Pride and the fall of Oedipus the King

Pride

Analysis of "Oedipus the King"

"Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall" (Proverbs 16:18, NIV)

Pride is a destructive force that has been recognized as such since the beginning of recorded time. People are subject to it because, as generally selfish creatures, humans put themselves above others. Of course, as a person matures he or she will usually lose much of this me first attitude, at least publicly, but it remains in part because it is difficult to completely deny self. This undeniable fact, that pride does indeed precede, a fall is evidenced by many ancient writings one of the most profound and remembered being the story of Oedipus. He was a king who could not let a simple matter end, and the result was that he lost almost all that had been given to him. The story can easily be analyzed based on the Fitzgerald quote that "man is vulnerable only in his pride, but delicate as Humpty-Dumpty once that is meddled with." This paper looks at the question of pride in relation to the before, during and after discovery stages of the story (some of which must be gleaned from earlier accounts).

Before Discovery

Oedipus led a relatively charmed life from the time of his birth until he discovered the true nature of that birth. It may not seem so at first because he was ordered to be killed based on the word of an oracle (much like a prophet). The king could not do it, so he gave the job to his wife who, in turn, gave it to a servant. None of these three could kill the baby, but the servant did leave Oedipus on the side of a mountain to die of exposure. But this was not his predicted fate so "a shepherd found the babe and tended him, and delivered him to another shepherd who took him to his master, the King of Corinth" (1). In this first part of the narrative it is difficult to account for any pride on the part of Oedipus because he was the victim of attempted infanticide, and he did not know who his real parents were. One point of pride can be seen though in his dogged pursuit of the truth. He would not listen to anyone else and continued to pursue what he thought to be the truth until he unwittingly fulfilled the first part of the prophecy by "slaying his father Laius" (2).

After Discovery

Oedipus continues to try arguing the point with Tiresias because he does not want to believe what is said, but he does believe in the end and condemns himself to blindness. The pride of Oedipus will not allow him to believe what Tiresias says to begin with because it was not his fault that all happened as it did. The gods have cursed Laius, which Oedipus does not know at the time, and his offspring. Oedipus is an actor in a play that started with his father's selfish and murderous act. Oedipus cannot understand why he is being faced with this tragedy when he had no part in it, and he has been raised to take pride in his name and the fact that he is a strong man. Unfortunately neither of these will help him when he realizes his true name and its weakness. This is the true unfolding of the Fitzgerald quote in the life of Oedipus. He had pride in himself, and it made him strong, but when he is faced with the undermining of the base of the pride, he crumbles like Humpty-Dumpty because his pride does not have a solid base. When he finally believes what has been told to him, he realizes that he has been prideful and that it has caused the uncovering of the "stain" upon his family and it has also proved to be his undoing. Oedipus says "This 'For my good' has been my life's long plague" (60). He is completely undone when he learns that his mother/wife has taken her own life when she learns the truth. Oedipus realizes that she was completely innocent in all that happened (except for the fact that she conspired with Laius, the only truly guilty person in this entire affair, to kill their son at his birth), and he is torn with the grief of it. He knows the oracle told Creon that he has to be killed, but Creon will not do it, so he asks to be banished. Oedipus says "The oracle was surely clear enough that I, the parricide, the pest, should die" (78), which may have been for the best, but Creon allows him to live, blinded.

Conclusion

The before, during and after portions of the revelation in this story show the confusion, truth and result of pride. It is not evident that Oedipus is prideful in anything necessarily until the end, but he exhibits it throughout the story if the reader looks closely enough.. He admits it himself when he talks about always doing what is for his own good. The message is that he always decides what is for his own good and does not actually heed the counsel of anyone else. He may listen with one ear, but he is thinking what is best for him on the other side the whole time. The pride he exhibits is that of selfishness. He believes he knows best (witness the killing of his father and his retinue over a petty road rage dispute), and he pursues life with the same attitude toward everything. He must know the truth rather than letting his life play out. In the end, his pride crumbles, and he is left with nothing but shame. In the case of Oedipus, pride surely came before his fall.

Work Cited

Sophocles. Oedipus Rex (Oedipus the King). Trans E.H. Plumptre. Stilwell, KS: Digireads.com Publishing, 2005. Web.