those of us who are males. We often do not think about our actions until we have already acted. This often leads to us regretting the stupid thing we just did. The rash actions and both Oedipus and people today often lead to serious repercussions, whether it be blindness in Oedipus' case or a variety of injuries for the guys in our society.
In response to Emily Lerner:
ReplyDeleteI like how you compared Oedipus to Hercules by showing us that they share the flaw of not being able to control their anger. Another fictional character that I know of shares another major flaw with Oedipus: the inability to accept their own fates. When I was little, I watched a show on Disney Channel called "That's So Raven." Raven is a normal high school girl except for the fact that she is psychic. In every episode, she has a vision of the future and tries to change the outcome. Every single time, her efforts to change the future cause the vision to be fulfilled. Her tragic flaw is that she refuses to believe that she cannot change her fate or the fate of others. This reminds me of Oedipus and the prophesy. By trying to prevent the prophesy from happening, he makes it come true. If Raven and Oedipus accept their fates and futures, they would save so much time, effort, and anxiety. Although the unwanted outcomes may still occur, at least the characters would be at peace with what the future holds.
An example of irony in Oedipus the King is that Oedipus was condemning and going on about all things that would happen once he found out who killed the previous king. This involved his tragic flaw, anger and not thinking. Oedipus would become easily angered, and this led Tiresias to reveal that he was in fact the reason for his city's suffering. Oedipus' disbelief and pride caused him to dig deeper into who the murderer is, rather than just letting it be. Also, his pride caused him to falsely accuse his friend as trying to overtake his throne. In the end, it was his pride and anger that caused the truth to come out that he in fact had killed the king. This story warns against rash decisions and letting your pride and anger control your actions. For Oedipus, these became the reason for his loss of power and his life as he knew it.
ReplyDeleteOriginal Response
ReplyDeleteMy "tragic flaw" is quite simple. I procrastinate. It's horrible! I'll save a project, like an independent reading project, for the last minute and work on it the night before it's due. I seriously pull all nighters sometimes to get my work done, even though I’ve had plenty of time to work on it. It causes a lot of stress for me that could be easily avoided if I would just make better use of my time. Also, since I’m staying up so late to do work, the next day at school my mind is not fully focused. That causes my work to not be as polished as it could and should be. But I think it's pretty safe to say we've all been there, some more times than others. The fact that I am just now getting around to blogging two days before school starts pretty much says it all. I plan on resolving these issues though. However, I don't think i am like Oedipus. His issues run a little bit more deeper than school work procrastination. His flaws are more along the lines of intense anger and impulsiveness.
In Response to Elizabeth K
ReplyDeleteI really liked your comment which read "it is no one's business to over analyze another's actions for we all have flaws and none is better or worse than the other." It's true to an extent. I feel as though people are always criticizing other people and making mean judgments about them. I mean I understand if a person did really terrible and inhumane things, but mainly I see people getting judged because of the way they look, or what they believe in, and other petty things. I don't know if anyone else is tired of all of this cruelty, but I sure am. All this unnecessary anger and meanness towards others just needs to end. I feel as though we'd be a whole lot happier as a school, nation, and a world if we would all just take a step back and embrace the true meaning of life; pure, simple love.
In Response to Emily Learner
ReplyDeleteI really like your comment about Oedipus that reads "If he had never killed anyone, he couldn't have killed his father." That really does seem like a great way to prevent the prophecy from coming true. He obviously seems to believe in the accuracy of prophecies, since he left the people who he thought were his mother and father, so you're right! Why not just take that extra precaution to prevent horrible things from happening? He fulfilled his own prophecy! Nice insight.
In response to Kaitlin Aleshire
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you say about how anger is best when it is controlled. It does you no good to make decisions or act when you are still angry. These decisions are most like going to be ones that you regret, and like Oedipus, they have the potential to change your life. Most of the time it is not for the better. Also, knowing your future is not a good thing. It can alter how you act towards others, and in Oedipus' case, it caused him to do the thing that he ran away in order not to do. I also would not want to know my future if I had the chance to find it out
In response to Anthony Shaw
ReplyDeleteI also think that this story is filled with irony. It is almost comical to hear Oedipus curse the man who murdered Laius. He says about everything he can think of, and yet he has no idea that he is saying these things about himself. He obviously would have acted in a much different manner if he had known that it was in fact him that murdered the king. His uncontrolled anger brought about this irony, along with his own punishment.
Original comment…
ReplyDeleteA tragic flaw is defined as “the character flaw or error of a tragic hero that leads to his downfall.” Greek tragic protagonists always have a tragic flaw that leads to their ultimate downfall or destruction. More relatable, however, are real life people. One example that everyone knows is the famous golf player, Tiger Woods. Tiger struggles with his anger issues on and off the golf course. While most of the players are competitive but also have loads of fun while golfing, Tiger take competitive to a whole new level. If he misses a stroke or hits the ball wrong, he shows his anger to everyone by slamming his clubs on the ground. His tragic flaw, his anger issue, has led to other serious issues in his life. He developed a sex addiction and cheated on his wife numerous times. The minor flaw of his anger issue turned into a much bigger tragic flaw. This has led to his downfall in a major way. As a man that used to be respected for his amazing golf ability, he is now disgraced in most homes. The news media has nothing but bad to say about him and he is not respected as a golfer. Just as Tiger’s anger and sex addiction led to his downfall, Oedipus’ ignorance about his parents and the prophecy led to his death.
In response to Emily Lerner
ReplyDeleteI loved your comment that said "It is true that Oedipus did not know his wife was his mother, but his destiny could've been avoided if he would have had a level mind when going about things." When someone is mad or not level-headed, they tend to make decisions without thinking, decisions that they might later regret. Like Emily said, if Oedipus would have had a level mind when he passed the three way road, he would not have killed the man who later turned out to be his own father. On page 41 of Oedipus the king, the chorous leader says "That is good advice, my lord, for anyone who wants to avoid mistakes. Quick decisions are not the safest." This chorous leader is warning Oedipus that he needs to think before he acts.
In response to Amanda L
ReplyDeleteWow your blog was amazing, thank you for sharing a part of your story with all of us! In particular, your comment at the end that "the right thing to do is to let the little things go," is very profound. I know that I struggle big time with that. I dwell over little insignificant things and let them trip me up. It affects my mood. It's hard for me to let some things go, therefore if one thing goes wrong it is hard for me to stay happy and enjoy the rest of my day. Even though it's hard, I have realized that, like Amanda said, the right thing to do IS to let the little things go. Focus on what truley is important in life!
Original Comment:
ReplyDeleteWhile certain flaws might not acquire a positive contribution to society, other flaws might be considered an important in the eyes of others. While the only flaw that Oedipus possessed was being lied to his entire life, I feel sorrow towards the potential he never had the chance of reaching. Whereas most of the people that I have encountered choose for themselves to make a mistake, or commit a flaw, I do not believe that Oedipus would have been a bad leader if he had been given more chances.
