ERNINA NOVITA SARI

06081001030
DRAMA

This story is happen in Thebes. It is written by Shopocles. This story tells about
Oedipus the king of Thebes, who gets married with Jocasta, who actually his own mother and
son of Laius who he was killed in the past. I think the characters of Oedipus are responsible,
never give up, and cruel person.

First, Oedipus is responsible person. He is responsible because he tries to find the

reason that cause curse that struck his citizens. He sends Creon to Apollo to solve the
problem in his palace. It is shown in this sentence “so I have sent away my brother in law,
son of Monoeceus, Creon to Pythian Apollo’s shrine, to learn from him what I might do or
say to save our city.”(Line 81-85). We can also see that Oedipus is responsible to his citizens
from the conversation between Teiresias and him. When Oedipus asks Teiresias about his
father, Teiresias says, if he knows who his father is, it will ruin him. However, Oedipus says,
“I do not care, if I can saved the city.”(Line 534)

Second, Oedipus is never give up person. He is never gives up person, because he

never gives up finding the truth of the murderer of previous king and about his background in
the past. In this story, it is mentioned that Oedipus asks the chorus leader to find the killer of
Laius. We can see this evidence in this sentence “Whoever among you knows the man it was,
who murdered Laius, son of Labdacus, I order him to reveal it all to me”( Line 26).
Oedipus follows the suggestion of Chorus Leader to invite Teiresias to come to the palace so
they will get guiding about Laius’s murderer. He also asks the messenger to bring the
shepherd who gives him to the messenger in the past it is shown in sentence “Do any of you
here now know the man this shepherd he describes? Have you seen him, either in the fields
or here in Thebes?Answer me. It’s critical, time at las to find out what this means.”(Lines
1252-1255). Therefore, from the story of shepherd Oedipus knows that he is son of Laius and
Jocasta, a cursed son who is prophesied will kill his own father and marry his own mother.

Third, Oedipus is cruel person. Oedipus is cruel person because he has been
killed his own father. Even though, he does not know if the person he killed is his
own father. In my opinion, killing someone is too cruel it is big sin. Other reasons
why Oedipus is cruel person, we can see that he use his authority to threaten
Teiresias when Teiresias does not want to tell who the Laius murderer is, this
evidence can be seen in sentence “Do you really think you can just speak out, say
things like this, and still remain unpunished?”( Lines 442-452).

He also threatens to the shepherd when the shepherd does not want to tell about his
background, it is evidenced in this sentence, “If you won’t tell us of your own free will, once
we hurt you, you will talk.”(Line1380).

In short, Oedipus is responsible, never give up, and cruel person it supported by many
reason in some situations. He is responsible leader for his citizens. He never gives up finding
the truth of Laius’s murderer and his background. He is cruel person because he has killed
someone in his life. This story has sad ending, When Oedipus realized that he was the murderer
of his own father and gets married his own mother; Oedipus gouges his eyes out and was exiled
from Thebes.