Symbolism in Oedipus the King

             Sophocles wrote one of the most enduring plays in history, Oedipus the King. This drama has lasted longer than many plays half its age. What makes this play so important? A human is trying to change his fate by refusing to understand the power of Greek gods. Thesis: Arrogance, pride, and blindness provide the symbolism throughout this story, which involves facing the universal truths of man. This marvelous story takes place around the time of 430 B.C. The story begins at the city of Thebes. A plague has left the city and its people sitting at death's door. The King, Oedipus, has sent Creon, his brother in law, to consult Apollo's oracle about the plague. Once he returns at Thebes, he informs the King that the murderer of Laius, the former King, must be brought to justice in order to lift the plague. The King makes a promise to find the killer and save his land and his people from the plague. The symbolism deep-seated within Oedipus is that he is known to be slightly crippled because his heels were pinned together when he was an infant before being taken into the hills. Being pinned is a brand of a slave, and strangely enough, he is enslaved by the prophecy.
             Oedipus does not know who killed Laius, so he prays to the gods that whoever is the murderer, he must meet his worst fate. He now gives his speech full of curses:
             "Now my curse on the murderer. Whoever he is,
             or one among many, let that man drag out
             His life in agony, step by painful step-
             I curse myself as well... if by any chance
             he proves to be an intimate of our house,
             here at my hearth, with my full knowledge,
             may the curse I just called down on him strike me!" (ll. 280- 287)
             He has unknowingly cursed himself, which makes his fate worse. He has been cursed since the day he was born, and his arrogance still blinds him from the truth of the corrupt things he has done. This arrogance symbolizes his fate is sealed and shows that he already has certain expect...

More Essays:

APA     MLA     Chicago
Symbolism in Oedipus the King. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 17:07, March 28, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/20506.html