A while ago I read a quote on facebook, saying, “You can’t make a mistake twice. The second time you make it, it’s no longer a mistake. It’s a choice.” As for flaws, I do believe that humans are raised watching and looking up at the people surrounding them during their youth, and while they do not have any choice in deciding how others act, they do have a choice in deciding whether to keep the same charisma going. When you realize how hard it is to change yourself, you must look at others and think of how hard it might be for you to change them as well. I do not believe anybody has “flaws,” most of us decide how we would like to act towards others. Flaws do not mess up this world, it is choices like lying, cheating, and dishonoring, that do.
“Donna” has been there for me since the day I was born, but even at an early age I learned that her personality was lacking compassion, empathy, and respect. Not only was I stuck in a position where I thought that I might become just like her, but I had no solution to get away. As more time went on, I realized that the more she lied to me, the more I lost respect for her, and the more I felt remorse towards myself. However, the more I see myself resembling Donna, I take a step back and realize what I believe would be right in a situation, and fix it.
Franziska Pugh
In response to Emily Lerner:
ReplyDeleteI agree with everything you have said, yet I feel more empathy towards Oedipus. I can only imagine how hurt and angry he was when he found out what his destiny was, I mean, who wants to be told that you’re going to kill your own father and marry your mother? Just like in Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo, just like Oedipus, turns towards violence. Whereas those of us who want to become better people, try and learn from our past mistakes, we have irrational people on this earth who cannot calm down, but have to take action as soon as possible. While there could be a thousand different outcomes, Oedipus chose this one and found his own way out. He fixed it as much as he thought was possible, and we have to accept this tragic outcome. Oedipus did not decide to be nearly murdered as a baby, and neither did he decide to be lied to his entire life. However, now that he is a grown man, he has to take responsibilities and know his morals.
In response to Ashley:
ReplyDeleteI am so glad to hear that you learned how to overcome your flaw. I understand how hard it is to make yourself a stronger person, and how sometimes we have to take a step back, but I wish you good luck in getting better at it. I agree that Oedipus should have thought a little more in this situation, and I realize that the outcome could have been so different had he not overreacted. I feel sad for his father, who seems to be an innocent bystander at the time. Not only did Oedipus overreact, but he took the last breath of a stranger who he “never” encountered before. I am sorry to say, but murder is murder. Just because it was his father, I do not believe it makes it any worse than killing anybody else. Technically he killed part of himself too, but it is still a horrible crime.
Franziska Pugh
Oedipus the King:
ReplyDeleteAs far as my own life goes, I feel like I do have a tragic flaw. Although now I have overcome it for the most part and put it behind every now and again it creeps up and bites me. My tragic flaw is low self-esteem. Earlier in high school it had a firm grasp on me and really until my junior year I was afraid to do anything out of my little box. Unfortunately this kept me shy and kept me away from numerous opportunities I will never have again that I let slip through my fingers because I was afraid of what people would think. Finally after my sophomore year, I decided that I really couldn't care less about what people thought of me and I make myself believe that everyday so I can live my life to its full potential.
Numerous examples of dramatic, situational, and verbal irony can be found throughout “Oedipus the King”. The entire play itself can be viewed as dramatic irony because the story revolves around the fact that Oedipus doesn’t know he has murdered his father and married his mother, but the reader does. A specific example of dramatic irony in the play is at the beginning of Oedipus’s speech. He begins by saying, “I know that you are deathly sick; and yet, sick as you are, not one is sick as I” He means by this that he is troubled by the sickness that has spread through his people, but the audience knows that he is the sickest because he has committed incest. Situational irony occurs when Oedipus hears of his fate and leaves the land where he was raised. He decides he must leave his mother and father, not knowing they are his adopted parents, so that he can stop himself from murdering his father and marrying his mother. His leaving is in the end what caused him to murder his father on the road to Thebes, where he unknowingly marries his mother who is the queen. An example of verbal irony is when Tiresias says to Oedipus, “Aren't you the best man alive at guessing riddles?” He says this because Oedipus is famous for saving Thebes by solving the riddle of the Sphinx, but he means in reality that Oedipus is not smart enough to see the truth in what he is trying to tell him.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Colin:
ReplyDeleteI think your flaw is definitely one that you have in common with many other students in highschool, including myself. It seems like once we reach a certain age, like around middle school, people start to really care about fitting in. We have to wear the same clothes as everyone else, and we are constantly in fear of saying the wrong thing. There are some people who just naturally want to put themselves out there, but most of us end up shying away from certain opportunities in fear of being judged. It's really great that you have overcome this flaw, as I think many of us do as we become older and more confident in oursleves. I too still try to remind myself everyday to not care so much about what everyone thinks so that, as you said, I don't miss out on living life to the fullest potential.
In response to Harrison Jones
ReplyDeleteI agree with Harrison on what he says his Oedipus' tragic flaw. It is very true that Oedipus' arrogance just continues to grow throughout the play and by the end it is his demise. I like how Harrison said out Oedipus had basically tried to out-run his fate as told by the gods because his ego could not accept failure and because of this he led himself into proving the prophecy correct.
A tragic flaw that Oedipus has is that acts before he thinks things through. After he finds out that he needs to know who killed Laius, the previous king, Oedipus calls on the prophet Tiresias to find the murderer. He gets Tiresias to finally tell the details of the murderer and he does not even stop to think of the fact that the murderer could have been him. He keeps pressuring Tiresias to tell him everything and when Tiresias finally tells him that it was Oedipus himself who killed Laius, Oedipus accuses Creon of trying to overthrow him. Oedipus is so angry that he blame everything on Creon and tries to get him killed. In the past, before becoming king, Oedipus’ flaw also led him to kill his father and the other men with him. Although it was in self-defense, Oedipus acted without thinking of the consequences and ended up killing the men. In the end, his flaws and his cursed fate leads to Oedipus’ downfall.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Carrie Shuler
ReplyDeleteI really like how in your post you not only listed what you thought was Oedipus' tragic flaw but you listed all of his flaws that led to his downfall in the end. You saying this led me to think that Oedipus' may not actually have one singular tragic flaw, but perhaps his personality is what is truly tragic. For example you mention his overwhelming pride as well as his inability to think before acting, well I believe much of the latter is caused by his pride.
In response to Christi T.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you because I also tend to procrastinate a lot. I always end up not doing things like school work until the last minute. If something like a project is not due until a month later, I get lazy or focus on working on homework due the next day. Then, a couple days before the project is due, I start rushing to try and finish it. By rushing, I miss the opportunity to do my best work on it and feel confident in my work.
In response to Carrie S.
ReplyDeleteI agree that another flaw of Oedipus is that he had too much pride and he is afraid of being wrong. He never stops to think that he could be wrong and Tiresias could be telling him the truth. He is too proud of himself that he does not listen to others when they try to correct him. By not listening to others and just acting on his own, he creates more conflict and despair.
