Power of the Gods in Oedipus
In the play ‘Oedipus the King’, the character of Oedipus can be considered as a tragic hero. At the beginning of the play, he is portrayed as the beloved and respected king of Thebes who has done no wrong and seemed to have the favor of the gods. As the play proceeds, Oedipus’ flaws and wrong-doings emerge one by one, from his bad temper to his accidental killing of King Laius and finally to his revelation as his father’s murderer and his mother’s husband. Oedipus’ crucial flaw and misconception were that he could change his fate through his own free will, but his tragic ending shows that no man can escape their fate planned by the gods. What I found very interesting, however, is how faithful Oedipus, as well as the people of Ancient Greece, remained to the gods even after Oedipus realizes the god’s cruel fate for him. Oedipus only laments how he is hated by the gods and curses the shepherd who saved him, but he never once blames the gods for giving him such misfortune. Oedipus’ tragic fate, which fulfilled the prophecies of Apollo, only seemed to reinforce the gods’ absolute power and control and made the people of Thebes worship the gods even more. No one dared to question the gods or blame the gods for the disasters that happened in their city. This shows the importance and power the gods had in the lives of the people in Ancient Greece and that the people of Oedipus’ time placed their lives completely into the hands of the gods and worshipped them with absolute faith at all times.
Yes, I agree. The play does put great emphasis on the power of gods. Especially when people are dealing with the unknown, they tend to seek for help from the gods. Also, I think the conflict between Oedipus' faith and the god's vision is the most interesting part of the play. Oedipus is a faithful man who left his own country and sacrificed almost everything he had to escape from his fate. However, when he finally figures out the immoral crime he committed unintentionally, he immediately submit his faith and life to the gods. His characteristics have indeed defined what a tragic hero is like.
ReplyDeleteThere is definitely a big focus on the gods in Oedipus. I like that you pointed out how what happened to Oedipus reinforces the idea of the gods power over humans and their destinies. I would've thought that someone in that situation would lose faith in the gods, but Oedipus obviously doesn't.
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