Oedipus at Colonus Essay Sample

Quickwrite 1: How has Oedipus changed? Is this alteration internal or external ( or both ) ?
In Oedipus the King Oedipus was a really strong willed confident adult male. He was a great leader. though at times he showed hubristic features. He like to boast that “ [ everyone ] knows [ him ] . the universe knows [ his ] celebrity. ” ( Oedipus the King. 7 ) and that he was the greatest individual. He besides thought the he was the most powerful adult male. These hubristic features are what arguably led to his ruin. This was Oedipus’s tragic defect. He was non low by any agencies in this first book. but in the 2nd book that all changed. After Oedipus could see the truth. and realized that his prognostication of killing his male parent and holding kids with his female parent came true. he blinded himself. He wanted to get away what he could see ( metaphorically ) so he blinded himself ( physically ) .

In Oedipus and Colonus. Oedipus was old. weak. and weary. He was low and pitied himself. He had to trust on his girl. Anitgone. to steer him and care for him wheresoever he went after his expatriate. He has faith in the Gods and realized that they are ever watching you and cognize if your religion has faltered. In the first book he thought that he could turn out the prophet incorrect and demo that the Gods were non ever right. but in seeking to outrun his prognostication he caused it to go on. He changed drastically mentally and physically because of this. He lost all of his pride and was merely full of commiseration. Besides. he gouged his eyes out to seek to get away seeing the truth.

Quickwrite 2: Is Oedipus inexperienced person because he sinned unwittingly? Should this diminish his guilt? Why or why non?
Oedipus is guiltless because he sinned unwittingly. If Oedipus had non received a prognostication from the Gods stating that he would kill his male parent and get married his female parent. he would ne’er hold left Corinth. The prognostication would ne’er of happened if it was non said. The same goes for Laius’s prognostication. It is non Oedipus’s mistake that he killed his male parent. because he was seeking to protect himself. Besides. he did non cognize that his female parent was his female parent when he married her and had kids with her. Besides. if his parents ne’er abandoned his and left him to decease so none of this would hold happened. His parents. besides. would non of abandoned him if it were non for the prophesier that Laius was told. The Gods had set Oedipus up for a life of wretchedness before he was even born.

They decided his awful destiny before he even had the opportunity to demo what sort of individual he was and “if god lead him on. [ how ] can [ he ] get away his fate” ( Oedipus at Colonus. 268 ) . His little hubris Acts of the Apostless were non about tantamount to the penalties dealt out to him. On the other manus though. Oedipus was the 1 who blinded himself and said the penalties that would be dealt to the slayer of Laius. Though. at the clip he announced the penalties. he did non cognize it was him. So while guilty of marrying his female parent and killing his male parent. he is guiltless because he did non cognize what he had done. Fate was set against him from the twenty-four hours he was born. so he should hold felt less guilty.