Oedipus The King, By Sophocles - 1407 Words

When we think about a tragic play or protagonist, most people would think Shakespeare for his common theme of his plays to end with a tragedy. In Oedipus the King, written by Sophocles, tells the tale of the protagonist Oedipus. Throughout the play, Oedipus searched for his past to discover the reason why his kingdom is plagued with wilting crops and illnesses. In the end, he becomes a tragic protagonist after discovering his past was related to the previous king’s death. While the search progressed, he demonstrated his personality to be not what he desires to show to the public. This causes the audience to develop a short of hate-love relationship, or in this case, katharsis. Katharsis is defined as the feeling of a righteousness of†¦show more content†¦By presenting himself to be caring, and that their pain is his as well. To the citizens of Thebes, Oedipus is a caring king, and that he truly cares about his kingdom as he gave his speech. Additionally, to his father-like impression, Oedipus is prideful towards the fact that he saved Thebes from under the control of the sphinx that had lived in the land. Because he has defeated the sphinx and gained the throne, the people of the land see him as a sort of god who could protect them all. Oedipus knew how the citizen see him as he said â€Å"and justly you will see in [him] an ally, a champion of [his] country and the God. For when [he] drive [the plague] from the land [he] will not serve a distant friend’s advantage, but act in [his] own interest† (694, 155-163). Oedipus saw himself as Thebes’ champion and their god and has become prideful by the fact that his people admire him in such way. His father-like personality allows the audience to see him as a protagonist who cares and is prideful of his achievements as king. However, the spectators soon discover his other trait. When he first began his investigation on what was the cause of the kingdom’s plague, he soon discovers that it is a curse. Soon, he showed his hot-headed personality towards Teiresias, the blind prophet of Thebes. Oedipus exclaimed â€Å"Indeed [he is] so angry [he] shall not hold back a jot of what [he] think. ForShow MoreRelatedOedipus The King By Sophocles848 Words   |  4 PagesOedipus the King, written by Sophocles, follows the tragic story of a king named Oedipus who goes from an all-powerful ruler to a hopeless blind peasant. Oedipus the King was written as a play and performed in front of an audience. Sophocles shows in Oedipus the King that one cannot escape the fate of the gods. Throughout the play Oedipus struggles to find a solution and change all the troubles in his life. 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