In the play of Oedipus Rex, hubris is a commonly used motif throughout. Hubris is a dangerous characteristic, and it is clearly found in the main character, Oedipus. From the beginning to the end of the play, Oedipus experiences problems as a result of his hubris. The characters and their actions are all in some way connected with hubris, and everyone is affected by Oedipus’ blindness of his own problems. This, in the end, leads to the lesson Oedipus learns, an important lesson that can be applied to today. Hubris is a dangerous characteristic that Oedipus clearly exhibits and that a lesson can be learned from.
All throughout the play, Oedipus’ character and actions make hubris an apparent motif. From the beginning, Oedipus displays how great he believes himself to be when he refers to himself in third-person as “Oedipus the Great.” He practically became a king instantly after solving the riddle of the Sphinx that saved Thebes, and he confidently believed in himself and in his abilities as king. When the Chorus first appears, it is praying to the gods for Thebes to be saved from the plague, yet it is not the gods that respond, it is Oedipus who responds to their prayers. He puts himself at the level of the gods by trying to do their job, and his pride almost makes it seem as though there is no need for the gods-a dangerous action that is not tolerated by Greek culture and that he later pays for. Oedipus later shows that he believes he is never wrong-though he actually is-in his conversation with the prophet Teiresias, who said Oedipus was Laius’ murderer. Oedipus blamed Teiresias for the murder simply because he would not speak about the truth at first, and when Teiresias revealed the truth, Oedipus thought it was part of a conspiracy or an attack towards him rather than the truth. Oedipus’ pride and arrogance prevented him from being able to understand the truth, and he continued to blindly target others for the blame. Even after Oedipus realizes he really did murder Laius, he continues to show signs of hubris when he commands and still gives orders to Creon-the new king replacing Oedipus- to bury Jocasta and banish him. Oedipus just finished humbling himself by blinding himself, yet traces of his arrogance still exist when he tries to give orders, though he no longer has real power.
In a very short timeframe, Oedipus goes from being filled with hubris to learning a lesson about it and from it. Without knowing it, Oedipus’ own actions filled with hubris negatively affects himself and everyone else around him. Thebes goes through a plague because Oedipus unknowingly killed the king. Oedipus remained ignorant about the idea that he was the murderer, and the plague continued on in Thebes. Oedipus would not allow all the bad things that he had done to be accepted as the truth. While in search of the answer to the mystery that troubled him, Oedipus got Jocasta involved. Since he would not accept the idea that he was Laius’ murderer, the people of his city suffered and Jocasta, his own wife and mother, committed suicide as soon as she realized the truth. Oedipus was figuratively blind, and after seeing Jocasta dead, he realized he really did do everything that was prophesized and that he must humble himself. He blinded himself just like Teiresias, the man he mistreated for telling the truth. Oedipus learned that he must control his hubris, or he and others would continue to suffer. It ultimately led to his and others’ downfalls.
Today, the lesson that Oedipus learns is very important. Anyone that is filled with pride risks losing what they have-from friends to family and possessions to self. Some people find pride to be a bad characteristic, and this may affect how others see you, especially in a first impression. Ignorance of the truth and stubbornness can cover up the truth and prevent wrongs from being corrected. If you do not allow for the truth to be accepted, you can never improve or better yourself, for you are just building a brick wall around you that is cutting you off from reality. Just like Oedipus did something about his hubris after he realized he had to control it, anyone can do the same and control theirs. It is never too late to stop pride or arrogance. If it is stopped at the right time, it may allow the chance for redemption or a chance to fix what has gone wrong. It is not bad to have a little hubris, but too much will cause problems much like it did for Oedipus. Not always will people die as a result of hubris, but there will always be consequences of different magnitudes proportional to the amount of hubris involved trailing behind.
Hubris is what makes the plot unfold in Oedipus Rex, for it brings about the problems and conflicts that exist in the play. Oedipus’ characteristics were filled with hubris, and it was extremely dangerous to himself and others around him. Oedipus runs into complications as the story progresses and his hubris grows more apparent. It took a death and some suffering for him to realize that he is truly wrong and that he was too blind to see it, and when he finally did, it was too late, the damage was done and he was permanently scarred. Oedipus was doomed from the start, but anyone can avoid hubris to avoid a fate like this.
Source:
Sophicles, “Oedipus Rex.”