I found myself frustrated by Oedipus's narrow-thinking when presented with Tiresias's prophecy. If I had such outrageous outcomes foretold to me I would immediately start trying to find events in my past tthat could be linked to it. To a lesser extent, Oedipus reminded me of O'Brien from Orwell's 1984 in that he is unable to accept the possibilities of any other reality than the one he believes in. That is his tragic flaw, ignorance, and maybe if he had been more receptive he wouldn't have been shunted out of his kingdom quite as fast.
ReplyDeleteIn Response to Ashley
ReplyDeleteI would say one of my flaws is that I sometimes worry too much. With work and school, I usually feel I don't have enough time for anything, which usually leads to me becoming stressed out and irritable. Reading Siddhartha helped me relax and learn to not worry about little things, and now that Senior year is here, not having math or science classes will probably help alleviate most of my stress as well.
In Response to Carrie Schuler
ReplyDeleteI like how Carrie not only points out that Oedipus is arrogant, but that he is also way too rash when making decisions. When he stabs out his own eyes, I wondered if that was really necessary. I don't mind melodrama, but man, you didn't have to further complicate your life. Oedipus at Colonus opens with him being led along the road by his daughter Antigone, who probably also wondered why her dad blinded himself.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteLike Oedipus, I have my own flaw that often stands in the way of my doing the things that I should, or even sometimes the things that I want. Oedipus’ tragic flaw is confidence, which he feels so strongly that he does not even see the clues that are showing him the truth that he seeks from the very beginning of the play. In the end, his confidence fails him when he realizes that he was wrong the entire time and probably should have realized what was going on from the very beginning. My own flaw is that I am far too harsh on myself. Whenever I make even the tiniest mistake, I obsess over it and beat myself up over it. Even if it does not have any long-term affect on my life or anyone else, I still think about that mistake constantly and how I feel so stupid for making it. I know that I should let these small things go, but I don’t and it tends to take up far too much of my time. Oedipus’ flaw would probably prevent him from dwelling too much on his mistakes, which is opposite to what I go through when I’m dealing with my own flaw.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Natalie Sanders:
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that a tragic flaw that many leaders in history have is being power hungry. These leaders, especially Napoleon and Hitler, make their ambitions the only thing in their lives. They focus on gaining power and nothing else, potentially ruining any other good thing they may have in their lives. Hitler is the perfect example of this aspect of his flaw, because when he realized that there was no way he was going to win, he killed himself. He had nothing left to live for once he knew he was not going to gain the power he aspired to have. This aspect of the flaw of being power hungry is particularly devastating, both for the person with the flaw and the people they are close to. Often, power hungry people stop caring for those around them.
In response to Emily L.:
ReplyDeleteI noticed the pieces of irony that you pointed out also. I thought it was interesting how everything that Oedipus was most afraid of seemed to come true. In a way, the same could be said for Creon. Creon spoke of how he did not want any more in his life, that he felt he was in the perfect position having privileges but not having to work much. When Oedipus lost everything in his life, Creon gained a lot, but he gained exactly what he had said previously he did not want. He gained the throne that Oedipus left and the duties that came along with it.
Oedipus, like many protagonists in Greek Tragedies, has a tragic flaw. His tragic flaw, in my opinion, is curiosity. We have all heard the saying, "curiosity killed the cat." It is true, that curiosity in small portions is a very good thing. It keeps us learning and involved. However, there is such a thing as too much curiosity. If Oedipus had not let his curiosity get away with him, Jocasta would probably still be alive and he would probably still have his sight. Time and time again, people try to tell him that he doesn't want to know what they know. Tiresias, the servant, and Jocasta all warn him against going further into the subject. This did not phase him. He pushed and pushed until he found out that he killed his father and slept with his mother, which led Jocasta to kill herself. Following that, he gouged out his own eyes. None of that would have been necessary if he had just left the subject alone.
ReplyDeleteI, like everyone else on this planet, also have a flaw. My flaw is anxiety. I get so nervous about the simplest things, that sometimes I forget to live my life. I have learned that, as I overcome my fears, I have more and more fun. I also learn more when I don't let my anxiety get in the way. It is something I am working on. However, the difference between a regular flaw and a tragic flaw may be that you know when you have a regular flaw, but you may not realize when you have a tragic flaw. That is what makes it so tragic.
I noticed many examples of irony throughout these plays. Verbal irony is when a character says something opposite to what is true or the audience understands that the situation the character is referring to is the opposite of true because of prior knowledge. This can be found in Oedipus the King when Oedipus says, "I now call down a life to fit a life dragged out degradation and if I myself should prove myself to have him in my halls an intimate then on myself i call down every curse I've just invoked." (p. 33) The audience, however, knows that Oedipus himself is indeed the killer, but at this point Oedipus does not know and believes himself innocent of such crimes. So it is ironic that he threatens the chorus, by saying even if it was he himself who did the murder he would still take the same punishment, when in actuality he is the murderer. Second, i found situational irony in the fact that Oedipus ran away from his adoptive parents and his home town in order to avoid fulling the prophecy that he would one day end up killing his father and marrying his mother. In the new town that he escapes to the first thing he does is unknowingly kill his real father, who he encounters on the road, and then later on marry the widowed queen, who is actually his mother. Oedipus's effort to avoid the fulfillment this prophecy ends up leading him straight into it. Last but not least dramatic irony is visible during Oedipus hunt for Laius' murderer. Towards the end of the search the audience can put two and two together and realize that Jocasta is not only his wife, but his mother and that the man he killed on the way into town was he father. Oedipus is not as quick and doesn't figure it out. Even though Jocasta warns him and begs him not to search any further, because she to has figured it out, the audience has to watch as Oedipus makes the mistake of uncovering the unbearable truth.
ReplyDeleteIn Response to Colin's Response to Carrie
ReplyDeleteI found it interesting that you said that it may not have been a singular flaw that led to Oedipus' downfall. As I have been reading this blog, I have seen lots of different opinions on what his tragic flaw is. At first, I thought it was just curiosity, but I haven't read anybody's that I didn't think was right. I think that arrogance, being power hungry, and the others all have their points. Just as Oedipus has many flaws, everyone has more than one. That's what makes life so hard. We all have many things that we need to be working on and making priorities.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIn Response to Joellyn's Response to Emily L.
ReplyDeleteI found it interesting when you talked about Creon gaining the things that he didn't really want. I hadn't thought of that before. I think that a lot of times people in our society don't understand that concept. We think that every gain is good and that simply isn't true. We don't think about the things we have gotten that we don't want or don't need. It's all about the gaining.
Original Response:
ReplyDeleteLike Oedipus, I have my own flaws that prevent me from succeeding. One in particular, my procrastination. Big surprise, right? I'm writing this on Labor Day. My procrastination has followed me since 7th grade, and starting now I honestly want to stop putting things off until the last minute. Meaning, not doing my French homework at eleven at night. Doing my English projects in small pieces instead of the night of. Keeping my room organized all the time, rather than waiting for it to be unbearably cluttered. By taking these steps I'll hopefully be able to be more organized, earn better grades, and get my mother off my back.
