Major Themes in Sophocles’ Oedipus Tyrannus
A theme in literature is a unifying or dominant message that may be about life, society, or human nature. Themes often explore timeless and universal ideas and may be implied rather than stated explicitly (Webster’s Dictionary). Sophocles includes several themes in his play, Oedipus Tyrannus. He explores the potential dangers of the pursuit of knowledge and self-realization, the irony of sight and blindness, the limitations of free will and the nature of human suffering. “Perhaps no play has better demonstrated the maxim that a man's character is his fate, for it is in fulfilling his personal characteristics—his relentless pursuit of knowledge, his absolute confidence in himself, and his quickness to anger—that Oedipus meets his destiny, and the prophecies are realized to be true” (Gellert and Krstovic).
Ancient Greeks were deeply concerned about the pursuit of knowledge and self-realization. The truth often showed to be a terrifying concept, yet they still saw it as an important asset. Sophocles uses the transformation of Oedipus’s character to highlight a theme in Oedipus Tyrannus. As Oedipus’ amount of self-knowledge increases, he changes from a prideful, heroic king at the beginning of the play, to a tyrant in denial toward the middle, and finally to a fearful man, humbled by his tragic fate by the end (Segal).
In the beginning of the play, Oedipus seems to be a self-assured, courageous hero. These qualities are proven to be true when he solves the Sphinx's riddle. Although Oedipus was not raised in Thebes, he still decided to answer the riddle of the Sphinx regardless of her threat of death to anyone who answers incorrectly. Only Oedipus, a man possessing such remarkable self-confidence, could have such courage to answer a question with such high stakes. When Oedipus succeeds, he frees the city from the Sphinx's reign. Instantly, he gains fame and become well known for his courageousness...