Pride In Oedipus The King 'By Sophocles' Antigone
Oedipus Paper
The Theban plays taught ancient Greeks that there were four things that should be learned and lived by in order to be a good person and a good leader. The chorus outlined these things in the last lines of "Antigone" (pg 162). According to the chorus,
Of happiness the crown
And chiefest part
Is wisdom, and to hold
The gods in awe.
This is the law
That, seeing the stricken heart
Of pride brought down,
We learn when we are old.
These lines simply put, state that wisdom is good, reverence for the gods is necessary, pride is bad, and fate is inevitable, and in order to be a good you had to follow these rules. The chorus says that the punishing blows of fate will eventually teach men wisdom. Sophocles tried to stress these four lessons throughout the Theban plays. Although Oedipus was wise, he was also rash and quick to act, and when combined, these made Oedipus a man of swift action and great insight. These have both …show more content…
Oedipus announces his name proudly, for he has become the savior and the king of the great city of Thebes, almost overnight. In the opening page of "Oedipus the King", he states, "Here I am myself, I, Oedipus, whose fame is known afar". He also says "I grieve for you my children". This shows that Oedipus thinks of himself as a father to the entire city and that he was proud of his name and title. This all changes by the end of the play, however, and Oedipus' name becomes a curse, that everyone frights at when they hear it. By doing this Sophocles' showed that pride was bad in any form, even if it was substantiated by actions that one could be proud of. Personally I believe that this lesson is the most important of the four in modern day society. Arrogance and conceit, both brought on by pride, are problems commonly faced in today's
The Theban plays taught ancient Greeks that there were four things that should be learned and lived by in order to be a good person and a good leader. The chorus outlined these things in the last lines of "Antigone" (pg 162). According to the chorus,
Of happiness the crown
And chiefest part
Is wisdom, and to hold
The gods in awe.
This is the law
That, seeing the stricken heart
Of pride brought down,
We learn when we are old.
These lines simply put, state that wisdom is good, reverence for the gods is necessary, pride is bad, and fate is inevitable, and in order to be a good you had to follow these rules. The chorus says that the punishing blows of fate will eventually teach men wisdom. Sophocles tried to stress these four lessons throughout the Theban plays. Although Oedipus was wise, he was also rash and quick to act, and when combined, these made Oedipus a man of swift action and great insight. These have both …show more content…
Oedipus announces his name proudly, for he has become the savior and the king of the great city of Thebes, almost overnight. In the opening page of "Oedipus the King", he states, "Here I am myself, I, Oedipus, whose fame is known afar". He also says "I grieve for you my children". This shows that Oedipus thinks of himself as a father to the entire city and that he was proud of his name and title. This all changes by the end of the play, however, and Oedipus' name becomes a curse, that everyone frights at when they hear it. By doing this Sophocles' showed that pride was bad in any form, even if it was substantiated by actions that one could be proud of. Personally I believe that this lesson is the most important of the four in modern day society. Arrogance and conceit, both brought on by pride, are problems commonly faced in today's