This Resource on Key Themes and Quotes in the play ‘Oedipus the King’ by Sophocles is for Year 12 Students studying in the Victorian VCE Curriculum.
Fate vs Free Will / Prophecy
The play is known as a tragedy of destiny – its tragic effect is said to lie in the contrast between the supreme will of the gods and the vain attempts of mankind to escape the evil that threatens them. The lesson is to learn from the tragedy – submission to the divine will and realisation of his own impotence [powerlessness].
The play hinges on two prophecies. The first is the prophecy received by King Laius of Thebes that he would have a son by Queen Jocasta who would grow up to kill his own father. The second is the prophecy that Oedipus received that he would kill his father and marry his mother. Laius, Jocasta, and Oedipus all work to prevent the prophecies from coming to pass, but their efforts to thwart the prophecies are what actually bring the prophecies to completion.
This raises a question at the heart of the play: does Oedipus have any choice in the matter? He ends up killing his father and marrying his mother without knowing it? Does he have free will—the ability to choose his own path—or is everything in life predetermined?
Oedipus’s destruction comes not from his deeds themselves but from his persistent efforts to learn the truth, through which he reveals the true nature of those terrible deeds. Oedipus himself makes a different argument at the end of the play, when he says that his terrible deeds were fated, but that it was he alone who chose to blind himself. Here, Oedipus is arguing that while it is impossible to avoid one’s fate, how you respond to your fate is a matter of free will.
For the Chorus, prophecy is synonymous with the will and knowledge of the gods that “destiny will guide me”, although they do at times waver in this devotion under the influence of their loyalty to Oedipus.
Quotes
“This day will bring your birth and your destruction” (Tiresias line 499 p.184)
“An oracle came to Laius one fine day … and it declared / that doom would strike him down at the hands of a son / our son, to be born of our own flesh and blood” (Jocasta lines 784-8 p.201)
“Apollo was explicit: my son was doomed to kill my husband … my son, poor defenceless thing, he never had a chance to kill his father. They destroyed him first” (Jocasta lines 944-7 p.208)
“It’s all chance / chance rules our lives. Not a man on earth / can see a day ahead, groping through the dark / Better to live at random, best we can” (Jocasta lines 1069-72 p.215)
“I count myself the son of Chance / the greatest goddess” (Oedipus lines 1188-9 p.224)
“Destiny guide me always / Destiny find me filled with reverence pure in word and deed” (Chorus lines 954–956 p.209)
Sight vs Blindness
Oedipus lack of wisdom is highlighted by the central idea of blindness. When Oedipus publicly declares his intention to solve the mystery of King Laius’s murder like a determined detective seeking the truth, he says, “I’ll start again—I’ll bring it all to light myself” but his overarching pride is his true blind spot. Oedipus’s vision and intelligence have made him a great king of Thebes—he solved the riddle of the Sphinx and revitalized the city. But he is blind to the truth about his own life and cannot see the truth clearly.
Ironically it takes the blind prophet, Tiresias, to point out his ignorance and to plant the first seeds of doubt in Oedipus’s mind. Tiresias first informs him of his fate by speaking in riddles. He tells Oedipus: ”Eyes hast though, but thy deeds thou canst not see.” In this, Tiresias tells Oedipus is blind even though he may have working eyes. He then warns him that this will not always be the case, when he says, ”in thine eyes now light, but then darkness.”
Oedipus responds to Tiresias’ riddles with anger. He asks the prophet to speak plainly. When Oedipus mocks Tiresias’s blindness, Tiresias predicts that Oedipus himself will soon be blind and beggared, which comes true by the end of the play. Indeed, when Oedipus learns the full story—that he has killed his father and married his mother—he gouges out his eyes. He learns the nature of fate and the power of the gods, but at a great cost. Although he is blinded, he has learned to see something he could not see before (or perhaps chose not to see). He also asks to be exiled, eventually becoming a beggar.
Quotes
“I’ll start again—I’ll bring it all to light myself” (Oedipus line 150 p.167)
“You’ve lost your power, stone blind, stone death – senses, eyes blind as stone” (Oedipus lines 423-4 p.181)
“Blind, who now has eyes, beggar who now is rich, he will grope his way toward a foreign soil, a stick tapping before him step by step” (Tiresias lines 516-19 p.185)
“Not a man on earth can see a day ahead, groping through the dark. Better to live at random, best we can” (Jocasta lines 1070-1 p.215)
“What good were eyes to me? Nothing I could see bring me joy” (Oedipus lines 1472-3 p.241)
Truth
In his search for the truth Oedipus is engaged in a great calculation, to determine the measure of a man. However, the terrible deeds that are Oedipus’s undoing actually took place long before the play begins. King Laius has been dead for many years, Oedipus has ruled for some time, and his marriage to Jocasta has produced four children. They might have all remained happy in their ignorance had the plague not come to Thebes and the oracle not commanded that the murderer of Laius be found. Good king that he is, Oedipus swears he will find the murderer. Every step of the way, people are reluctant to speak and try to tell him that it would be better if the past were left alone. Creon suggests that they discuss the oracle behind closed doors, not in front of everyone, but Oedipus wants to show that he is open to the truth and keeps no secrets from his people.
