Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Early thoughts on Oedipus...
Now that you've read Prologue and Parados, think about Oedipus's actions and statements. What sort of person do you think he is? How would you feel about him as your king? What kinds of power does he have? What evidence supports your thinking? Explain the significance of your evidence.
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Oedipus is a guy with a lot of knowledge and as a character, he seems to be very calm and loving with each other. Oedipus is very generous. Having Oedipus as a king in my opinion would not be a good thing. The reason why Oedipus is so nice an calm is because he is getting old. As a king, I would want someone not too young but not too old. Someone who knows just enough and its strong. Oedipus as I have noticed, does not have the drive or self motivation to get up and get things done. He kind of sits down and just dwells over it. After the priest tells him there is a problem, Oedipus says, "I have been in tears for a long while" meaning he is aware of the problem but does not do anything about it (6). Judging by what he has done before, for example saving the people from the Sphinx and already solving a play, Oedipus has a lot of powers. He has power because he is older. Oedipus sending Creon to Delphi to have him find some information just shows that he is finding ways around helping his city out and he is not necessarily capable of going after things himself.
ReplyDeleteOedipus Is not a humble kings but he is a good one. He talks to his people in a patronizing tone, references them as his children. He might be a little out of touch, when the people come to him with their problems he states his pain is still greater. He might be a little sheltered, not knowing true pain. But he does in fact care deeply about his people, he is honest with them. He lets Creon deliver his new in the presence of the citizens. We know Oedipus is wise becuase he solved the riddle of the sphinx, what were not completely sure of if is he is arrogant. And will his arrogance be his demise? Its known that Oedipus is in fact a tragic hero, so he has to have a major flaw. If Oedipus was my king, I'd be upset that he lead my country to ruin, but I think that Oedipus will take the right actions, even the hard ones to save his land. Oedipus has political power but he also seems to act like he is intellectually above everyone else. Maybe he is. Also Oedipus seems to be loved instead of feared, this could be uncommon for a king. His people are coming to him for help pretty openly. He also promises many things for his people, which make them like him more. His people trust him, and very much admire him.
ReplyDeleteI think that Oedipus is a strong king yet he lacks experience with kingly issues. When the priest speaks of him and his accomplishments he only says "You saved us from the Sphinx" (5) and of nothing else he has done for the people. It may be true that he is extremely wise and full of good faith, but lacks experience. If he was my king then I would feel comfortable knowing that there was no treachery influencing his rule. Oedipus has absolute power over the hearts of his people. They believe that he is extremely wise and knows the right thing to do, which is most likely truth. On the first page Odepius is confused and asks his people "Why have you strewn yourselves before these altars" (1). To me this suggests that he has not had to deal with sort of plight that he now goes through. Another reason as to why the people may be sprawling out in front of him is because before in the time of the Sphinx there was a great plague that was caused by it. The people believe that since he has solved a plague before, he can easily do it again. Oedipus has gained the respect of his subjects through his kindness, determination, and wiseness.
ReplyDeleteOedipus is a strong leader, he puts his people's needs before his own needs. He treats his suppliants with respect and does not try to heavily enforce rules and duties upon them. "You shall see how I stand by you, as I should, To avenge the city and the city's god, And not as thought it were for some distant friend, But for my own sake, to be rid of evil" (9). If Oedipus was my king I would have no complaints, I know he would respect my needs, and treat me the way I want to be treated. He also has proven himself by solving the plague. Oedipus has authority, wisdom, courage, responsibility, etc."You are not one of the immortal gods, we know; Yet we have come to you to make our prayer As to the man surest in mortal ways And wisest in the ways of God" (5).
ReplyDeleteOedipus seems like a very good king.He cares about his people and wants them to be happy. In the prologue he says "It is them I suffer more than myself." I think that what he means is when his people suffer he suffers. When the Priest said that there was a plague set the people turned to him to help. The people obviously trust him and want his help. The people know that he has gotten rid of a plague before and trust that he can do it again.