In response to Harrison:
ReplyDeleteI completely agree that Oedipus's tragic flaw is that he is arrogant. It took four people to make Oedipus realize the truth and by then it was too late. Oedipus's characteristics reminded me a lot of Macbeth and how his over confidence caused his downfall as well.
In response to Kaitlin Aleshire
ReplyDeleteI really don't think it was Oedipus's anger that got him into trouble. I would say his tragic flaw is that he didn't think about why he was angry or what he was doing. He just felt angry and acted upon those feelings. What actually ruined things for him was not how he felt, but how he acted. So in conclusion i think it was the fact that he acted so rashly instead of thinking things over that was really his tragic flaw.
In response to Collin:
ReplyDeleteI feel like your flaw is a trait that almost everyone has to go through in life. It's especially hard in middle school and high school to just be yourself but you feel like you won't be accepted. It's even harder in middle school because everyone knows everyone and your only "cool," if you're wearing Hollister and Abercrombie. Like you, I feel like I out grew this phase after sophmore year. I can confidently say now that I like who I am as a person and that I accept that not everyone is going to liek me. But I also think that many of us want to say that we don't care what others think about us, when deep down, we really do.
In response to harrison..
ReplyDeleteI really don't think it as arrogance that was his down fall. Honestly, if i was in that situation I wouldn't want to hear the truth either and it would take a few people to convince me of the truth. He wanted to know all the pieces of the puzzle and be absolutely sure that he had slept with mother and killed his father before he stabbed his eyeballs out. Such a crazy story like that would be hard to take seriously even in greek mythology, so i understand why he'd want more than one persons opinion. Also, In comparison to Creon as a ruler Oedipus seems much kinder and democratic so it is hard for me to see him as arrogant. Not that it doesn't take some arrogance and belief in your self to run a country, but again i think it was the fact that he didn't think before he acted that was his tragic flaw.
Lindsay Harkins
ReplyDeleteoriginal comment
Oedipus's tragic flaw is pride. He is very proud of how he saved his people and the way that he rules them. It is for this reason that he takes quick action when Thebes is being ravaged by a plague. He wants to remind he people that he is a good leader and get rid of the murderer of Laius as quickly as possible. This is what leads to his downfall. He is so focused on showing the people that he is a good leader that he ignores the warnings of those trying to protect him from the truth. He is ultimately humiliated in front of the people he is trying to impress. It is because of his pride and need to be a good ruler that Oedipus is exiled.
Cleyton Cavallaro
ReplyDeleteOriginal Comment
Oedipus's tragic flaw is ignorance. throughout the play, he is told that he is the killer and that he must leave to stop the plague. He ignores everyones warnings, especially the warnings from Tiresias. Tiresias tells Oedipus, "You have your sight, and you do not see what evils are about you, nor with whom, nor in what home you are dwelling." Even after this grave warning, Oedipus disregards everything he is told and pushes on as the proud and arrogant leader that he has become.
Cleyton Cavallaro
ReplyDeleteIn Response To Lindsay
I feel that pride is a secondary flaw in comparison to Oedipus's ignorance. for example, when Oedipus killed Laius, he ignored that his actions might have consequences. His pride may have been there to help justify his actions afterwards, but i feel that his ignorance was the cause of Laius's death. Oedipus also was very ignorant of the fact that he was adopted and he did not know who his birth parents were. most people would have discovered this without a messenger having to come and tell them. Again, his ignorance is the cause of his mis-information instead of his pride.
Cleyton Cavallaro
ReplyDeleteIn Response To Katie
I completely agree that my flaw is procrastination. considering that were both here posting the day before it's due, i think we can relate! after many years of honors, this flaw, i feel, has gotten worse. considering i always get things done on time, i think i have been lucky! i know that this year this flaw might become a tiny problem, so maybe we should go to counseling together? i can't wait to see you there this year! but seriously, i know that in college you can't procrastinate or your grades could seriously suffer. even though i still have this flaw, i hoe to work on solving it as soon as possible!
Krissy Kowalenko
ReplyDeleteOriginal Comment
In my opinion, Oedipus’ tragic flaw was his persistence and curiosity. In the beginning, Oedipus was determined to find King Laius’ murderer, therefore he began questioning/ interrogating many citizens, including a blind prophet. “Thou hast not spoken loyally, nor friendly toward the State that bred thee, cheating her of this response!... What, do you know, and will not speak? Your mind is to betray us, and destroy the city? Worst of traitors! For you would rouse a very stone to wrath- Will you not speak out ever, but stand relentless and persistent?...Speak!” (14-15) This is the first step contributing to his downfall because Tiresias, the blind prophet, tells Oedipus, after being guilted to do so, he is Laius’ murderer. Jocasta tries to ease Oedipus’ much distressed mind, but because he is unwilling to stop searching for the truth, he ignores her. Oedipus’ curiosity leads him to seek out a messenger and shepherd who have knowledge on Oedipus’ abandonment and adoption as a young child. As everyone knows, Laius was Oedipus’ father, making Jocasta his mother, and Oedipus did indeed kill his own father and sleep with his mother. In the end, Oedipus reaches his downfall when he gouges his eyes out and is exiled from Thebes. Oedipus’ tragic flaw contributes to his downfall because if it was not for his curiosity and persistence to discover Laius’ murderer then he would have never found out the disturbing and twisted story, and therefore would have never gouges his eyes out or been exiled. “Curiosity Killed the Cat.”
Paulina Devlin
ReplyDeleteOedipus the King
Original Comment
Oedipus’s character displays inexcusable anger, suspicion, and pride. Nonetheless, though Oedipus displays character flaws, like any true tragic Greek protagonist, Oedipus’s downfall is not a result of these flaws. Instead, fate plays a much greater hand in Oedipus’s life than his own personality shortcomings.
Oedipus displays his over the top pride when he refuses to believe Tiresias that he is the murderer of Laius. Instead, he blames his brother-in-law, Creon of the murder and of fabricating the story of blame that Tiresias presented. Oedipus cannot believe that he, the king of Thebes, could possibly be the murderer and does not think to contemplate his past even though it holds the key to the mystery he is trying to discover. Though this pride is unkind to Creon and Tiresias, it does not play into Oedipus’s fate because when the actual evidence of the Shepard’s testimony is explained to Oedipus, he accepts that he was the murderer. His pride is ridiculous, but not life altering.
In addition to Oedipus’ pride, he is accused of being power-hungry. Oedipus is the king of Thebes after all. However, he is not too obsessed with power to let it overcome his other emotions. Oedipus leaves his adopted parents because he loves them too much to risk the outcome of the prophecy being bestowed on them. He chooses not to assume the eventual position of king of Corinth, demonstrating that he is at least in control of his desire of power enough to leave the royal house he was adopted into. Oedipus also became king of Thebes not because he killed Laius (for he is not aware that he killed a king) but because he saved the city of Thebes from the destruction caused by the Sphinx. Oedipus may enjoy his position of power, but it certainly is not his most treasured possession.
