Riddle Of Doom Essay, Research Paper

The Riddle of Doom

Sophocles “Oedipus the King” is a tragic play which discusses the tragic discovery of Oedipus that he has killed his father and married his mother. The story of Oedipus was well known to the Athenian’s. Oedipus is the embodiment of the perfect Athenian. He is self-confident, intelligent, and strong willed. Ironically these are the very traits which bring about his tragic discovery. Oedipus gained the rule of Thebes by answering the riddle of Sphinx. Sophocles used the riddle of the sphinx as a metaphor for the 3 phases of Oedipus’s life and to further characterize him as a tragic man.

The Sphinx posed the following riddle to all who came to obtain the rule of Thebes: “What goes on four feet in the morning, two at noon, and three in the evening” (889)? Oedipus correctly answered “Man” and became the king of Thebes. This riddle is a metaphor for the life of Oedipus. As a child man crawls on his hands and knees, this is the four feet to which the Sphinx refers. Also man is at his weakest as a small child. He depends solely on others for his nourishment and well being. Oedipus was the child of Jocasta and King Laius who was taken to the mountain by a henchman to be killed, ?he was?nt three days old and the boy?s father/ fastened his ankles, had a henchman fling him away/ on a barren, trackless mountain? (790-793). So the omen of the god Apollo that Laius’ son would kill him and lay with Jocasta would not come true. Oedipus was the weakest of his life at this point. If it had not been for the shepherd sparing his life and giving him to Polybus to raise as his own, Oedipus would have died.

Man walks on 2 feet when he has matured. This is a metaphor for Oedipus when he reaches adulthood and leaves Corinth to escape the oracle as he was told, ?you are fated to couple with your mother, you will bring/ a breed of children into light no man can bare to see-/ you will kill your father, the one who gave you life? (871-875)! While on his sojourn, Oedipus meets up with a band of travelers and in a rage kills them. Inadvertently Oedipus has killed his own father. Oedipus then answers the riddle of the sphinx and becomes king of Thebes. By becoming king of Thebes he marries Jocasta the Queen of Thebes and his own mother. Many years later after bearing children with Jocasta a plague kills many of the inhabitants of Thebes, ?from the depths, the red wave of death…/ Thebes is dying. A blight on her fresh crops/ and the rich pastures,…? (29-32). After Oedipus dispatched Creon to the oracle at Delphi, Creon returned and imparts the gods solution to cure the city?s desease, which meant finding the killer of Laius. He is very diligent in the inquiry and finally comes to the horrible truth that he himself is the murderer. Towards the end of the play Jocasta kills herself due to the horrible realization that she has laid with her son and Oedipus puts out his eyes at finally seeing the truth of the prophacy the oracle fortold. This fulfills the final part of the Sphinx’s riddle for Oedipus will have to walk with a cane for the rest of his life because of his blindness, this will give him the 3 feet which man walks with at the end of his years.

Oedipus used his intellect and diligence to answer the riddle of the Sphinx. Many of the most intelligent young men of Themes had been killed attempting to answer the riddle, but Oedipus proved his intelligence superior to theirs. Oedipus uses the same intelligence and perseverance to find the killer of Laius. He does not give up his search even when Jocasta warns him to stop and let the matter rest, she argues, ?oh no,/ listen to me, I beg you, don?t do this… No, please-/ for your sake- I want the best for you? (1166-1167). Although Tiresias reveals the terrible truth that Oedipus was Laius? murderer, Oedipus arrogantly dismisses the thought and later calls on a shepard for further insight. Oedipus interrogates him till he discovers the horrifying truth that he not only was Laius? son, but it was also verified that he was the killer.

Oedipus’ intelligence was ultimately his flaw. If Oedipus had not had been as courageous as he was he would have never ventured to answer the riddle of the Sphinx. Thus even though he had killed his father he would have never become king of Thebes and laid with his mother. In addition, if Oedipus had had the courage but not the intelligence the Sphinx would have killed him for answering the riddle incorrectly. Sophocles used this to characterize Oedipus as a tragic man for he came about his tragic discovery not because of an evil act or an evil trait but because of the person he was. Oedipus? traits which gave him riches and power ultimately led to his tragic ending. Also, the god Apollo himself did not actually predestine that Oedipus would kill his father and marry his mother, he only stated what he knew was inevitable because of who Oedipus was.

The sphinx’s riddle was used by Sophocles to characterize Oedipus as a tragic man and as a parallel to his life. The riddle describes the 3 stages which Oedipus went through in his life. Also in answering the riddle Oedipus inevitably brought about his own tragic ending threw a horrible discovery.

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