Tiresias refuses to say what he knows, and only speaks when he has been insulted and accused of treachery. Jocasta begs Oedipus to cease his investigations. The old shepherd gives Oedipus the final pieces of the puzzle only when threatened with death. In his desire to seek out the truth and save his people from the plague, Oedipus becomes his own prosecutor, and then his own judge and punisher.
Oedipus is a free agent, by his own self-willed action he discovers that his own predicted destiny has already been fulfilled. His heroic achievement is the discovery of the truth about the prophecies, about the gods and about himself regardless of disaster.
Quotes
“Lord Tiresias sees with the eyes of Lord Apollo / Anyone searching for the truth, my king, might learn it from the prophet, clear as day” (Chorus Leader lines 323-5 p.174)
“How terrible to see the truth when the truth is only pain to him who sees” (Tiresias lines 359-60 p.176)
Identity & Self-Discovery
In the play the consultation of oracles is strongly associated with the search for a character’s identity. All the characters in the play who seek the truth about themselves through the word of oracles – Laius, Jocasta and Oedipus – come to bad ends. Those characters who seek the truth about their fates and then once received the prophecy they go about trying to alter their fates. Sophocles is telling us that those people who try to alter their fates do so and court catastrophe.
Truth about his identity is the reason Oedipus consults the oracle in the first place after a drunken reveller at one of Polybus’ banquets accuses him of not being the king’s natural son. When the oracle offers a prophecy “you will kill your father and couple with your mother” Oedipus knows that he is the man who will do those deeds and it changes everything about him, marking him, from that moment on, with a new identity.
Before Oedipus learns his identity, he was – son of Polybus, husband of Jocasta, foreign to Thebes, savour of Thebes, King of Thebes and ‘tyrannos’ (signifies the throne was not gained through an inheritance). After he learns his identity, he is revealed to be – son of Laius, son of Jocasta, native to Thebes, scourge of Thebes, outcast and a ‘man of agony’.
“Count no man happy till he dies” by the Chorus is a theme that leads to self-discovery which suggests a causal link between Oedipus rise and his fall. The road to self-discovery adopted by Oedipus leads him to his downfall and tragic end. Oedipus knows the answers to the Sphinx riddles but does not know his past. Despite his popularity, knowledge and tireless efforts to make his kingdom safe. Oedipus, eventually falls in the pit of disgrace and discovers that he was just a pawn in the hands of nature or gods.
Quotes
“Here I am myself / you all know me, the world knows my fame / I am Oedipus” (Oedipus lines 7-9 p.159)
“I stand revealed at last / cursed in my birth, cursed in marriage / cursed in the lives I cut down with these hands” (Oedipus lines 1308-10 p.232)
“Count no man happy till he dies” (Chorus line 1684 p.251)
Cost of Ignorance & Value of Knowledge
Inscribed upon the pediment at Delphi was the maxim ‘Know thyself’. Sophocles definitively utilises the myth of Oedipus to chastise ignorance, but he also wants his audience to look inward: In what ways are we acting without the appropriate awareness? How can we become more aware in order to lead a better life?
Through his depiction of the character Oedipus, Sophocles criticises ignorance and celebrates awareness, especially self-awareness. Sophocles uses the events of the play to castigate Oedipus, and anyone else who would let themselves fall victim to such a fatal flaw. When Oedipus refers to himself as ‘ignorant’ [451], he believes he is being ironic, however, Sophocles includes this line to reinforce the degree to which Oedipus is truly ignorant. The play also emphasises how Oedipus’ arrogance feeds his ignorance (and vice versa). This is seen in his recollection of his greatest triumph: ‘I came by, Oedipus the ignorant, I stopped the Sphinx … the flight of my own intelligence hit the mark’ [450–453]. Sophocles’ heavy use of dramatic irony and characterisation of Oedipus as impulsive and falsely confident in his wit, ensures a stark contrast with the truth; that every choice Oedipus makes is marked by his ignorance, by what he does not know, or refuses to see.
