Anger May Cause Harmful Actions

                             ...and the old man himself 

were about to thrust me off the road-brute force-

and the one shouldering me aside, the driver,

I strike him in anger!...

I paid him back with interest!...

I killed them all-every mother’s son! (888-898).

Analysis:

Oedipus told this story with strong anger and emotion towards the people who told Oedipus that he is adopted and the parents he was with are not his real parents. Strong words and phrases like “thrust”, “strike”, “killed” and “all-every mother’s son” are all words that expresses anger, also these strong words tells the reader that he still feels the same anger as he felt when he was in the situation. Along with his anger, he feels a sense of pride when he says “I killed them all”. Within this quote the word use of the word “I” is strong diction because he is the one that killed them all due to his strong anger towards them. This fatal flaw of having pride for his dreadful actions lead to fulfilling the prophecy as well as finding out the truth. There is a lot of imagery in this scene because the strong diction can create an image on what his emotions and actions were. 

Reader Response:

Oedipus’ strong feelings about his parents make me dislike and fear him because when he’s angry he let’s out his anger on other people. His actions and the tone disgust me as well. Also if he told this story to not only Jocasta but the whole city of Thebes, the whole city would never rely on him to take care of his kingdom. Everyone in the city will fear him because they are afraid that he will make careless decisions when his mood changes or when he’s angry. I wouldn’t want Oedipus to be my king. The mask that I made for Oedipus after he finds out his parents aren’t his biological parents portrays a face of anger and disgust. After hearing the horrid news, his face immediately turns from sorrow to anger. The anger causes him to release it by killing all the people he sees on the road. I think Oedipus went too far, killing all the people, swinging his sword, killing “every mother’s son” (898). Also the tone conveyed through his words when he’s telling the story again seems really disturbing. It makes me feel like Oedipus has strong anger issues that he can’t control because later on in the play his feelings are illustrated during the process of finding the truth.

Reference:

Sophocles. Oedipus the King. The Three Theban Plays. Trans. Robert Fagles. New York: Penguin   

           Classics, 1984. Print.