The ancient Greeks have often depended upon the advice of the soothsayers and oracles, which they considered as reliable sources of information, during difficult times in their lives. In the play Oedipus Rex, by Sophocles, Oedipus and Iocaste sought help from these sources in their times of need. It was their arrogance and fear that caused them to be skeptical of the oracle's prophecy. Their efforts to escape the inevitable blinded them from the truth when it began to unravel before them, which led to their disastrous downfall. By the end of the play, Sophocles reveals his belief in the oracles, but they do not prevent man from making his own choices; thus, making him responsible for his own actions.
Throughout the play, Oedipus and Iocaste display an arrogant attitude. They both show an offensive sense of superiority to the people, the oracle and the soothsayer. At the opening of the play, Oedipus displays his arrogance to both the citizens of Thebes and the reader. He first characterizes himself as a father figure to the people, thus establishing a sense of superiority when he addresses the people as "My children . . ." (Prologue 3). In the opening dialogue, while the people of Thebes are
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They chose to somehow escape the inevitable truth, yet it came back to them and they suffered the consequences in the end. Our hearts are heavy with fear /When we see our leader distracted, as helpless sailors /Are terrified by the confusion of their helmsman" (iii, 47). Oedipus, although he unknowingly killed his father and married his mother, still took full responsibility for his actions. He just refuses to accept the truth because of his belief that he is superior and that the "savior" of the city could not be the one who is ultimately causing its destruction. As a result, Oedipus was a victim of fate but he was not controlled by it. Oedipus threatens Teiresias to get the truth out of him. Teiresias finally responds by telling Oedipus, "You yourself are the pollution of this country . She explains to Oedipus that she has proof that the oracle is not accurate because she and her husband, Laios, were able to defy the oracle. This is another display of Iocasta's arrogance in that she prays for Oedipus because he is go!
ing mad and she still does not accept the fact that she will soon meet her fate, all because she believes she has altered it.
Iocaste, Oedipus's wife/mother is just as ignorant and arrogant as Oedipus. He sarcastically asked Teiresias, "When the hellcat the Sphinx was performing here, / What help were you to these people? . Between Iocasta and Oedipus, there was a link of coincidental events they refused to accept.
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**Bibliography**
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Approximate Word count =
1522
Approximate Pages =
6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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