What truly destroys Oedipus is his proscribed fate. Before his birth a prophecy wad made labeling him as the murderer of his father and the husband of his mother. Oedipus tried to prevent the prophecy from gaining truth, as did his mother Jocasta and his father, Laius. Even so, the gods win at their game, and Oedipus fulfills his fate. Oedipus’s flaws do not play a part in his eventual end; neither a check of his pride, nor a lesser thirst for power could have prevented Oedipus’s downfall.
In response to Cassi:
ReplyDeleteI really liked how you thought of Oedipus's tragic flaw as something completely different then what most people saw. It seems like everyone, including myself, just noticed that Oedipus refused to listen to what everyone told him. I failed to see that although he didn't want to hear the truth,and despite warnings, he kept seeking more people out that could explain to him what had happened. This would make his tragic flaw curiosity, as you said, instead of arrogance. I mean, it's completely natural for someone to not want to believe such horrible news about themself, especially after cursing the murderer.
Paulina Devlin
ReplyDeleteOedipus the King
Response to Cassi
You stated that you believe Oedipus’s tragic flaw is his curiosity. You also said, “Time and time again, people try to tell him that he doesn't want to know what they know. Tiresias, the servant, and Jocasta all warn him against going further into the subject.” Although I agree that it is Oedipus’s curiosity that leads to his blindness and Jocasta’s death, I do not think that curiosity to discover the truth is a flaw. I believe Oedipus’s persistence is admirable because is in search of the truth. However horrible the truth may be, I believe all humans are entitled to knowing the truth, particularly in situations in which their own lives are concerned. Therefore, I view Oedipus’s curiosity less as a blemish on his character, and more of a personally unfortunate trait that plays into his prescribed fate.
Original Post:
ReplyDeleteI believe that King Oedipus’s greatest character flaw is that, even though he has exhibited his intelligence, it gets in his way and blinds him to the truth. I feel that my greatest tragic flaw is that I feel is my lack of confidence. For years, through hockey, I’ve always felt as though I was never good enough for whatever I was trying to do. And when it came game time, I would second guess myself and I would get myself into trouble. For years I’ve also had people that I was no good at singing and I started to believe them due to my lack of confidence. It wasn’t until I joined choir that I started coming out of my shell in that aspect. When it comes to comparing myself to Oedipus, I believe that we are complete opposites. He is overly confident to the point to overlooking what is right under his nose; whereas I was so paranoid of being inferior I was making mistakes in the moment. We both made mistakes but in completely different circumstances.
In response to Emily L.:
ReplyDeleteI love the irony throughout the story too. The biggest one, of course, is that Oedipus saves Thebes from the sphinx and is yet the reason for their plague. Then there’s the dramatic irony (although it should be obvious to everyone) that Oedipus is the son of Laius and Jocasta when they both receive almost the exact prophecy, both from Delphi. The last example I’m going to leave is that Oedipus points fingers at everyone else for trying to tear him from his throne while he is the one who messed it up himself.
In response to Harrison Jones:
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your assessment that Oedipus’s tragic flaw is his arrogance. He starts out kind of lowly when he runs away from home. After he solves the riddle of the sphinx, his arrogance slowly starts to grow, to the point where he accuses those closest to him and the messenger to the gods of trying to overthrow him. Even though his arrogance is finally cracked at the realization of the truth, I feel he even becomes selfish. Though his blindness gives him “sight,” it also literally blinds him to all the pain he has caused his people.
Original Comment
ReplyDeleteIn considering Oedipus's tragic flaw, I think that it is his search for knowledge. Oedipus likes to figure things out, like solving the riddle from the sphinx. However, sometimes his search for knowledge goes to far. "Then I'll go back and drag that shadowed past to light again. Oh yes, the pious Phoebus and your piety has set on foot a duty to the dead: a search which you and I together will pursue"(28). Oedipus continues his search for Laius's killer, even when others warn him that it is not a good idea. In the end, this is what leads to his downfall. Knowledge is good, but when you don't know when to stop it becomes bad.
Krissy Kowalenko
ReplyDeleteResponse to Kaitlin Aleshire
I enjoyed reading your original comment because it made me think twice and reconsider what I thought was Oedipus’ tragic flaw. I understand completely how you believe his tragic flaw could be anger. I mean I would be angry if my parents had given me away because they believed every word some older man (the Oracle) had told them. I am a huge believer in fate and karma. You have the exact same thinking as I do when you feel as though Laius’ fate, along with his family’s, was determined by his desire to have Oedipus killed because of the Oracle’s prediction. I liked that you picked up a reoccurring pattern in Greek Tragedies that “those who are told they have a horrible deed to do, run away thinking it for the best, but they really run straight into what they were “predestined” to do. “ this is exactly what happened to Laius. He was told his son would kill him and sleep with his wife, therefore Laius tried to get rid of the problem by wanting to have his son killed. Later in life though, Laius’ son, Oedipus, met up with him and killed him as the Oracle had always predicted. Fate not only punished Laius, but it punished the entire family in the end. Jocasta committed suicide and Oedipus gouged his eyes out and was exiled from Thebes. There are many important lessons to gather from this. One being, what goes around comes around, and secondly, do not avoid situations because you are scared. It is better to confront them head on.
In Response to Paulina Devlin
ReplyDeleteI agree with Paulina. Though Oedipus's tragic flaws greatly contributed to his downfall, fate had a great hand in his life. From the begining, it was said that Oedipus would kill his father and marry his mother. When he is born, Jocasta and Laius get rid of Oedipus to try to escape fate. However, it comesback to get them in the end because Oedipus unknowingly kills his father and Jocasta unknowingly marries her son. Fate won out in the end. Therefore, though Oedipus's tragic flaws are great, fate had a bigger role in his downfall.
Response to Amanda L
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your story with us. I think that tragic flaws affect all of us. Being human means that we ahve many flaws. Though many of us work to overcome our flaws, as you have, it doesn't mean that they still aren't a part of us. As common to many high schoolers, procrastination is a flaw of mine. It is something that I work to overcome, but it will always be something that I have to work at.
Original comment:
ReplyDeleteAll protagonists in Greek tragedies seem to have some type of small flaw or mistake they continually make that leads to their downfall, usually death. No, not all people today who have flaws have it ultimately lead to their death, but it usually takes them pretty low in many ways. We can relate this to politicians we admire who get involved in sex scandals (that we always hear for the longest time after on the news), or celebrities we glorify who overdose and either die or get sent to rehab, causing another endless string of problems. Oedipus' misfortune was greatly influenced by fate from the Oracle, but his flaw of trying to avoid/not accept the truth (along with Jacosta) lead to major problems.
