In the first play of Sophocles’ trilogy, Oedipus Rex, we are introduced to Oedipus. He is a very complex and very human character. We learn first that he is quite intelligent and clever, yet, we see, right away, his pride, which is often a fatal flaw that destroys the main characters. We see him at his worst when he meets with Teiresias, the seer, and when he confronts Creon, whom he believes has conspired with the prophet to accuse him falsely of horrible crimes in order to seize the throne. By the end of the play, he realizes his mistakes and regrets his rash accusations of his brother-in-law. He begs forgiveness for his accusations and begs the man to take care of his daughters because they are kin and will not have any other support, since they will never be considered suitable for marriage because they are the products of incest.
The sin of pride is often a fatal flaw in the main characters. In Oedipus, it is exaggerated by the heroic deeds he has, apparently, done. He saved Thebes by his wit and has brought peace and prosperity since defeating the Sphinx by solving her difficult riddle. However, after years of peace and prosperity, Thebes is, once again, in need of a healer and the chorus begs Oedipus to find the cause. When Creon explains what the oracle has said about banishing or shedding the blood of the vile pollutant whom he assumes murdered Laius, Oedipus assures him that he will find the person and banish him forever from Thebes. He honestly believes that he can do this, and he says he will do so for his own safety also, since the person who did this may also come after his person. This seems a little odd since much time has passed since Laius died.
The pride of Oedipus is not unfounded, as he is very clever, but he fails to give credit to the gods and the people around him as if he is the only source of wisdom. Yet he does not appear to use this intellect when he is confronted by the very emotional issue of his own guilt. “The audience and all the other characters in the play, even the blind Teiresias, see the appalling truth long before the proud and cunning Oedipus. Creon exclaims, ‘I can see you are blind to the truth.’” (Lines, p. 4) He is not open to any other interpretation but his own. He would easier believe that a holy seer and his brother-in-law, co-ruler and friend, and his uncle too as it is revealed, would conspire together for his throne than to believe he could be wrong. If he had never killed anyone, he could be certain he was right. “Oedipus the King believed that he could simply discover who killed Laius and mete out appropriate justice. Hubris blinds him. When at last he sees the truth, he wishes only to be blind again” (Lines, 1999, p. 4).
It shows here that Oedipus does not really trust anyone. That may be why he has to maintain control at all times. Even after Creon shows him cold logic why he would not want the throne, Oedipus persists in believing he is a traitor. It is easier for him to believe in faults in others than in himself. He is self-reliant to a fault. Otherwise, he would have sought help or council when the first oracle made the dire prediction that he would kill his father and marry his mother. Maybe if he had gone to his father he would have learned the truth and not gone wandering. It seems that all the prophesies are fulfilled when the people concerned try very hard to avoid them. Oedipus leaves where he thinks he was born and vows never to see his parents again to avoid killing his father and kill his real father on the road. He stops to help the city of Thebes and winds up marrying his mother there. One question which occurred to me was why did Jocasta never notice the scars on his ankles? They did have several children.
When Oedipus has the first confrontation with Creon we see how unreasonable he can be. He immediately jumped to the conclusion that Creon had conspired with Teiresias. Of all the possibilities he chose Creon. It would seem that Creon was a better friend and family member than Oedipus was, at least in this play. We have to think that this suspicion did not just spring out of the air. Oedipus must have been thinking about this before. Something else to think about is that we tend to judge others by ourselves. Oedipus was ambitious. He was self-aggrandizing and needed praise. He needed power. He was reluctant even to give up his power when he was totally destroyed at the end of the play. He still wanted to control his future when he demanded that Creon should banish him. Creon said it was the god’s decision and reminded Oedipus that he had to give up his power now.
We learn also that Oedipus is one who may act before he thinks. He certainly began accusing people very quickly. He is very quick to try to lay blame elsewhere. He thinks of himself as a true and righteous man and actually cannot believe that he might be wrong. What he says to Creon when he accuses him is quite nasty and cruel. It seems odd that he became so accusing so quickly. Maybe he was desperate to find another explanation than his guilt and other explanation. Creon is hurt to be so accused and Tierasius is angry. However, neither man takes revenge upon Oedipus, nor even reminds him that he has been unkind, even cruel. Oedipus has no patience and he cannot conceive of himself as anything but a kind, just, and smart ruler.
Oedipus is also a little assuming. He makes a speech debasing himself and says he sees no reason why Creon should trust him, yet he seems only mildly surprised that Creon is sympathetic and forgiving, even though he finds Oedipus in the worst possible state for a man. Oedipus first asks to be thrust from Thebes and taken to the desert. Then Creon says that the business of kin with kin should not be in public and urges him to go inside. Instead of doing that, Oedipus asks first that Creon will care for his daughters and second that he can touch them once again before he leaves. Creon has already summoned them. This means that Oedipus not only misjudged him when accusing him of treason but misjudged his care.
CREON says when Oedipus asks if he truly has brought his daughters to him, “’ Tis true; ’twas I procured thee this delight, Knowing the joy they were to thee of old.
OEDIPUS replies, “God speed thee! and as meed for bringing them
May Providence deal with thee kindlier Than it has dealt with me!”
So from all of this, we see that Oedipus was not simply blind to the truth or the possibilities, but he was also blind to his own faults. He made decisions rashly without thinking enough, even though he was certainly capable of reasoned thought. He did not try to get further information from the first oracle which said he would kill his father and marry his mother. He simply thought he could prevent this on his own. He never once thought he might be wrong in his interpretation of the oracle’s prophesy.
It seems Oedipus also did not make much inquiry about the former king either. This seems a little strange since he was obviously a very suspicious person. He even voiced the thought that Creon might have been guilty of that crime also somehow. Perhaps he arranged it. This would have elevated him asking, at least temporarily, as it seems that the queen remains queen and can marry, thus elevating her husband to the throne. So the accusation is not totally out of bounds, except that we understand that Oedipus has been there as co-ruler with Creon and Jocasta for quite a long time, long enough to have grown sons and young daughters. A logical question would be why would Creon wait so long to act if he wanted to take the throne? However, when Oedipus is angered he is not logical.
Oedipus reacts quite emotional when he thinks that someone has wronged him or even failed to respect him. This is the very fault that led him to take the life of Laius. He is too quick to react. When he accuses Teiresias of lying he is reacting. When he accuses Creon of conspiring with Teiresias, he is reacting without thinking logically. He has little patience and does not listen to reason. His self-reliance to a fault and his pride is actually responsible for part of his woes since these led him to believe that he could avoid a fate ordained by the gods. He needs to be in control and he needs to be right.
When finally Oedipus realizes what he has done, he goes to possibly kill his mother. Instead, he finds that she has committed suicide and he uses her brooches to blind himself. He feels that he has been unjustly fooled into committing these horrible acts. He seems to expect pity from Creon and he gets it. He probably knew in his heart that Creon was innocent, but he could not face the alternative, that he, himself, might be guilty. Oedipus has some fatal flaws which lead him to his downfall: pride, arrogance, and a lack of humility. He trusts nobody but himself, not even the gods.
References
Lines, Patricia M. “Antigone’s Flaw.” Humanitas 12.1 (1999): 4.