The work of Sophocles Oedipus the King belongs to the genre of ancient tragedy. The tragedy is characterized by a personal conflict, as a result of which the protagonist comes to the loss of personal values necessary for life, such as family. Oedipus does not leave his native home, but from the home of his foster parents. However, since they raised him, abandoning the values of the family is tantamount to running away from his own destiny (Delport 347). Showing the sad fate of Oedipus, Sophocles shows the consequences of the value of the family.
At the same time, Sophocles puts the values of society above the values of an individual family. Oedipus feels his responsibility for the fate of people, for his homeland and is ready to do everything to stop the plague in the country. Thinking only of the good of the state, he suffers at the sight of the distress of citizens (Delport 366). The driving force of his action is the desire to help the weak, suffering. Therefore, Sophocles forces his hero to make a choice not in favor of his own family, leaving it for the good of society.
Oedipus at the same time shows a democratic impulse, despite the monarchy and aristocracy of the gods. However, no one can escape their lot, the rebels are severely punished by fate. According to Sophocles, the democratic impulse is a figment of the gods’ own fantasies (Delport 344). Evil fate initially controls those who think they are deceiving him. Oedipus is not to blame for his disobedience, they decided to teach people a lesson of obedience by his example: one should not contradict the will of superiors, since they are wiser and stronger.
Work Cited
Delport, Khegan. “The Fall and Rise of King Oedipus: On Sacrificial Logic and “Proto-Christology”.” Stellenbosch Theological Journal, vol. 7, no. 1, 2021, pp. 335–370. Web.