Oedipus Rex Essay -- Literary Analysis, Sophocles

Even though Oedipus is a hero, we should not admire him, as the intentions for his actions are self-centered. This distinction is necessary to champion us better understand the difference between being a hero, and a hero worth of admiration. It is important to know that somebodys admiration must ultimately stem from the intentions of their actions earlier than the results of their actions alone, so we tolerate act accordingly in the future. Oedipus is a hero, as defined by Johnston. According to Johnston, a hero is someone who confronts fate in a very personal manner and whose reaction to that encounter serves to illuminate for us our own particular condition (Johnston, break up 2). Oedipus definitely confronts fate in a personal manner. Among some other things, he challenges the mysterious qualities of fate by pursuing the Shepherd despite warnings from Jocasta (Sophocles, 71). Oedipus follows through on confronting fate with his man-to-man approach of uncompromising persiste nce and integrity (Johnston, Part 3). Even at the end of his evenfall, Oedipus maintains that Kreon should banish him and that he must obey the curses he himself tell for the murderer of King Laios (Sophocles, 89-90). Despite being so broken and publicly shamed, Oedipus still persists with his former way of interacting with fate noble defiance (Johnston, Part 3). Although this quality itself is admirable, Oedipus takes uncompromising to the extreme, losing insight on everything else. Oedipus becomes ignorant to his surroundings, leading to his downfall (Johnston, Part 3). Oedipus story also challenges the fundamental belief that life should be rational and just. (Johnston, Part 3) His story illuminates that fate is arbitrarily cruel and allow for sometimes pick the gre... ...gender, she did not let this discourage her, but rather become the motivation to start the Million Signatures Campaign, demanding an end to legal favoritism against women in Iranian law. For her work, Ebad i received death threats against herself and her family and had to seek refuge in Canada as the current regime increased its prosecution of political dissidents. Although Ebadi, the like Oedipus, had to ultimately live outside their community for living completely on their own terms, she was motivated by her intention to better the lives of others living in a similar situation as she once faced. On the other hand, Oedipus, although caring for the wellbeing of Thebes, is must more motivated to realize his immenseness and sense of self than to rid Thebes of its worries. The difference of intentions makes Ebadi the admirable hero, and Oedipus, just a heroic man.