Although much of the plot focuses on the ignorance of Oedipus, he is not the only character to sacrifice knowledge because of naivete. The Chorus grapple with a choice: the decision to ignore Tiresias, or to choose treason against Oedipus. Jocasta, too, is not only guilty of ignorance, but also of the greater sin of choosing ignorance. When Oedipus is on the cusp of learning the truth, Jocasta urges him (and herself), ‘don’t even think—’ [1159]. When this first attempt fails, Jocasta calls for Oedipus to ‘stop— in the name of god’ [1163]. The truth has dawned on her, and she is afraid. It is Creon, once again, who acts as a model for Sophocles’ values. In his argument with Oedipus, Creon uses logic, not insults and bias, to point out that the oracle he reported from Delphi can be easily confirmed. Then, when confronted with a statement he cannot explain, he simply states: ‘I don’t know. And when I don’t, I keep quiet.’ [635]
Quotes
“I came by, Oedipus the ignorant, I stopped the Sphinx … the flight of my own intelligence hit the mark” (Oedipus lines 450-53 p.182)
“Can’t accept him [Tiresias], can’t deny him, don’t know what to say (Chorus line 551 p.187)
They “Saw [Oedipus] then … saw with our own eyes his skill, his brilliant triumph—” against the Sphinx (Chorus lines 569–570 p.187)
Don’t give it another thought, don’t even think” (Jocasta line 1159 p.222)
“Stop— in the name of god, if you love your own life, call off this search” (Jocasta line 1163-4 p.222)
“I don’t know. And when I don’t, I keep quiet” (Creon line 635 p.191)
Morality & The Good Life
Sophocles uses the character of Oedipus to explore the notion that one may have many admirable qualities, however, the subject ought not to balance the scales in favour of believing oneself capable of ‘grant[ing] prayers’ [245] meant for the gods.
Likewise, Sophocles holds Creon up as an example of a man capable of living a good life. He is flawed, but those flaws do not prevent him from living a life of pious respect and moderation. Creon recognises the good life he is already living, and when Oedipus’ downfall increases Creon’s power, the man who claimed to not ‘yearn for kingship’ [657] is consistent in that resolve; he does not ‘come to mock … Oedipus’ [1557], but quietly accepts his new role without long speeches or hasty decrees. Creon recognises the good in living a life where ‘all men sing [his] praises, all salute [him]’ [668] and questions ‘who in his right mind would rather rule and live in anxiety than sleep in peace?’ [654–655].
Sophocles uses frequent metaphors and allusions around sight and listening to show that Oedipus’ main moral sin is his lack of awareness. He murders without knowing who he murders, he marries without knowing whom he marries, and he acts with unbridled arrogance without acknowledging his place in the hierarchy of god and mortals.
Quotes
“You pray to the gods? Let me grant your prayers” (Oedipus line 245 p.171)
“Now all men sing my praises, all salute me” (Creon line 668 p.193)
“Who in his right mind would rather rule and live in anxiety than sleep in peace? (Creon lines 654–655 p.193)
Hubris (Pride)
Hubris (pride) is a favourite trait in Greek tragic heroes. It is clear that Oedipus has a wide range of personality traits both positive and negative. He exercised two of his best qualities – bravery and cunning to answer the riddle of the Sphinx. However, being impetuous he suffers from hubris, pride in himself, his skills and intelligence as a ruler, a detective, his ability to defy Apollo and fate. It was his pride that led him to believe he was above the will of the gods and destiny. It was his pride and hot temper that led him to kill Laius at the cross-roads. It was his pride that led him to bring curses down on an unknown culprit. He accused the blind seer Tiresias and his trusted brother-in-law Creon and friend of treachery. His fatal flaw of pride led him down to the path in search of a truth that he ought to have never learned.
Quotes
“Here I am myself – you all know me, the world knows my fame / I am Oedipus” (Oedipus lines 7-9 p.159)
“I’ll start again—I’ll bring it all to light myself” (Oedipus line 150 p.167)
“Pride breeds the tyrant / violent pride, gorging, crammed to bursting” (Chorus lines 964-5 p.209)
Family
The theme of family is central as the driving events are Oedipus crimes of parricide and incest. Murdering one’s father and coupling with one’s mother is the worst crimes a man can commit in the family sphere and there are morals and ethics involved. Incest with one’s mother is a crime against nature as it is likely to result in children weakened by genetics.
Sophocles criticises Laius and Jocasta regarding disposing of their son and even the shepherd charged to get rid of the baby disobeys because he “pitied the little baby” (line 1301 p.232). Polybus of Corinth adopts the baby and is described as having “loved [him] deeply” (line 1121 p.219). The crime committed by Laius and Jocasta against the natural order to kill their first-born son and then engender no further heir is a profound political crime as well as social/family crime.
For all his faults Oedipus is a family man who will make almost any sacrifice not to hurt those he calls his own. Comparisons can also be made of family love at the end of the play with Oedipus scene of lament as he weeps about the future of his daughters Antigone and Ismene which is the opposite to Jocasta handing over her newborn son to a terrible death.
