In the drama "Oedipus the King" by Sophocles, Oedipus' flaws cause him to become a different man. Sophocles characterizes Oedipus as a superior being with great hubris, arrogance, ignorance, and haste. These characteristics are factors that catalyzed his downfall, causing him to become humiliated, wiser, and docile.
             In the beginning of the story, Oedipus owned great hubris for he felt he was almost equal to the gods. Because of his equality sentiments, he held "no fear of justice, [and] no reverence for the temples of the gods" (p 1313 line 974) due to his pride in ruling Thebes and solving the Sphinx's riddle. This pride slowed his good judgment (Berkowitz and Brunner 115. Oedipus was unable to connect that the faults Tiresias pointed out were his own. In order to protect his pride and honor, Oedipus showed aggression toward Tiresias for his questioning and was too "quick to accuse Tiresias and Creon of plotting against his royal person and station." (4 p145). By doing so, "Oedipus remarks with near-contempt the fallibility of the god's human ministers" (4 p 145). This proves Oedipus' prideful and self-glorious attitude, which undermines the divine superiority of the gods. This characteristic would change in the end as he becomes very humble.
             In addition to hubris, Oedipus displayed a great deal of arrogance at the plays beginning. Solving the Sphinx's riddle led him to believe that he could accomplish any task that challenged him. He knew that he was a very popular man, which was apparent when he stated, "you all know me, the world knows my fame" (p.1290 line 8). However, his arrogant feelings were not undeserved. The respectful sentiments of the Thebans add to his arrogance and are revealed by the priest's flower speech where he calls Oedipus " first of men"(41), a "man of experience"(55), and a "savior"...