NAME: Sumaiya Shaukat (28564)

Syeda Aqsa (27803)

BS-5th SEMESTER

SUBJECT: Literary Criticism

SUBMITTED TO: Maam Nabila

DATE: 6th June 2023

Research Article on the themes of Oedipus Rex

Introduction

Sophocles’s Oedipus Rex is probably the most famous tragedy ever written. It is know by a variety of titles,
including Oedipus the King and Oedipus Tyrannus, Sophocles first produced the play in Athens around
430BC, at the Great Dionysia, a religious and cultural festival held in honor of the God Dionysus, where it
won second prize. In the play Oedipus, King of Thebes, upon hearing that his city is being ravaged by fire
and plague, sends his brother in law Creon to find a remedy from the Oracle of Apollo at Delhi, when Creon
returns Oedipus begins investigating the death of his predecessor, Laius and discover through various means
that he himself was the one who had unknowingly killed Laius and then married his own mother Jocasta.
Jocasta commits suicide, Oedipus blinds himself, takes leave of his children and is led away. Aristotle
praises the play in his poetic for having an exemplary, well constructed plot, one which is capable of
inspiring fear and pity not only in its audience but especially in those who have merely heard of the story.
Following Aristotle’s appraisal, many prominent authors including Voltaire, Frederick Nietzsche and
Sigmund Freud reacted at length to the play’s theme of incest and Patricide.
In the twentieth century, the most influential of those thinker Freud, showed that Oedipus fate us that of
every man; the “Oedipus Complex” is the definitive parent-child relationship.
Thorough out history, writers have drawn upon the myth of Oedipus and dramatist composers and poets
including Pierre Corneille, Friedrich von Schiller and Jean Cocteau have both written on translated and
staged the tragedy; contemporary filmmakers such as Pier Paolo Pasolini and Woody Allen have directed
self-consciously autobiographical versions of Oedipus Rex.

1.1 Purpose

The purpose of Oedipus Rex is to show how foolish it is to against the will of the gods, that’s why what
Oedipus does is a supreme act of Hubris. Even when he’s been told the will of gods bt Tiresias, he still
remains stubborn in his defiance of divine will catastrophic consequences.
•Sophocles’ surviving plays (written after 440 BC) are deeply troubling.
•These plays depict characters caught up in unsolvable dilemma that test their faith in divine and human.

1.2 Research Questions

Q1. How was Laius killed?

Ans. King Laius had left the city with a few attendants on a religious journey and he never returned home.
A single survivor came back to Athens and told that the king and his companions had fallen in with brigands
who had killed all of them except him. Oedipus told that brigands can’t attack unless they are bribed to do
so. Creon answered that no inquiry had been held into the murder as the city was troubled by Sphinx whose
riddle was unsoluble to the common people. Oedipus was the only able man who solved this problem and
when the city was free from the clutches of Sphinix, people offered their Queen to Oedipus.

Q2. How does Oedipus try to avenge the murder of Laius?

Ans. On hearing the whole story from Creon, Oedipus replies that he will start an investigation into the
murder of Laius until the truth comes to daylight. Oedipus declares that he will avenge the murder of Laius
on behalf of the people of Thebes and on behalf of Phoebus. In avenging the murder, Oedipus will not only
remove the stigma from the city but also protect himself because the murderer of Laius could very well try
to murder Oedipus also.

Q3. What does Oedipus declare about the murderer of Laius?

Ans. Oedipus asks the murderer to come forward and confess his guilt. The murderer need have no fear
because his punishment will be nothing but the banishment from the city. If anybody can give any
information about this, he will be rewarded with kingly grace. If any citizen is harbouring this killer in his
house he must be driven out immediately as his presence is the cause of the plague in the city. Then Oedipus
curses the murderer for killing Laius. He says that this man will find nothing but misery and wretchedness
only as long as he lives. He also says that if himself is intentionally giving shelter to the murderer, let the
same curse descend upon himself. Now, it is doubly his duty to find out that killer who will not be able to
escape the wrath of Oedipus. He also curses that those who disobey him will be destroyed in no time.

