Oedipus the King is one of Sophocles’s most famous myths. Sophocles was born
in Athens, Greece about 496 B.C. (Higgins, p. 2) In ancient Greece, drama was not
simply entertainment. It was the dynamics between people and society. Sophocles’
father was a wealthy man and leading citizen, so both birth and wealth set apart
Sophocles as one who would play an important role in Athenian society. (Higgins, p. 2)
“Sophocles actively participated in Athenian political and cultural life, often in positions
of great responsibility. Besides his contributions to playwright, Sophocles served as a
diplomat, general, and even an Alscepius, a minor god of healing.” (Higgins, p. 3) It is
not uncommon for some one of this caliber to play an important role in the Grecian
dramatic society.
In Oedipus the King, Sophocles develops this tragic drama through the leading
character of Oedipus who is the King of Thebes. In literature, a tragedy takes place when
a person of high standing falls from great height, often because of a so called “tragic
flaw” but sometimes because two good but opposing forces butt heads. In Oedipus the
King, King Oedipus fell from great heights due to his personal imperfections—pride and
anger. Oedipus’ physical limp was symbolic of his inherent character flaw. This great
and powerful king plunged from honor to disgrace because he was overcome not by
man’s power or might, but by his own character deficiencies. He was his own greatest
enemy. Additionally, according to fate, Oedipus was destined to be infamous. He killed
his father and married his mother. In an effort to avoid the inevitable, Oedipus did not
avoid the undertaking but unconsciously managed to fulfilled it. God knows the heart of
every man, no one can outsmart Him. Oedipus’ efforts to outfox God were all in vain.
For it was pride that led him to sure destruction and his haughty spirit which proceeded
his fall. (Proverbs 16:18, KJV)
Oedipus the King of Thebes had many character defects, but his main character
fault was pride. In the beginning of Oedipus the King, King Oedipus’ prideful spirit was
revealed through his own subjectivity. “I Oedipus whom all men call the Great” was
Oedipus self evaluation. (1470) He was well respected and honored by the citizens of
Thebes, but he did not possess the humility which all leaders should have; he was exalted
by both man and self. For Sophocles wrote, “ If a man walks with haughtiness of hand or
word and gives no heed to Justice and the shrines of Gods despises—may an evil doom
smite him for his ill-started pride of heart!” (1492) Pride is a cancer, if left untreated,
will eventually lead to one’s doom. He never acknowledges God, and when the deadly
plagues are overwhelming the villagers, King Oedipus assure the villagers he has already
sent his brother-in-law to the oracle in order to find the solution for ridding the plagues.
Oedipus has all the answers.
On another occasion, he answered a riddle by the dark singer, sphinx, and took all
the glory. “When the dark singer, the sphinx, was in your country, did you speak word of
deliverance to its citizen? And yet the riddle’s answer was not the province of a chance
comer. It was a prophet’s task and plainly you had no such gift of prophecy from birds
nor otherwise from any God to glean a word of knowledge. But I came, Oedipus, who
knew nothing, and I stopped her. I solved the riddle by my own wit alone. Mine
knowledge was no knowledge got from birds.” (1480) King Oedipus never gave glory to
God or asked God for help, but the great king constantly flattered himself and his pride
lead him to believe that he was smart enough to outmaneuver the omniscience One.
Oedipus prideful attempt to disprove the prophetic utterance concerning his birth
was aborted. Needless to say, Oedipus’ parents, King Laius and Queen Jocasta, and he
tried to escape the oracle through self initiatives. The oracle which came to King Laius
specifically stated that it was fate that King Laius should die a victim at the hands of his
own son, a son to be born to Jocasta and him. (1488) King Laius and Jocasta supposedly
took the necessary measure to change their destiny by piercing the child’s ankles and by
having others cast the child forth upon a pathless hill. (1488) Their plan failed because
the herdsman took pity upon the child and gave him to Polybus and wife. When Oedipus
learns of the oracle, he tries to avoid fate by leaving Corinth. It is on this course that he
actually fulfills his destiny, for he cannot escape the hand of God.
For the all-knowing God is aware of the path in which Oedipus will follow. God
and man possess sovereign wills. Because the omniscient God knows the secret things of
man and knows how man is framed, there is nothing hidden from God’s sight. God knew
Oedipus’ past, presence, and future, yet Oedipus still had a free will. Oedipus’ pride and
self confidence led him to believe that he could escape his own fate, prophesy, and oracle
of God, but he could not. With man, many things are gained from hindsight not
foresight. Practical life experience was Oedipus’ best teacher.
In Oedipus the King, Sophocles’ life lesson for Oedipus and all who shall read his
playwright is pride coupled with irreverence for God equals disaster. Oedipus disregard
for the oracle of God, refusal to give God glory, and hot temper instrumentally gave way
to the manifestation of the prediction. God knows the thoughts and hearts of all men. He
knows Oedipus better than Oedipus knows himself. Oedipus pride provoked him to kill
King Laius. King Laius attempted to thrust him off the road by force. Oedipus refused
to turn the other cheek. For this cause, King Laius was killed. The punishment did not fit
the crime because Oedipus pride was the only thing wounded during his encounter with
the king and his men. In turn, Oedipus marries his wife who is biological mother, and the
revelation comes to past.
In summary, Sophocles’ Oedipus the King, shows how pride can led one from
honor to dishonor and from famous to infamous. Oedipus’ disposition and self worth
were his greatest deficiencies. His foolish, obstinate, and irreverent demeanor piloted his
own demise. Many great and successful men have fallen because of pride. By refusing to
acknowledge and glorify God, Oedipus was surely paving a path for sure destruction. Just
because men do not believe or acknowledge God, it does not mean that His Word will not
be fulfilled in their lives. If God gives an oracle, it will come to past. In the case of King
Oedipus, the oracle was given, and it came to past. His pride is what hinders him from
acknowledging, believing and seeking, and glorifying God. Because he did not consult
God, Oedipus made many foolish choices. Without God, all men are subjected to ruin.
Bibliography
Booth, Alison, J. Paul Hunter, and Kelly J. Mays. The Norton Introduction to
Literature. 9th ed. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, Inc, 2006.
Dakes, Finis, J. Dake’s Annotated Reference Bible. Lawrenceville: Dakes
Bible Sales, Inc, 1963.
Higgins, Charles and Regina Higgins. CliffNotes Oedipus Trilogy. New York:
Wiley Publishing, Inc, 2000.