Thursday, October 3, 2019
What will they say?
As Oedipus is talking with Creon publicly we see everyone except Oedipus is embarrassed and try to make the discussion a private matter. I believe that this is extremely culturally important to the book, but that value also extends to modern times. It shows how against the cultural norms Oedipus went to make this speech and I think that it shows one of his many flaws. Today, we can still see a common greek saying that parents say to their children, " Τι θα λέει ο κόσμοσ" This translates to what will the people say [about you or your family]. The word κόσμοσ is this context is used as people, but it can also mean universe. The fact that this value has survived for literally thousands of years shows its true importance. And since O. violates this value it shows a major flaw: he is very quick to anger. This quickness to anger also causes many more issues, like the fight with Creon.
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2 comments:
I think that this flaw of stubbornness stems from his main flaw of excessive pride. In this situation with Creon, he isn't being stubborn just to be stubborn. Oedipus truly thinks that he is right and that the matter should remain public. Meanwhile, everybody else sees the embarrassment of the situation. This isn't the only time Oedipus's stubbornness has blinded him through excessive pride though. In my opinion, I don't think that it's 100% his fault. Near the beginning of the novel, the people are basically worshipping him. A wise man once said, "It's hard to be humble when you're stuntin on a jumbotron." When all eyes are on Oedipus and people are praising him like that, he is bound to generate a lot of pride. I'm not saying its not his fault, though. It definitely is. And I definitely agree with you that this is a major flaw.
I think Oedipus's rashness comes from his immaturity as well. His quickness to anger, his stubbornness, they both stem from his inferiority complex and need to be the perfect ruler. When someone points out a flaw in his approach, he reacts strongly and negatively. I think it is interesting to give historical and cultural context to the nature of Oedipus's "cringe" moments.
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