2.1 Theoretical Framework

Freud was a psychoanalytic literary criticism. He thought that Oedipus Rex represented a certain hidden
wish in all human beings: to kill our fathers and marry our mother. He called this hidden desire the Oedipus
Complex and introduced the theory in 1899.

2.2 Delimitation of Theoretical Framework

The major conflict of Oedipus the King arises when Tiresias tells Oedipus that Oedipus is responsible for
the plague, and Oedipus refuses to believe him. The major conflict of Oedipus at Colonus is between
Oedipus and Creon. Creon has been told by the oracle that only Oedipus’s return can bring an end to the
civil strife in Thebes—Oedipus’s two sons, Eteocles and Polynices, are at war over the throne. Oedipus,
furious at Thebes for exiling him, has no desire to return. One more key conflict is the man Oedipus
struggling against himself as he accepts responsibility for the plague on his people and discovers the
consequences of long-ago actions. The other main conflict is man against fate, which in Ancient Greece
would more likely be framed as man against the Gods. Everyone involved in the complex web of events
seems destined to lead Oedipus to fulfilling the Oracle’s prophecy that he will kill his father and marry his
mother – even though he has no intention of doing these things.
Sophocles’ “Oedipus Rex” is undoubtedly one of the most popular classical plays of the world. This is
generally acknowledged one of the world’s greatest tragedies, but at the same time, it is a fate-ridden tragedy
as well, both in its Hero and in its cycle of events. It raises great discussion and debate among the critics of
the world from Socrates, Plato and Aristotle’s “Poetics” until the critics of the present time that in what
ways does Oedipus access the status of a tragic Hero. Therefore, it has always been the research focal target
for world research scholars.

3 Research findings
3.1 Actual analysis
The plot of Sophocles’ great tragedy Oedipus the King (sometimes known as Oedipus Rex or Oedipus
Tyrannos) has long been admired. In his Poetics, Aristotle held it up as the exemplary Greek tragedy. Samuel
Taylor Coleridge called it one of the three perfect plots in all of literature (the other two being Ben Jonson’s
The Alchemist and Henry Fielding’s Tom Jones).
Oedipus the King might also be called the first detective story in Western literature.
Michael Patterson, in The Oxford Guide to Plays (Oxford Quick Reference), calls Oedipus the King ‘a
model of analytic plot structure’. So it’s worth briefly recounting the plot of Sophocles’ play in a short
summary.

3.2 Themes
• FATE
It is the main theme of this play and fate plays an important role in the whole play. When king Laius and
queen Jocasta hear the prophecy that their son will kill his father and marry his mother, they leave their son
to die but the child doesn’t die and is taken to Corinth. When Oedipus grows up, he also comes to know
about this prophecy so he leaves that place but he doesn’t know that his fate is taking him towards his real
parents. No matter how hard he tries to escape his fate, he does the same as was written. The role of fate
remains prominent in the play and in the end, Oedipus finds that he is only a puppet in the hands of gods
and prophets.

• INDIVIDUAL WILL/ACTION
Though it was Oedipus’ fate to kill his father and marry his mother yet there were certain actions that could
have saved him from this destruction. Oedipus had many opportunities that could prove oracle’s prophecy
wrong but his own actions became the reason behind his downfall. On his way to Thebes, he messed up
with a stranger and got angry. So he killed him because of his rage. At that time, If he somehow managed
to control himself and his anger then he could never have killed his own father.

Moreover, when Teiresias, chorus, and Jocasta were begging him to stop his search for truth, he didn’t stop
and as a result, he came to know the bitter truth that destroyed his life. If he stopped at that time and didn’t
try to explore his past then he would never have led himself to destruction.

• PITY AND FEAR

As Oedipus Rex is a tragedy, the elements of pity and fear are also found in it. The readers feel fear as the
play proceeds towards the solution of the mystery. The characters of the play also get terrified as the things
start to get clear. Oedipus finds that he is the real culprit and he blinds himself by hurting his eyes with
brooches and streams of blood start flowing down his face. The readers also feel pity for Oedipus because
he didn’t do anything intentionally and his fate is the real cause of his tragic end.

