Oedipus Journal 1: Point of View/Characters

Oedipus the King is primarily told from Oedipus's point of view and it has not changed so far in the story. Oedipus is somewhat reliable but at times he is not because his emotions take over. It is seen how emotional Oedipus can be when he says, "Now you have me to fight for you, you'll see: I am the land's avenger by all rights [...] Whoever killed the king may decide to kill me too, with the same violent hand--by avenging Laius I defend myself" (153-159). He gets very involved in Laius's death and is willing to make sacrifices to solve the current problem that he and the town are facing. He is not completely reliable at this point because of the feelings he is experiencing of needing to solve the unknown factors regarding Laius's death. The reader can really see Oedipus's take-charge and sometimes arrogant personality shine through when he says, "Oh dear gods, my curse on those who disobey these orders! Let no crops grow out of the earth for them--shrivel their women, kill their sons, burn them to nothing in this plague" (307-310). The reader gets to know Oedipus pretty well through this because it reveals his passionate personality and reveals that he does not want anyone to take advantage of him. The reader can get to know the character Tiresias and his provocative ways because of the fact that once he is angered by Oedipus, he hints at the knowledge of Laius's death that Oedipus wishes he had. The characters are more credible before they get angry with each other because after Oedipus and Tiresias start provoking each other, their upset emotions take over and it is difficult to say whether or not what they say is completely true. The characters are presented in a way that shows that their lifestyle and belief in the Gods affects their personalities and characteristics. When Creon says, "I will tell you what I heard from the God. Apollo commands us--he was quite clear--'Drive the corruption from the land, don't harbor it any longer, past all cure, don't nurse it in your soil--root it out!' " (107-111). This reveals the characters' dedication to the Gods and it shows that they are presented in a way where their actions are a direct result of what they think the Gods would want them to do. The writer can persuade us to like some characters and dislike others because he initially creates a character who has a mighty quality about him, like Oedipus, then brings in another character that provokes that mighty character, like Tiresias, and the reader doesn't want to see this character being taken advantage of. The reader reacts with the first impressions of the characters he/she is given.