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Oedipus Rex



             Although his self-assured boldness stands out as a strength that keeps him apart from others, in the end, it may have been his fatal flaw (O'Brien 8). The chorus in Oedipus Rex declares, "But if a man goes forth haughty in word or deed With no fear of the Right May evil doom seize him For his ill-fated pride - (Lind 138). .
             Oedipus is quick-tempered, lacking patience and behaving hastily, at times. He engages at the crossroads in a hot-tempered dispute with Laius. Both father and son anger quickly and resort to violence (Howard 8). Oedipus kills the traveler, without knowing that his temper has doomed his father to death (Howard 5). He later curses whoever has caused this crime to Laius, boldly and confidently condemning them without realizing that Laius and the traveler were the same and that he is the guilty man. He questions Creon, his brother-in-law, about the killing and hastily accuses Creon of having to do with the murder. He later loses all patience and, without evidence, accuses the blind prophet Tiresias of secretly plotting with Creon to overthrow him (Howard 8). Creon's honesty, rationality and patience stand as a comparison to Oedipus' irrational reaction (Howard 8). It serves to highlight Oedipus' harsh temper and hastiness in judgment. Oedipus is so self-assured that he takes advice from no one and accuses others of his own crime that he has committed (Blackstock 2).
             Oedipus has been driven in life by his curiosity about his own birth (Howard 2). He was brought up in Corinths and was the adopted son of King Polybus and Queen Merope. When a stranger told him he was adopted, Oedipus consulted the Oracle at Pytho. It was here that Oedipus was told that his fate would bring disaster ; that he would murder his father and marry his mother (Cameron 49). At the time, Oedipus did not pay much attention to the oracle because it did not satisfy his question about being adopted.


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