• PLAGUE AND HEALTH

At the start of the play, the city of Thebes is shown suffering from a terrible plague that makes everyone
tensed and terrified. The people of the city became sick and many died. Their fields and women become
barren. The people of Thebes believe that the plague is a result of religious pollution because of which God
Apollo is angry and has cursed them so they come to the king to request him to save their lives.

• SELF-DISCOVERY AND MEMORIES OF THE PAST

Oedipus keeps on exploring his past. Although everyone warns him yet he doesn’t stop. Forgetting the past
is a good thing sometimes but Oedipus ruins his own life because of his quest for who he really is and what
was his past. The road that he adopts towards self-discovery, in reality, leads him towards his downfall.

• HUBRIS
It is a Greek term that means “Excessive pride”. It is one of the main themes of this play and it also proves
to be the Hamartia or tragic flaw of Oedipus Rex. He shows pride at different points. At the beginning of
the play, he addresses the people saying that he is Oedipus and he has solved the famous riddle. In his
pride, he disrespects Teiresias and calls him blind. His excessive pride becomes the reason behind his tragic
downfall.

• POWER
Power corrupts men and the character of Oedipus is the true example of it. He becomes mad in his power.
He uses it over Teiresias and disrespects him by accusing him of the king’s murder. He also gives the order
to execute Creon because he thinks he is a traitor. He forces both of the shepherds to tell him the truth
though they don’t want to speak.

• SEARCH FOR TRUTH

Oedipus promises people to find out the truth and punish the culprit so he starts his search. Many people
request him to stop his search but he doesn’t listen to them. Teiresias begs him not to ask him about the
truth because it will only bring pain to everyone. He forces him to speak. Later when things start to become
clear, Jocasta also requests Oedipus to stop finding the truth but he doesn’t listen to her either. Then he finds
out the bitter truth and ends up punishing himself.

• GUILT AND SHAME

As the truth comes in front of everyone that Oedipus is the person who killed his father and married his
own mother, Oedipus and Jocasta fill with shame. Jocasta hangs herself because of her guilt to marry her
own son and Oedipus hurts his eyes and becomes blind to punish himself for committing the shameless sin.

• IGNORANCE
It is true that ignorance is a blessing. When Oedipus was unaware of reality, everything was perfect and he
was living happily but when he started his quest for truth, he got destroyed. Many people try to stop his
search for truth because they know it will only bring destruction but he doesn’t listen to them and the truth
destroys his life. The search for truth is a good thing but sometimes staying ignorant towards some matters
is the real sensibleness.

• JUSTICE
It is also an important theme. As the play starts, the people of Thebes request Oedipus to save them from
the plague. Creon finds out that the only way to get rid of the plague is to bring justice to king Laius by
punishing his murderer. Oedipus promises to find and punish him. Later when the truth reveals, Oedipus
acts upon his words and he punishes himself. Though he can escape the punishment because he is the king
yet he decides to bring justice and he says that the banishment is the only punishment for the criminal so
he leaves the city of Thebes.

• BLIND FAITH
The theme of blind faith is also found throughout this play as the people strongly believe in the prophets
and their prophecies. King Laius and Jocasta left their son to die on a hillside because of a prophecy that
their son will kill his father and marry his mother. If they didn’t believe that prophecy and kept their son in
front of them then maybe things would have been different. Moreover, listening to the same prophecy,
Oedipus also left Corinth. If he didn’t trust the prophecy and kept living in Corinth then maybe he could
never be able to kill his real father and marry his mother.

Furthermore, Oedipus sends Creon to Delphi to talk to an oracle about the plague. Later they call Teiresias,
the blind prophet, to solve the mystery. At the end, after the truth gets revealed, Oedipus requests Creon to
let him leave the city but Creon suggests that they should meet the oracle first. It clearly shows the trust and
the faith of the people on oracles and prophets.

