Friday, November 29, 2013

Is it fair to say that in Sophocles "Oedipus is innocent and gods are evil"? Give reasons for your answer.just compare the two

Certainly, there is a part of the quote that is quite
accurate.  Oedipus is not entirely and fully responsible for his fate.  Yet, I would
suggest that we cannot call him entirely "innocent" because he does demonstrate a sense
of hubris when it is not necessary.  His repudiation of Tiresias and of the belief that
he is subject to the will of the fates are examples of a character flaw.  While this is
not deliberate, I cannot feel entirely comfortable calling him "innocent."  He does
understand, at the end, his own lack of vision.  Certainly, it is noted that he does
suffer for being human, no more, no less.  In terms of the Gods being evil, I think that
similar analysis applies for it does not seem like the gods deliberately target
Oedipus.  Rather, he becomes a part of the larger drama.  While the gods could have done
more to spare him, they do not strike me as overtly evil for, in this case, if the
standard for evil is the mere not taking action, a very rigid definition
emerges.

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