Phase 1

AssignmentNo.1

Classical Drama
Name: Shizra Ali

Class: BS English (VI)

Roll No. 15291502-035

Teacher: Tayaba Bukhari

Topic: Oedipus Rex

Q). Define Hubris and demonstrate what actions of Oedipus and
Jocasta demonstrate hubris in this play?
Answer). Hubris can be defined as a flaw in the personality of a character who enjoys a
powerful position; as a result of which, he overestimates his capabilities to such an extent that
he loses contact with reality. A character suffering from hubris tries to cross normal human
limits, and violates moral codes. Examples of hubris are found in major characters of tragic
plays.

Aristotle has mentioned hubris in his book Rhetoric:

“Hubris consists in doing and saying things that cause shame to the victim … simply for the
pleasure of it. Retaliation is not hubris, but revenge. … Young men and the rich are hubristic
because they think they are better than other people.”

In Sophocles's Oedipus Rex, both King Oedipus and his Jocasta become victims of hubris, which
directly leads them to their down fall.

Oedipus' hubris influences him to fulfill the oracle and further intensify his punishment from
the Gods. Oedipus' pride is an essential characteristic throughout the play. Even before Oedipus
came into power as the King of Thebes he allowed his arrogance to control his judgment and
reign over his actions. Initially, Oedipus demonstrates hubris by abandoning his homeland of
Corinth after consulting the oracle of Delphi, who informs him that one day he will kill his father
and marry his mother. Oedipus believes that he can circumvent the prophecy and overcome his
destiny, which was determined by the gods. However, what he does not know is that he is
actually taking the correct path to fulfill the prophecy.

Secondly, After defeating the Sphinx and becoming the king, Oedipus not only takes pride in
being the King of Thebes but also proudly mentions how he saved the people of Thebes from
the horrible Sphinx. His hubris is evident when he mentions how he solely defeated Sphinx:

“It demanded a real exorcist. Your birds,

What good were they? Or the gods, for the matter of that?

But I came by, Oedipus, the simple man. Who knows nothing, I thought it out for myself, no
birds helped me!”

When Oedipus sets out to find Louis’s murderer, he is blinded by his hubris. His pride
takes an ugly side when he questions Teiresias and Creon. He thinks that Teiresias and Creon
are conspiring against him when Teiresias tries to tell him the truth. His pride makes him angry
andhe berates:

“Creon desires in secret to destroy me!

He has brought this decrepit fortuneteller, this Collector of dirty pennies, this prophet fraud-”.

However, Oedipus, portrayed as a noble character, could be a reason Teiresias, Jocasta, and the
herdsmen try to protect him. They also feared the truth. The blindness in Teiresias portrayed
the irony of Oedipus’s ignorance. Teiresias has the knowledge but is blind, whereas Oedipus
does not have the knowledge, but has sight, and, due to his hubris, his ignorance of the past
and future led him to his downfall. One can say that he commits all these sins in complete
ignorance, but nevertheless he deserves punishment because he became so proud that he does
not shy from attempting to rebel against his fate. His reversal of fortune is caused by his hubris.

Along Oedipus, Jocasta also possesses tremendous hubris. She is also guilty of excessive pride
that makes her think she can avoid the fate decreed by the gods. She and Louis when received
the awful oracle sent their child away to die. They thought they can outwit gods but they were
wrong. Jocasta tells Oedipus about this prophecy with great pride, unknowingly it did come
true. She dismisses the divine words of the oracle and asks

Oedipus to do the same:

“Set your mind at rest. It is a question of sooth sayers.

I tell you That you will find no man whose craft gives

knowledge Of the unknowable.”

Both, Oedipus and Jocasta suffer greatly due to their hubris. At the end of the play, Jocasta
commits suicide to escape the shame and guilt caused by her excessive pride. While, Oedipus
on realizing his mistakes, blinds himself. Pride and self-confidence induce both to despise
prophecy and defy gods, which result in their downfall.