3.3 Elements
Aristotle identified plot, and secondly character, as the most important elements of a tragedy. He identified
ideal plots in tragedies as covering a tragic fall; Oedipus Rex covers Oedipus’s rise to king and then his fall.
Aristotle spoke highly of plots employing “peripeteia,” or a reversal of fortune and expectations. Peripeteia
in Oedipus Rex can be seen through Oedipus’s realization that he was not a person who used his gifts to
save the city of Thebes from the Sphinx and thereby won the kingship; on the contrary, he was born as a
prince in Thebes, and has married his mother. Furthermore, he killed the old king in a road dispute.
For character, Aristotle outlined a tragic hero as being someone somehow superior (as Oedipus
demonstrates he is by solving the Sphinx’s riddle) brought low by a tragic flaw, or “hamartia.” Oedipus’s
tragic flaw is his hubris, or pride, which does not allow him to reconsider his actions until it is too late. Both
Oedipus’s character and the plot bring about catharsis, or a feeling of relief in the audience through
vicariously experiencing Oedipus’s misfortune.

The other four elements, in ranked order from most to least important, are thought, diction, song, and
spectacle. The play does convey the characters’ thoughts and feelings through artistic language (diction),
the Chorus provides several odes of lament for Oedipus’s fate, and the spectacle comes from the taboo of
having a son marry his mother and father four children with her, as well as a son killing his father.

3.4 Scenery
Sophocles’ play Oedipus Rex is portrayed in third-person dramatic/objective point of view. Third-person
dramatic view is where the author only provides the information of the setting and plot, but not the internal
thoughts and emotions of the characters. These internal thoughts are presented in the dialogue between the
characters. The narrator is like “a fly on the wall,” where he/she is on the outside looking in and only knows
what’s happening. This point of view is common in most dramatic plays because it moves along the action
without any interruption of feelings and emotions.

The majority of allusions were referred to the god of truth, Apollo.

“Their hearts no longer know Apollo” (Sophocles Line 863)
The characters in the story, mainly Oedipus and Jocasta, lose faith in prophecies and the gods.
Allusions help identify the close ties to religion Greek playwrights had.

3.5 Main work

Oedipus Rex is about the inevitability of fate; the characters hope to escape their tragic ends, but their very
actions bring those ends closer. Oedipus Rex does not build its sense of drama through surprise, but rather
through the tragedy of watching the characters careen toward their foregone conclusions.

4 Conclusions
“Oedipus the King” by Sophocles is so deep and complex that focusing on certain problem that penetrates
the tragedy inevitably leads to other issues. The critical analysis of this work is like untangling of a sweater,
when by pulling one fiber the other two are revealed. In conclusion, it should be mentioned that the destinies
of the three main heroes of the tragedy are closely connected with the feeling of fear. One hero was afraid
of death, while the other was afraid of truth, and still other was intimidated by power. As a result, every one
of them got just what they feared. The above research represents a critical analysis of such issues as Destiny
and human being as well as the importance of symbolism in the tragedy. The research is based on the
existing investigations of this ancient piece of writing, still revealing the personal viewpoint of its author.
“Oedipus the King” is a true masterpiece that evokes a mixture of feelings in its readers. It has long become
a classic writing whose fame will hardly ever fade away.

4.1 Recommendations
The hero isn’t always epic and won’t always have a happy ending, sometimes he may face a tragic event
and meet his downfall. Sophocles Athenian tragedy Oedipus Rex, or Oedipus the King, is a phenomenal
play written and first performed around 430 B.C. The play follows the story of Oedipus, a man who became
the King of the city Thebes by solving a riddle and defeating a sphinx that was threatening the city and then
marrying the queen of Thebes, Jocasta. One day, when Thebes is suffering from a catastrophic plague,
Oedipus sends his brother-in-law Creon to an oracle to find out how to stop the plague. Creon returns telling
Oedipus that the plague will cease if the killer of the previous king, Laius, is found and exiled. Little does
Oedipus know, he is Laius’s killer. Before Oedipus was born, a prophecy was told to Jocasta that her son
would kill his father and marry his mother, and so she sent her son out to be killed in the mountains. That
boy was Oedipus, and as the prophecy stated, he has returned to Thebes unknowingly to fulfill that
prophecy. I love this Greek play by Sophocles because it is one of the first pieces of literature that tells the
story of the “tragic hero” and his downfall. I recommend this play to all, but more advanced readers as the
translation is also a bit complex.

5 References

AT: King Oedipus; Oedipus Rex A: Sophocles Pf: c. 429–420bc, Athens Tr: 1715 G: Greek trag.
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