In response to Krissy...
ReplyDeleteThat's a great way to think of it. He persisted so much in finding Lauis' killer and as soon as he heard it was him, he denied it right away. Throughout the rest of the story he kept denying truth and trying to get away from it, when really his persistence caused some of the problem!
Original comment
ReplyDeleteOedipus The King
I think the most true statement of this play is at the end. The chorus repeats the Greek maxim that 'no man should be considered fortunate until he is dead.' I think this statement is so true and when I read it, it really got me thinking. We can always count our blessings, and hope for the best, but we never know what is going to come around the corner. Things happen because of our own actions that we don't even realize, and they can be life changing. I thought it was interesting how this play was quite similar to Romeo and Juliet, as are a lot of tragedies. I enjoyed Oedipus more actually because there was a spin on the story. Situational irony came into play when Oedipus didn't know he was the murderer of the king, who was his own father! It was so interesting to discover all the actions Oedipus did before he knew how drastic his actions were, and how they truly did fulfill the prophesy. I guess before you kill someone you should think twice; 'is this my father?'
Liza Reynolds:)
In response to Jessi
ReplyDeleteI completely agree that in every play, the protagonists have flaws. These flaws eventually lead to their demise. This specific trait is what makes these plays tragedies. I do also believe that everyone have problems, and makes mistakes that bring us to low points in our life. I think in our world today a lot of people feel like their is no escaping their problems. I think there is always a light at the end of the tunnel, and some sort of hope; unless you killed someone and are sentenced to life in prison.
Liza Reynolds:)
Krissy Kowalenko
ReplyDeleteResponse to Ashley
I found your flaw in Oedipus to be very interesting. It is true that he does not think before he acts, but I think this is due to his lack of memory. I mean he only killed his father and slept with his mother, but anyone could forget that, right?! In addition, I agree with you that Oedipus never considers another reasoning or option, which I believe leads to his downfall even faster. He also caused himself and his family such great pain, especially his children. Oedipus’ mistakes and bad judgment, along with Jocasta’s, lead to Jocasta’s suicide. Oedipus’ disgust and guilt in turn lead him to physically harming himself, by gouging out his own eyes. His actions of murdering King Laius cause him to be exiled from Thebes. As I mentioned earlier there is a lot of damage done to his children because they are now neither left with a mother nor a father. In addition, their family has built a bad reputation for themselves.
Everyone has flaws because no one is perfect, but it is crucial that we try and find these flaws, change them, and become a better person. Ashley, your story, along with Oedipus’ shows us the effects that our flaws can have upon others, but if we change then we can have a more positive effect on others, like you with your teammates. :)
In response to Carrie...
ReplyDeleteTrue; we always have heard our mom's saying "think before you do". I didn't really realize that tragic flaw right off the bat, I mostly just saw his curiousity and denying of the truth a flaw. That mixed in with the senseless acting is a dangerous combination
In response to Kellie
ReplyDeleteI agree that too much knowledge is a bad thing. I remember last year in Honors when we went around the room and chose if we think things should be censored, or if kids should have a choice about what they watch, read, learn, and are exposed to. I think that too much knowledge about the negative things in our lives is bad. Kids at the age of 3 shouldn't be watching naked people on television. Kids should have their parents decide what religion they should be brought up in, and what they should watch. At such a young age no one knows what is best for them. All of this negative knowledge is what is corrupting our kids and making the world a worse place.
Liza Reynolds:)
Oedipus tragic flaw was that he was impulsive and rash. He killed a man because their paths crossed which ended up being his father. He also gouged out his eyes and caused blindness because he was so upset about his wife/mother killing herself. The fact that he ended up being king because he answered the impossible riddle of Sphinx was also ironic. This story is dripping with irony throughout the whole play. Those are just a few instances. There is dramatic irony in the beginning when the readers know that Oedipus is Jocasta's son and killed his father. This story is a tragedy because of all the deaths and suicides.
ReplyDeleteWhen Antigone killed herself, it had reminded me of Romeo and Juliet. Juliet killed herself because she thought Romeo was dead, when Romeo went to go find Juliet he killed himself to die with her. When Haemon found out that Creon was planning on killing Antigone he tried stopping his father and telling him that he was wrong for wanting to do so. When he found that Antigone had killed herself, he let his father say a few words to him, and he took his own life with a sword and mustered up enough strength to be close to Antigone when he died. If they couldn't be married here on Earth, they'll be together in Hades. It is ironic, because Antigone is set up to die for trying to give a proper burial to her fallen brother who died killing his own brother. This whole play is ironic!
In response to Krissy, I think it is funny how Oedipus was so set on finding who murdered the king and once he knew it was him, he denied it. He was told at least 5 different ways and yet he still couldn't fathom it. He wanted to curse the city, and bring on disease and pain to the murderer. It was all him the whole time and he could not believe it and kept denying it. It's funny because isn't that how we all feel once we realize we've done something wrong. Well it is like that for me anyways, I can act out like Oedipus too, I make rash and impulsive decisions and it's hard to realize that I am wrong. That is something I'm working on though, and I think Oedipus realized that throughout the play.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Joellyn, I think it is very interesting that you noticed that Oedipus' confidence definitely got him in trouble. I did not see that as his tragic flaw but I agree with you. Confidence can be an act, and it can be a true emotion that someone could exude. Sometimes confidence comes out when someone is really just insecure about their side of the argument, or themselves. Oedipus felt insecure when he started realizing it was him who had murdered his father and committed incest with his mother and created children through it. He was worried about creating a doomed family, yet his whole family seemed to perish, luckily no more kids had to live through the spell that spilled through generations.
ReplyDeletePaulina Devlin
ReplyDeleteOedipus the King
Response to Lauren Burkart
While searching for the different types of irony in the story of Oedipus, I found dramatic irony the most important of the play because it is the force behind the suspense that drives the play. The story of Oedipus was a well-known Greek legend before Sophocles created a play out of the myth. When they watched Oedipus on stage over two thousand years ago, they knew what the outcome of the play would be just as we already do, through our exposure to Greek myth. Rather than diminish the story, this prior knowledge adds to the drama; the play is considered a masterpiece. This is because the play demonstrates dramatic irony at its finest. Sophocles masterly crafts the sequences of dialogue so that his readers can always guess exactly what will happen next. 2400 years after it was written, Oedipus is still a page turner.
Original Response
ReplyDeleteOf course I have flaws, but my biggest one is not being able to say no. I seem to take on more than I can handle most of the time and then I am overwhelmed and start to stress out. For example, I said yes to be in my cousin's wedding although I knew that was my busiest time, in May, preparing for my AP exams. So while I was worrying about how much to study for, I had to worry about what to eat so that I could fit into my dress. Oedipus says yes to trying to solve the Sphynx's riddle, when he could have just ran away. Oedipus knows that in the end, he will be rewarded and be proud of himself for what he did.
