Oedipus Essay - 568 Words

Oedipus, from the play Oedipus the King, is a very unique character whose different aspects are revealed throughout the play. As he talks with characters such as Creon, Jocasta, and Tiresias, we get a well painted portrait of the aspects of Oedipus’ character. The ambitious aspect of Oedipus’ character is revealed through his conversations with the Leader and the Chorus. When the Leader steps up at the beginning of the play to offer suggestions, Oedipus gladly accepts; he asks no one to â€Å"hold back† (323) and for everyone to just say whatever information they had on the killing of Laius. Oedipus is very open-minded to the Leaders suggestions. He promises the citizens of his town, the Chorus, that he will find the murderer of King Laius.†¦show more content†¦When Creon asks Oedipus to listen to him, Oedipus refuses Creon and insults him in public. Even the arrogant King Oedipus can be kind and compassionate Oedipus is very kind and compassionate to Jocasta. He shows deep love and compassion towards her. When Jocasta asks something from Oedipus, â€Å"she receives from [Oedipus] whatever she desires†. (648). An example of this is when Jocasta requested him to stop arguing with Creon, Oedipus complied. While Jocasta is around, Oedipus seems to be another person; he is affectionate, instead of â€Å"haunting† as he normally is; even to Creon, he seemed to have calmed down and accepted some of Creon’s attempts at proving his innocence. Oedipus is not as kind as he is to Jocasta to everyone, especially towards Tiresias. Oedipus may be a foul mouthed character, but Tiresias is just as absurd. Oedipus’ short temper and stubbornness is exploited when he talks to Tiresias. Another trait that is revealed is impatience. When Oedipus insulted Tiresias in public, questioned his power to foresee, and accused him of lying to his fellow citizens, he replied back promptly and accused Oedipus of â€Å"scourging his own flesh and blood†(474), and said he will be â€Å"rooted from the earth brutally.† (489). Oedipus does not take this in well and kicks Tiresias out of his castle. Even though Tiresias wasn’t trying to accuse Oedipus of murder, Oedipus insultedSho w MoreRelatedThe Oedipus Complex ( Oedipus )1666 Words   |  7 Pagesmother and her son. Sigmund Freud himself came up with the Oedipus complex, which is when a boy has an attachment to the mother, which in turns results in aggressive and envious feelings toward the father and these feelings are largely repressed. The Oedipus complex comes from Sophocles’ Oedipus Tyrannus but has largely been associated with Hamlet as well, since he and his mother Gertrude, have an extremely complicated relationship (Oedipus Complex). 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