Quotes
“You were a gift” (Messenger line 1117 p.218)
“Then how could he love me so? He loved me, deeply” (Oedipus line 1121 p.219).
“But still / to see one’s parents and look into their eyes / is the greatest joy I know” (Oedipus lines 1094-6 p.216)
“Her own child / how could she” (Oedipus lines 1294-5 p.231)
“But my two daughters, my poor helpless girls … Take care of them/ I beg you” (Oedipus lines 1602-6 p.247)
“How I weep for you / I cannot see you now / just thinking of all your days to come, the bitterness, the life that rough mankind will thrust upon you” (Oedipus lines 1627-29 p.248)
Banishment & Exile
Types of banishment, whether physical or emotional flow from each of the 2 prophecies for Oedipus – the one received by Laius that he would be killed by his son and the other received by Oedipus himself that he would murder his father and mate with his mother. Oedipus decrees early in the play that the murderer of Laius will be banished from Thebes.
The first banishment occurs to Oedipus when he is only 3 days old and the callousness his parents exhibit towards their own child is emotional exile from the normal love and care and a home. The next banishment occurs when Oedipus leaves Corinth believing that to stay would mean murdering Polybus and sleeping with Merope. This exile is from a warm family environment and emotional torment means Oedipus will not see his adopted parents again. His third banishment is from Thebes where it has been established, he was the one who murdered Laius. The fourth banishment is worse when he realises, he definitely has murdered his father and mated with his mother he puts out his eyes and resolves to remove himself from the sight of all people. This is self-exile but from the human race where he requests an exile to Mount Cithaeron, the scene of his exile as a baby.
Quotes
“I order you, every citizen of the state / where I hold throne and power: banish this man … Drive him out, each of you, from every home / He is the plague, the heart of our corruption / as Apollo’s oracle has just revealed to me” (Oedipus lines 269-77 p.172)
“Drive me out of the land at once, far from sight / where I can never hear a human voice” (Oedipus lines 1571-2 p.245)
“Drive me out of Thebes, in exile” (Oedipus line 1667 p.250)
Power & Authority
Throughout the play, Sophocles explores questions around authority. In particular, he examines closely the dilemmas raised by competing obligations to the law, to one’s community, as well as to the gods, and to religion. Over the course of the play, the characters’ perspectives on authority and loyalty shift. The Priest attempts to set a standard, a measure by which citizens can sequence their obligations: ‘Now we pray to you. You cannot equal the gods, your children know that … But we do rate you first of men’ [39–41]. Through his evocation of the conflict experienced by the Chorus, Sophocles suggests that one should ideally never feel conflicted by the competing obligations to heavenly leaders and earthly ones, and that it is the responsibility of the earthly leaders to ensure their citizens are never placed in such a predicament.
At several points in the play, the Leader and the Chorus find themselves in difficult situations where they not only have to choose between their faith and their loyalty to Oedipus, but they also essentially need to lead Oedipus. The Leader confirms their role in society to Creon and their shrewd political instincts not to side with anyone, they ‘never look to judge the ones in power.’ [592–593]. Furthermore, Oedipus has a responsibility to his people to ‘steer [them] through the storm’ [767], not act the petulant child who needs to be coerced into behaving with the temperance of a good king.
However, is not Oedipus’ way. ‘No matter’ he asserts, ‘I must rule.’ [703]. This line shows a value shift in Oedipus; he sees maintaining control as more important than being right. Sophocles punishes Oedipus for this view, and again holds Creon up as an example of good leadership when he responds ‘Not if you rule unjustly’ [703]. Creon here asserts his view of the responsibility of leadership.
By the end of the play, the Chorus realise their faith in Oedipus was misplaced, and they rephrase their commitment, having learnt from the events before them: ‘god, my champion, I will never let you go’ [971]. And thus, Sophocles’ message to his audience, to dedicate oneself to the gods and have trust in their authority over all else, is underscored. It is possible to argue that the play is also subtly delivering a message to those with power that they should never compromise themselves or their citizens by creating a contradiction in obligation when it comes to the need to pay service to the gods and to society.
Quotes
“Now we pray to you. You cannot equal the gods, your children know that … But we do rate you first of men” The Priest lines 39–41 p.161)
“I never look to judge the ones in power” Chorus Leader lines 592–593 p.189)
“Now again, good helmsman, steer us through the storm” (Chorus line 767 p.199)
“No matter’ he asserts, ‘I must rule.’ (Oedipus line 703 p.195)
“Not if you rule unjustly” (Creon line 703 p.195)
“God, my champion, I will never let you go” (Chorus line 971 p.209)