Justice In Oedipus The King
Kimi Mattos
Barbara Parsons
English 111
12 October 2012
Character in Drama: Oedipus In Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, justice and vengeance are the gods‘. Oedipus tries to avoid a prophesy told to him by Teiresias, however because of his pride, Oedipus falls right into his god-fated tragedy. Oedipus, attempting to prove that he is above such things by “avoiding” the prophesy that he will kill his father and marry his mother. He does this by running away from his parents’ kingdom, then Oedipus responds to this the gods’ vengeance with anger, then with ignorance, denial, and belittling comments, ever-believing he can outsmart the gods. Through his struggle he realizes that the gods’ justice is the only justice, and that fate, freewill and …show more content…
He runs with the Denial and belief he can outsmart the gods and their justice (or injustice), but they’ve already doomed him. For whatever reason they have cursed him and his family to their fate and as he runs “away” from his childhood home he is actually running towards his downfall. After running away, Oedipus tells his wife and mother Jocasta that he will, “never go near his parents again” (DiYanni 984). This statement is particularly ironic since it is his mother herself who he tells this to. It is within reason to run though. Oedipus does not see it fair to be blamed for an ancestral wrong. You can see this in his question, “What has God done to me?“ (DiYanni 992). He does not find the god’s justice just, and so he decides that he will never return despite that, “it would have been good to see [his] parents again” (DiYanni …show more content…
It was true! All the prophecies” that he ran to fulfill the prophesy not to avoid it (DiYanni 988). He finally understands then, and blinds himself (DiYanni 991). Blinds himself to the things he’s seen that he never should have, but also to his own justice so that he san finally see what he began realizing earlier in the play, that, “[he is] not sure the blind man can not see” (DiYanni 978). It is blindness that brings Oedipus his true sight, but even so, Creon must remind him, “Think no longer That you are in command here, but rather think How, when you were, you served your own destruction” , and to ask the gods for an answer rather than going off and assuming it is their will, proving there was still defiance in him (DiYanni 998). Even through the end. Life a search for justice and Oedipus always had justice. First his own justice fueled by pride, his own justice, and then supernatural justice, as he realized too late to let go of the tragic flaw, pride and of his foolish belief in freewill, and submit to the gods’
Barbara Parsons
English 111
12 October 2012
Character in Drama: Oedipus In Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, justice and vengeance are the gods‘. Oedipus tries to avoid a prophesy told to him by Teiresias, however because of his pride, Oedipus falls right into his god-fated tragedy. Oedipus, attempting to prove that he is above such things by “avoiding” the prophesy that he will kill his father and marry his mother. He does this by running away from his parents’ kingdom, then Oedipus responds to this the gods’ vengeance with anger, then with ignorance, denial, and belittling comments, ever-believing he can outsmart the gods. Through his struggle he realizes that the gods’ justice is the only justice, and that fate, freewill and …show more content…
He runs with the Denial and belief he can outsmart the gods and their justice (or injustice), but they’ve already doomed him. For whatever reason they have cursed him and his family to their fate and as he runs “away” from his childhood home he is actually running towards his downfall. After running away, Oedipus tells his wife and mother Jocasta that he will, “never go near his parents again” (DiYanni 984). This statement is particularly ironic since it is his mother herself who he tells this to. It is within reason to run though. Oedipus does not see it fair to be blamed for an ancestral wrong. You can see this in his question, “What has God done to me?“ (DiYanni 992). He does not find the god’s justice just, and so he decides that he will never return despite that, “it would have been good to see [his] parents again” (DiYanni …show more content…
It was true! All the prophecies” that he ran to fulfill the prophesy not to avoid it (DiYanni 988). He finally understands then, and blinds himself (DiYanni 991). Blinds himself to the things he’s seen that he never should have, but also to his own justice so that he san finally see what he began realizing earlier in the play, that, “[he is] not sure the blind man can not see” (DiYanni 978). It is blindness that brings Oedipus his true sight, but even so, Creon must remind him, “Think no longer That you are in command here, but rather think How, when you were, you served your own destruction” , and to ask the gods for an answer rather than going off and assuming it is their will, proving there was still defiance in him (DiYanni 998). Even through the end. Life a search for justice and Oedipus always had justice. First his own justice fueled by pride, his own justice, and then supernatural justice, as he realized too late to let go of the tragic flaw, pride and of his foolish belief in freewill, and submit to the gods’