Fear In Oedipus The King
The Oedipus Plays of Sophocles: Oedipus The King Oedipus the king a son of prophecies, a gift or a curse? Oedipus the king of Thebes, son of the late King Laius and Queen Jocasta; at birth a prophecy was placed upon him that he would kill his father, marry his mother, and bare children with her. The king and queen came to the conclusion that their one and only son must be killed in efforts to save the kingdom. They couldn’t find the strength to do it themselves so they give him to a servant to kill. This servant then gives him to a shepherd who gives Oedipus to a king and queen who cannot have children. King Polybus and Queen Merope raised him as their own, when he is older he leaves the city of Corinth in fear that the prophecy will
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Oedipus evokes both fear and pity in the audience when he has realized that the prophecy has came true, as a result he stabs his eyes out, and is banished from the city. He evokes pity and fear when he says, “Wicked, wicked eyes!”(Roche 70). This evokes fear because the audience do not know what Oedipus will do next; also it evokes pity because the audience can see Oedipus is at his breaking point and that he is one move away from ruining his life.
Oedipus is the ideal tragic hero; he has all the qualities of being a tragic hero. Oedipus would have been a great hero to live if he wasn't destined to kill and hurt his family. He had a hard life after being tossed around from place to place to be killed as a child and no one ruthless enough to obey the king and queen and kill the him. In the end the parents efforts to save themselves and escape their destinies failed. In conclusion Oedipus is considered a curse because nothing good came out of his life. The only outcome was that a family of three have all died, the mother of that family married the son and had four of his children, she then kills herself because she cannot live with the guilt of that on her shoulders. The son has killed the father and then blinds himself and is banished from the city of thebes in the end Oedipus is murdered by Creon. The trilogies of Oedipus The King are great and they really embody what a tragic hero
Oedipus evokes both fear and pity in the audience when he has realized that the prophecy has came true, as a result he stabs his eyes out, and is banished from the city. He evokes pity and fear when he says, “Wicked, wicked eyes!”(Roche 70). This evokes fear because the audience do not know what Oedipus will do next; also it evokes pity because the audience can see Oedipus is at his breaking point and that he is one move away from ruining his life.
Oedipus is the ideal tragic hero; he has all the qualities of being a tragic hero. Oedipus would have been a great hero to live if he wasn't destined to kill and hurt his family. He had a hard life after being tossed around from place to place to be killed as a child and no one ruthless enough to obey the king and queen and kill the him. In the end the parents efforts to save themselves and escape their destinies failed. In conclusion Oedipus is considered a curse because nothing good came out of his life. The only outcome was that a family of three have all died, the mother of that family married the son and had four of his children, she then kills herself because she cannot live with the guilt of that on her shoulders. The son has killed the father and then blinds himself and is banished from the city of thebes in the end Oedipus is murdered by Creon. The trilogies of Oedipus The King are great and they really embody what a tragic hero