Oedipus' Change in Beliefs

A detailed Summary of Oedipus' Change in Beliefs

In Oedipus the King, Sophocles has many elements that change throughout his play. Many of these show Oedipus' progression as a tragic hero. His faith is tested and fails him before he can finally see the truth. At the start of the play, Oedipus believes in prophets, but thinks he can avoid his foretold future. When he hears more about his own prophecy from a blind prophet, Tiresias, he begins to doubt the validity of prophets. By the end of the play Oedipus realizes the prophets are valid and sees the gods as all-powerful. Oedipus's belief in the prophets wavers as the play progresses.

Opening the play, Oedipus sees himself as managing to avoid his prophecy. He has not lost any confidence in prophets, but rather feels he can still avoid his so-called destiny. Oedipus' continued confidence in the prophets is displayed when he is asked to help end the pla

In questioning Tiresias, Oedipus begins to doubt what a prophet can see. When denied an answer to this mystery of murder, Oedipus gets enraged and confused by the noncompliance. Tiresias is finally provoked into telling the answer and knowing this to be impossible, Oedipus believes the prophet's words "are nothing"(416). His rage with this impossible news, alongside the belief that he has not fulfilled his prophecy, brings disbelief of a prophet's powers. Talking with his wife, Jocasta, after this furthers his doubts in prophets. She believes that no "human can penetrate the future"(782). Then, as she goes on speaking about the "false" prophecy she was given, Oedipus begins to reconsider his disbelief in his own prophecy.

This element of disbelief throughout the play adds to Oedipus' character as being the tragic hero. Through his stubborn will to fight a p

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Approximate Word count = 588
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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