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

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Oedipus’ termination was caused simply because of his lack of self-knowledge. He argues that even though the warning of the oracle should show Oedipus’ innocence, it shows the complete opposite. Was he not able to solve Tiresias’ riddles because his arrogance would not allow him to, or did he recognize the answers immediately, his vanity not allowing him to acknowledge the truth?

. By Sophocles putting Oedipus’ crimes as past faults, it shows that younger persons are not as wise until they mature, proving Oedipus’ innocence by lack of a conscience mind. Wheelwright seems to think that all of this happens as a way of Oedipus being a usurper and overstepping his boundaries. This shows that there was premeditation of thought in Oedipus, but he chose to ignore it and commit the murder anyway, making him guilty.

Oedipus declares his mistake and his part in the infection of Thebes. I believe that Oedipus, being of unsound mind and unknown thought, is innocent of the crimes he committed.

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. Oedipus is not a mind reader, he cannot just assume that every older man is his father for the rest of his life. By him trying to avoid this fate, shows he did not want this oracle to be right, so he tried to move somewhere that he would be less likely to come into contact with his parents. His argument is that his act of murder was conveyed as self-defense. Sheppard’s argument in The Innocence of Oedipus. This line of questioning puts reasonable doubts in the minds of his readers, forcing them to feel pity on Oedipus for his predicament. Wheelwright seems to argue with the Greek complex of the story causing Oedipus to be guilty of his actions.

Approximate Word count = 1418
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)

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