Is Oedipus Evil?

Oedipus Rex is a very interesting story, one riddled with endless amounts of dramatic irony, which is the basis for the whole story. One question was raised today in class: is Oedipus a bad person for the things he has done? Though he did not know he was killing his father and sleeping with his mother, is he still a bad person for these actions?

This is a compelling question, and one with multiple answers. I do not blame Oedipus for sleeping with his mother at all. He had no knowledge of it at all. If he had known Iocasta was his biological mother, he would have NEVER even thought about marrying and having sex with her. Oedipus even leaves Corinth once he learns his destiny to try and escape his fate of killing his father and marrying his mom. Oedipus cannot fathom living out this prediction, which results in his departure from Corinth to Thebes. For this reason, I do not believe Oedipus is a bad person for fooling around with his mother.

On the contrary, I believe Oedipus acted out of turn when he struck down and killed the man on the road, who turned out to be his father, Laios. The quote, “ I struck him in my rage. The old man saw me and brought his double goad down upon my head as I cam abreast. He was paid back, and more! Swinging my club in this right hand I knocked him out of his car, and he rolled on the ground. I killed him,” shows the aggression and malice in which Oedipus killed Laios. Oedipus would not have murdered him if he had known, however that is irrelevant in this situation. Oedipus killed a man in this scene because of his pride. He did not like being told what to do by a stranger. He is a prince, after all! Oedipus had to protect his dignity and pride, so he killed the man, who was his father. It was a cold-blooded murder, and shows the dark side of Oedipus.

Oedipus Rex Notes

·      Greek drama

Ø  Physical representation of a story, has been occurring for centuries

Ø  Took place in an amphitheater

Ø  Because the amphitheater was so big, the actors used masks to emphasize facial expressions and to amplify voice

Ø  Used contraptions in their staging

·      Deus ex machina

Ø  “God from the machine” which means it dealt with the gods (Zeus, Aphrodite, Hera), in a play a god would come down and solve everything

Ø   these days this term is used to refer to an unbelievable, neat resolution

·      Chorus

Ø  People in Greek drama who would come out and comment on the scene

·      Stichomythia

Ø  Rapid fire dialogue

Ø  Almost a heated argument

·      Oedipus Rex

Ø  Epitome of dramatic irony

Ø  Dramatic irony is where the reader knows things that the characters don’t