ReplyDeleteI think that Oedipus is a very good ruler. I would be fine with him as my king. He is generally concerned with the well being of his people and he will do what ever he can to help them, even though he seems conceited at times. He is a very powerful person because he is wise, an example of this is when he was the only person able to solve the sphinx's riddle. Because he was able to defeat the sphinx he is almost treated as some sort of god. His people are praying to him at the steps when he walks out and this shows that they are very loyal to him,and they trust him to help them. This shows that Oedipus has a lot of political power too because if the people trust him that much than he must be able to control them very well. He also trusts his subjects, an example of this being when he decided to let everyone hear the news that Creon had to offer instead of going inside where no one could here him.
ReplyDeleteI think he is a father figure to most of the community. He calms people down, even if they should not be calm and have a million things to worry about. On the other hand, he does not seem to have as much control as he tells the people he does. He has the ability to calm and fix some things in his city, which is why all the people came to his steps. He calls them my children, which could symbolize a few things. Given what we know about him, he means this in the loving way. Oedipus ended the plague before, so they assumes that he can do it again. He is also probably the smartest one in the city, and he has political power. Also he has teenage children, so he knows how to treat them respectively.
ReplyDeleteI think that Oedipus is a good person. He saved Thebes from a plague once before, at great risk to himself, and he wouldn't have done this without being a kind person. I think that he is a fair king who listens to his subjects and trusts them as well. This is shown when he tells Creon to tell him the news from Delphi in front of many citizens of Thebes. He has the power of a king, but I don't think that he uses it unfairly or selfishly. He also has power with the people of Thebes because he is kind, and that makes them like him more. This integrity may mean that he is not necessarily deserving of the plague that has been besetting the city. If he is not deserving of the plague on Thebes, it would mean that the gods are not in control of this plague. This is important because at the time that the book was written, the power of the gods was being doubted and science was viewed as the answer to all of humanity's problems.
ReplyDeleteI see Oedipus as a kind and open person. He trusts the people in his palace, and the people trust him. He is not a leader who puts all of his townspeople to slavery, or punishes them severely for little things. He is also very thoughtful. If he was my king, I would be open with him, and trust him greatly. As we read in the prologue, Oedipus openly allows Creon to tell him what the Oracle said in front of everybody; this says a lot about how comfortable he is with his people. I would feel the same with him. I also would feel safe in the hands with him, and he had already solved the plague, which means he has proven himself to be a king. As a king, Oedipus has many powers. He has political power, for instance when he talked to the children about his sickness, and theirs - he convinced the children that they will both turn out okay. He also has fatherly power over his people; people treat and feel as if he is their dad. A third power Oedipus has is elderly power, "all the ages of our people Cling to your altar steps: here are boys Who can barely stand alone, and here are priests by weigh of age." Overall, Oedipus is the best type of king you can have (in many ways).
ReplyDeleteI think that Oedipus is a proud king and wants to protect Thebes as well as his own status. The way that he addresses the people of Thebes as “his children”, gives the message that he cares about them and perhaps that they are bellow him. It could be looked at as patronizing as well as comforting. As for the power that he actually has, he has property, political, resources, wisdom, and responsibility. The people worship him and view him close to a god. This gives him the respect of the people and also a challenge to keep up their trust. Since he has already proven himself, by stopping the plague by solving the riddle of the Sphinx, he has earned their reliance. People turn to him to know what to do and he is thought of as wise. He is also considered to be fatherly, especially when he says, “Sick as you are, not one is as sick as I. . . my spirit groans for the city, for myself, for you”(5). Although he acts as a fatherly, experienced figure I also think that he is a bit naïve when being a king. For example, when Creon hints that perhaps they should talk inside, Oedipus ignores this which shows that he is open and trust. Yet, he is also naïve by not listening to Creon’s advice. However it in the end it shows that he is compassionate, wised, political leader, and cares about his people.
ReplyDeleteHe seems like a good person. I think he is a good king. The priest said he is wise. He solved the riddle of the Sphinx. He wants to help Thebes. I would be happy if he was my king. He sympathizes with the people. I don't think he would be the perfect king. He seems a little annoying. He feels sorry for the people, but he isn't actually experiencing it. If I was a citizen of Thebes, I would be annoyed at the fact he says he is effected by this the most as he said.
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