The Cause of Oedipus’Tragedy： A defect of humanity Perspective

彭琳

【Abstract】Oedipus the King tells the story of Oedipus， a man who becomes the king of Thebes， whilst in the process unwittingly fulfilling a prophecy that he would kill his father Laius and marry his mother Jocasta. The more he struggles against fate， the closer he walks to the trap of fate. Finally， he is forced to strike the pupils of his eyes and abandon himself. The cause of this tragedy is worth studying. This thesis will analyze the cause from a defect of humanity perspective. Oedipus tragedy mainly leads by lust for power and advocating rationality excessively.

【Key words】cause； Oedipus tragedy； A defect of humanity

In Oedipus the King， kindred feelings， thicker than blood， are replaced by lust for power. Facing family love and power， Laius and Jocasta choose the latter without hesitation， which leads to Oedipus tragedy directly. As for Oedipus father， he is bestial. When he learns from the oracle that he would be killed by his son， he tightly binds the feet of the infant together with a pin and orders his wife to kill the infant immediately. There is no doubt， anguish and regret at all. Just because of a prophecy and fearing loss of power， it is unbelievable that Laicus treats his son so cruelly. The lust for power defeats fathers love inhumanity. Just imagine： if Lacius had not believed the oracle and had nurtured his son with love， Oedipus tragedy might have been avoided. As for Oedipus mother， she is a cold-blooded person. In her mind， power is everything. In order to retain power， she can abandon everything， including family love. If Laicus is killed by Oedipus， it means that she will lose power. As a consequence， she orders a servant to kill the infant. It is more important for her to rule the state than mothers love. Moreover， when Laicus died， she isnt immersed in pain or doesnt track down the killer. Instead， she marries the new king. Because only in this way can she keep her status and power. “And sharest thou an equal rule with her？” “Her every wish by me is brought to act.” （Sophocles and E.H.Plumptre，2005：226）. This dialogue between Creon and Oedipus also shows her sharp appetite for power. However， it is impossible for Jocasta not to know the real identity of her new husband all the time. Oedipus feet have been bound with a pin since he was a child. Jocasta， who sleeps on the same couch with him， can not ignore his disability. She doesnt want to reveal the truth， just because she desires to keep her power. All in all， lust for power lead Oedipus tragedy to some degree.

Over-trusting yourself and over-depending on reason will make you go astray， even lead tragedy. Oedipus story is a typical example. He is famous for wisdom， but wisdom incurcalamity for him. Based on his own judge， he leaves Corinth， but he kills his father on the road. Depending on his own wisdom， he solves the riddle of Sphinx and becomes the king of Thebes， but he marries his mother at last. It is difficult for everyone to predict the consequence leading by his own action， but it is necessary to reflect on his own judge and behavior. The problem of Oedipus is that he never suspects his own wisdom； neither realizes the limitation existing in rationality. On the contrary， relying on the power of wisdom and reason， Oedipus becomes rough and imperious. On one hand， he firmly believes that he can find out the killer with the help of reason and make everything clear. On the other hand， in his mind， he is so rational that he can not make incestuous mistake. That is to say the killer can not be him. Rationality makes Oedipus blindness and crazy， which cover his eyes. He is not sensitive enough to discover some symptoms. At last， tragedy strikes him mercilessly.

The defect of humanity in this play is suggestive to current society. Humanity is evolving and improving. We have to examine ourselves constantly and get a proper understanding of ourselves. Oedipus tragedy teaches us a lesson that we can not be greedy and we should not misuse reason.

References：

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[3]刘禹寒.试论《俄狄浦斯王》的性格悲剧[J].青年时代，2014 （17）.