Oedipus and How His Intelligence, Sight and Term Paper

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Oedipus and how his intelligence, sight and blindness lead to his family's ruin.

Oedipus

Oedipus the King" is a tragic play where Oedipus discovers that he killed his father as prophesized by the gods and married his own mother from who he has two daughters. The story of Oedipus is well-known to because of Oedipus's image as a perfect Athenian. He is described as a self-confident, intelligent, and strong willed individual. It is these characteristics that lead to him finding out about his tragic discovery. Oedipus became the ruler of Thebes by answering the riddle of Sphinx. Sophocles used the riddle of the sphinx as a way of interpreting the three phases of Oedipus' life to highlight his tragedy. The Sphinx said that whoever answers the following riddle correctly "What is it that walks on 4 feet and 2 feet and 3 feet and has only one voice, when it walks on most feet it is the weakest?" will be the future king of Thebes.

Oedipus with his high level of intelligence was able to answer the riddle correctly proving that his intelligence is superior to the gods. Many intelligent young men of Thebes were killed trying to answer the riddle. Oedipus uses the same intelligence to find the killer of Laius. He refuses to give up his search even though Jocasta tries to get him over it. He finds out from the shepard that he is the killer. It was his own intelligence that led him to find out about the murder. Perhaps if Oedipus had not been as courageous he would have never attempted to answer the riddle.

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If he only had courage and no intelligence the Spinx would have killed him for answering the riddle incorrectly. Sophocles used his intelligence to tell Oedipus about his tragic side, because he found out about the murder not through an evil act but simply because of the person he is. God Apollo did predict that Oedipus would kill his father and marry his mother as prophesized by Oracle, but he stated what was inevitable because of the person Oedipus is.

On giving the correct answer, Oedipus became the king of Thebes. This riddle is a metaphor for the life of Oedipus because it depicts that as a child man crawls on his hands and knees this is the four feet and depends on others for his nourishment and well being.

Creon and the people of Thebes have accepted the divine Sphinx's decision to live in ignorance of Laius' murderer. On agreeing with the gods, they are punished with the gods' angry plague. However, unlike others Oedipus, though respectful to the divine gods is anxious to find the murderer, by gaining the same amount of knowledge as the gods.

In one scene, Oedipus invites Creon and the Theban in an act of questioning: "Do what the plague demands: / you'll find relief and lift your head from the depths" (lines 245-247). In the scene where Oedipus answers correctly the humans are amazed.

Oedipus proves his intelligence by his discoveries that man….....

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