Sophocle's Oedipus
Many say that the story of Oedipus, written by Sophocles, is argumentative between the ideas of innocence and guilt of the main character, Oedipus. The actual killing of the King of Thebes, Laius and his four servants might be an extreme display of Oedipus' murderous temperament, and his dealings of incest with the Queen Jocasta may also seem blameworthy; but his lack of knowledge of the fact they were his parents makes it seem as if he is not at fault. After being assumed guilty of the death of his father and the act of incest with his mother, in reality, Oedipus's actions were just unfortunate, unknown, and innocent unbeknownst to him. In the critical analysis of P.H. Vellacott, The Guilt of Oedipus, he states his opinion that Oedipus is to blame for his misfortune. He shows that Oedipus' character traits are shown most clearly during his spiraling downfall, thinking he is a simple man who knows nothing, yet knowing more than he realizes by the end of the story. Throughout the story, Vellacott shows that Oedipus' haste or lack of common sense is most evident. It is especially obvious when he goes against the oracle's warning. Vellacott's examination of this shows how Oedipus makes himself
Oedipus declares his mistake and his part in the infection of Thebes. As for the proper assumption of Oedipus being innocent, Sheppard explains that, "A man may be guilty through no fault of his own. On the contrary of Vellacott and Wheelwright's observations, many argue that Oedipus' expiration was caused simply because of his arrogance and his lack of self-knowledge; hence, J. That aspect is present in the play to be sure, and to a Greek audience Oedipus' ignorance of the relationships would not absolve him of guilt, nor does Oedipus ever expect that it will do so" (257). He argues that even though the warning of the oracle should show Oedipus' innocence, it shows the complete opposite. Next you have Wheelwright disputing the fact that the destiny of Oedipus has something to do with the father and son conflict between him and Laius. Similarly, it is insinuated that the suffering of Oedipus is an unfair treatment for a man just trying to be an honest king. This shows that there was premeditation of thought in Oedipus, but he chose to ignore it and commit the murder anyway, making him guilty. I believe that Oedipus, being of unsound mind and unknown thought, is innocent of the crimes he committed. He did not understand himself well enough to put together the clues that Tiresias and others were throwing at him. He shows loyalty to finding the reasoning for what is happening and once finding the truth, he does not cover up his guilt (Gould 246). How was Oedipus to know that out of the thousands of people that he has come into contact with, that the one that crosses his path, is his father? Especially when he already was believed to have a set of parents, who he left to avoid his inevitability. Although the act of the crimes is a punishable offense, the unawareness of Oedipus to whom the characters were, makes his case prove innocent.
Common topics in this essay:
Laius Wheelwright,
Jocasta Delphi,
Jocasta Oedipus',
Oedipus Gould,
Oedipus Wheelwright,
Oedipus Sheppard,
Sheppard Gould,
Vellacott Oedipus',
Queen Jocasta,
Guilt Oedipus,
oedipus' innocence,
innocence oedipus,
tiresias' riddles,
unknown innocent,
guilt oedipus,
caused simply,
lack self-knowledge,
innocent crimes,
guilty oedipus,
oedipus usurper,
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Acceptance Essays