In response to Joellyn,
ReplyDeleteI know the feeling when sometimes a little mistake can make you upset! When a lot of hard work and effort is put into something, and to then see that there is a mistake, is sometimes just heartbreaking. Even though Oedipus probably wouldn't mind making a little mistake, I know where you are coming from!
In response to Cleyton,
ReplyDeleteI agree that Oedipus' tragic flaw is his ignorance. To add on to your details, he also does nothing when him and Jocasta are starting to put two and two together. It is up until he is finally told that he was the son of Laius and that the prophecy has come true that he decides to go crazy.
Response to Anthony Shaw:
ReplyDeleteI agree that “Oedipus the King” is heavily loaded with irony. The biggest one that always pops into my mind is dramatic irony. Throughout the whole play we know that Oedipus is the one who killed his father and is now married to his own mother. Jocasta is also involved in the irony. The whole time she thought that her son was cast away and never to be seen again but we know as the readers that Jocasta is married to her son that they had sent away to prevent the killing of King Laius.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteOriginal
ReplyDeleteSomeone I know had suffered from a close head injury, and suffered from seizures. Having had seizures his equilibrium is off. This physical disability has made this an obstacle that he has learned to live with everyday. He has learned how to live and sometimes he does get injured. I think that this relates to Oedipus because he gets angry and when my friend does get something wrong like Oedipus he gets angry and embarrassed when he can’t help himself., or prove to everyone that he is ok or right. I think with Oedipus when he fist encountered King Laius he got angry and short-tempered and just killed him, without a second thought. But in the end when he admits to killing Laius I think he is embarrassed that he did such a rash thing. My friend still is living by himself and gets along great. He has a lot of help with things but he still gets along. Although he lives with his disability he acts like nothing is wrong, which for him works.
Response to Ashely M:
ReplyDeleteI agree that Oedipus didn’t overcome his anger problems, but I think if he would have waited he would have. I think that he was embarrassed by what he had done, and I like how you compared his anger with your competitiveness. I think many people act before they think. I remember one time I was sledding and I wanted to sled down the steps so I was like yes I am going to go do this. Not really thinking anything would happen I went down and ended up gashing my knee open and needed stitches. Yes I wasn’t agree with the rocks or anything but when you don’t think things through before you do them like Oedipus didn’t you never can really know what might happen.
In response to Stephanie in response to Anthony:
ReplyDeleteYes, the irony in this book is crazy! The whole time we realize that Oedipus killed his father and is married to his mother and they have no idea. And Oedipus just keeps digging until he finds out. Awkward! This story is way twisted! And then he just stabs his eyes, I mean really, is that necessary?
In response to Sophia:
ReplyDeleteMy mom has that problem! My dad jokes that it's how she ended up married to him! But I understand, she'll take on way to much and then get super stressed out. My flaw is (yes I will admit it) procrastination. I just can't bring myself to do daunting tasks. I've been working on it all through high school. Anybody have tips on how to get passed that one?
One flaw that gets in the way of my success is my perfectionism. Sometimes, working hard to be the best that I can be is helpful. My grades would not be very good at all if I did not push myself. Also, I pushed myself to learn an intense audition piece for the Regional Honors choir, and I knew that piece inside out after only having the piece for a week. I work hard to learn all of my music well and perform it to the best of my ability. But, this characteristic can also get in the way of my progress. I would get really upset if I didn't perform at the level that I know I can perform. One time, I was on the verge of a meltdown when I got a 96% on a test instead of the 100% that I knew I was completely capable of earning. My perfection nearly caused my downfall by almost making me quit music. After seeing that I would never be great at piano, I quit and even considered quitting singing. I put so much pressure on myself that I would cause myself to get nervous and mess up. I used to get so caught up in the percentage written on the top of the assignment that I would forget the reason for even doing the assignment: to learn. One time, I had a dream that I was screaming at the top of my lungs because I got a B- on my math exam. After I woke up from that, I realized that I was being pretty stupid. When I meet new people five years from now, they aren't going to care if I got an 80% on one of my high school math tests or if I got a 100%. Now, I am much less extreme in my tendencies to try to be the best.
ReplyDeleteDelicious original response courtesy of Will McPeek, right here.
ReplyDeleteOedipus' tragic flaw is his pride, which blinds him to even the most obvious of signs pointing out his wrongness. When Tiresias tells him, bluntly, that he is the killer of his father and that he's married his mother, he disregards the authority of the prophet because he "knows" his father wasn't Laius or his mother Jocasta. Because he didn't pause for even one minute to consider that who he thought were his parents weren't at all, because he was too proud to listen to the insight of somebody else, he disregards Tiresias and throws him out of the palace. Disrespecting prophets is never good practice, especially in ancient Greece, but Oedipus is too proud to have somebody accuse him of something as horrible as that.
Even before the main story starts, Oedipus kills his father unknowingly because he's too proud to let him get away with just a glancing blow.
On top of all that, Oedipus later tries to find out his ancestry himself. Even though Tiresias had said all along that his father was Laius, he was too proud to accept that even after his own "father" was revealed to be one by adoption.
All in all, Oedipus' pride was the reason for his downfall, and, as such, it's his tragic flaw.
Response #1: @Katie Haas
ReplyDeleteProcrastination? What kind of a person procrastinates until the night before? Oh yeah...
In all seriousness, I agree with you. My procrastination has only been getting worse as high school's gone on, and I definitely need to stop. The only problem is, I feel like I need to wait until I hit rock bottom to stop, which would be not being able to complete a project due to procrastination. I'm not quite there yet, but I wish I could just get it over with...
Response #2: @JessiWojtys
ReplyDeleteYou make an interesting point. A tragic flaw doesn't have to be so tragic it contributes to the death of the flawed one, but it can be the kind of flaw that just makes the holder of it unable to do everything he/she wants in life. Tragedies don't all have to end in death; the very worst kinds end in a wasted life because of a single point. After all, death is nothing compared to being held down by a single flaw of yours for the rest of your life. The idea to me is horrible but very, very real.
Lydia Bumann
ReplyDeleteOrigional Comment
I believe Oedipus's tragic flaw is arrogance. He thinks he knows everything and is in complete control but in reality, he has no idea about the bad things that are in his life. Even though the prophet Tiresias tells him that he has killed his father and has married his mother, Oedipus is certain that he is just plain wrong, that he could not have done those things. He thinks he can find the murderer of Laius himself, and put things straight. His pride and arrogance blinds him from the truth. As more and more clues unravel and witnesses put the pieces together, the more and more Oedipus tries to find things that point to his innocence. But it is useless. If only he could have been less arrogant and actually listened to the people who tried to warn him, maybe he would not have had to end his life in such turmoil. It would have been better if he never found out that Jocasta was his wife and he could have just lived in ignorance not knowing a thing. But his own pride got the better of him and it ended up leading to his pathetic downfall.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteLydia Bumann
ReplyDeleteResponse to Will McPeek
Right on Will. I see that you too agree that pride is Oedipus's tragic flaw. He thought he knew more than a prophet for crying out loud! He thinks he knows everything which is quite ironic because all the while he was looking for the murderer, he himself is to blame.
