Oedipus is one of the brightest characters in Greek mythology and, without any doubt, in Sophocles’ Oedipus the King. The main distinction of Oedipus from other characters of Greek plays is that he is not complex; most of his feelings and qualities lie on the surface and he is not afraid of displaying them. His flaws and weaknesses are presented equally with his strengths, which evokes additional respect to this character. Namely these flaws and weaknesses allow perceiving Oedipus as a mere mortal. The character of Oedipus in Sophocles’ Oedipus the King possesses three human qualities, namely, empathy, quick temper, and desire to discover the truth, which present him as a mortal and allow him establishing closer connection with the audience.
What should be mentioned above all is that Oedipus is empathic and he is not afraid to show his concern for the others. Firstly, he openly expresses his worries regarding the plague that has spread over Thebes and has taken away the lives of hundreds of his people: “… my soul/Groans for the state, for myself, and for you […] Know that already I have shed many tears” (Sophocles, p. 63). And secondly, he is presented as a caring father who admires his two daughters, Antigone and Ismene; his asking Creon to take care about them proves that he is a loving father and that he is not ashamed to show this. Thus, empathy is one of the major human qualities displayed by Oedipus.
Another quality is quick temper that any human, even the one who seems extremely calm, possesses. Oedipus quick temper is shown in several scenes of the play. One of the brightest scenes is where Oedipus is trying to find out the truth about his future, but Tiresias is not willing to disclose this truth to him: “What parents? Wait! What mortals gave me birth? […] When you are gone you will give no more trouble” (Sophocles, p. 434). Moreover, Oedipus also loses his temper when he speaks to Creon and accuses him of deliberately sending Tiresias to make Oedipus think that he is a murderer: “My wish is you should die […] I think that you deserve no trust” (Sophocles, p. 625). This shows that Oedipus, like any person may be overwhelmed by feelings and emotions and displays his quick temper in conversations with others.
And finally, Oedipus is paranoid, which is one more human quality of his. Oedipus suspects that Creon, his brother-in-law and Tiresias, his best friend, are both against him: “Are these devices yours, or are they Creon’s?” (Sophocles, p.378). At this, he even suspects Creon of being disloyal to him even more than Tiresias: “The trusted Creon, my friend from the start/Desires to creep by stealth and cast me out” (Sophocles, p. 385). As the truth is unraveled further, his paranoia only increases and he even suspects his wife of having her own reasons to be against his search when she asks him to stop searching. Thus, Oedipus’ paranoia adds to the human qualities he possesses.
Taking into consideration everything mentioned above, it can be stated that Oedipus exhibits human qualities throughout the play and does not conceal that he possesses them. Among the most important of such qualities is empathy, for he cares for his family and his people, quick temper, especially when he cannot get what he wants, and being paranoid, when he cannot discover the truth and suspects that the others hide it from him on purpose.