Lydia Bumann
ReplyDeleteResponse to Olivia Gilson
Okay, first of all I do not think Oedipus ran away, did he? I thought his parents were the ones who heard the prophecy that he would kill his father and marry his mother and that is why his mother Jocasta tied his ankles together and abandoned him, so that the prohecies would not be able to come true. That is when the shepherd found him and gave him to his adopted parents to take care of him. And second of all, he does not kill himself at the end, he gouges his eyes out. Maybe you read all of the book and not just Oedipus Rex... I am so sorry if I'm just completely misreading what you are trying to say but I just thought I would mention those things because I was a little confused when I was reading your post haha. Sorry again if I am just misunderstanding. Other than that, good comment!
Stephen Scarlett
ReplyDeleteOriginal Comment
Oedipus’ tragic flaw I think was his short temper. If he did not have his temper when his father ran him off the road he may not have killed everyone. That would have ended the whole problem where it started. Also even if he did not have his anger with the priest and the prophet Tiresias he might just have left and saved his wife/mother some pain. Also he would not have blinded himself. Many of the issues of this tragedy could have better if it were not for Oedipus’ terrible temper.
As many know the one thing that is my tragic flaw and holding back from success is procrastination. As you can see I am doing my blogs last minute here on labor day when I could have done them earlier. But that would also have to include reading m books earlier on in the summer. This last month I finally decided to start reading and doing the packets. I know I am not alone in this but for me this is my tragic flaw.
Stephen Scarlett
ReplyDeleteResponse to Lydia Bumann
Oedipus #1
I disagree that Oedipus’ tragic flaw is arrogance. I think that if somebody accused me of murder that I would be pretty defensive and shocked myself. When he got to thinking about what he’s done in the past, the murder that he had previously thought was not important, he wasn’t proud then. In fact I think he was pretty humble and tortured when he discovered he killed his own father.
Stephen Scarlett
ReplyDeleteResponse to Hayley W
Oedipus #2
I agree on your stance. I too felt that Oedipus did a lot of things that if he was not rash could have gone a lot better. He almost killed his best friend, Creon, just because he had the thought that he might be in a plot against him when he had been standing behind Oedipus the whole time. I had the same thought but I said that his short temper caused his rashness. When he got angry he always seemed to make bad decisions.
In response to Will McPeek:
ReplyDeleteI think you nailed Oedipus' tragic flaw perfectly. His pride is the whole reason he can't realize that he is in fact the fullfillment of the prophesies.
In Response to Cassi:
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't exactly say his tragic flaw was curiousity. I would say it was more of a pride issue. The only way to figure out the problem was to be curious, and if he hadn't found the truth out, he would have been living a lie for the rest of his life. That's why he gouged his eyes out, as a reminder of his past mistakes.
Alicia Halberg
ReplyDeleteOriginal Post:
Throughout the story, Oedipus demonstrates a tragic flaw as his desire to discover the truth beneath everything. Although the prophecy was uncontrollable and unstoppable, Oedipus could have been his own power to stop himself from discovering the prophecy for himself, which was his downfall. Oedipus' personal quest was to find the murderer of the former king which whom he was succeding. In this quest he indirectly revealed to himself the truth behind this mystery and found out that he was, in fact, the murderer himself and that he slept with his own mother. This concept devastated him to the point where he gouged out his own eyes and respectfully asked for his exile from the city. If Oedipus didn't feed his hunger for knowledge then who knows when he truly would have found the truth of his past. This is a parallel from the book "Frankenstein" where Dr. Frankenstein creates a monster in hopes to discover and solve all of the mysteries of morality and nature but, to his demise, goes too far. Oedipus is entirely the same way.
Alicia Halberg:
ReplyDeleteIn Response to JessiW
I appreciate how you related Oedipus' flaw, which was left to the extreme, to modern controversies today that the media shoves down the throat of the public and labeled as "news". I also appreciate how your post ultimately agrees with mine in terms of Oedipus' flaw because the seeking of knowledge is one of the greatest flaws of mankind. It brings us all the way back to biblical times where the first sin was Eve eating from the tree of knowledge.
Alicia Halberg
ReplyDeleteIn Response to Steven Scarlett
That is a very interesting take on Oedipus' tragic flaw. A bad temper, it seems, is all it takes to change the course of time and events. We obviously live in a world of cause and effect and action and response where every move made by humans can set off a huge chain reaction and alter the lives of many. Maybe at the time of someone's actions, their bad temper seems insignificant to them but they may never know how their actions could have resulted differently if they acted serene instead of mad. I can speak from experience because I have a very bad temper and once throw my last year's English Lit. book at my bedroom window out of anger and I shattered it.
Zach Evans
ReplyDeleteOriginal Comment
Oedipus’ tragic flaw was his failure to realize that no man trumps the hand of fate. From a very early time Oedipus was presented with the prophecy that he would one day kill his father and marry his mother yet he chose to deny the gods the courtesy of his belief (and maybe this inherent hubris is why he was cursed). When he left his adopted home he eventually came upon his father and killed him in a dispute, unknowingly fulfilling the first part of the prophecy. In Thebes his pride reached a new level with the conquering of the Spinx. By answering the riddle of man, he showed that he understood humanity better than any other person, assuming a godly mentality (and it’s never good to have a god complex when you are already duking it out with the god of prophecy). Then he falls further into the rabbit hole when he disrespects Tiresias, one of Apollo’s homies. Ultimately he takes his fall when he figures out that his pride blinded his heart. By taking his sight he hopes to rid himself of his tragic flaw by limiting his reach to what he can grasp.
In many ways I understand how easy it is to fall into hubris because last year I made the fun decision of taking a bunch of AP and advanced classes in subjects I hated (chem. and math) thinking “well gosh I’m a smart cookie” but what I failed to realize was its hard to do well in a class you detest. I suffered a tragic fall very much like old Oedipus.
Zach Evans
ReplyDeleteIn response to Lydia Bumann
I totally agree with you that it would have been best for everyone if Oedipus blissfully carried on with his incestuous love fest but I think that his hole was already dug too deep to get out of. He was actually pretty doomed from the beginning because his father tried to kill him in order to avoid getting killed. Personally I think that ticked off Apollo and out of revenge he made sure his son would have a really messed up life because that is what Greek gods do.
Zach Evans
ReplyDeleteIn response to Liza Reynolds.
I love the quote you brought up 'no man should be considered fortunate until he is dead.'While being quite pessimistic its also an interesting humbling factor that makes a person think "well, I might be the greatest thing since spiral Cheetos I could also be one step from a crap storm." To honor life as a challenge is something that the world sees to be losing, we need that ever burning flame of fear to compel us towards real life fortunes closer in splendor to those presented at death.