Tragedy Journal 4

Characters: How does the writer persuade us to like/sympathize with some characters and dislike others?

Sophocles tries to portray the fall of Oedipus as a very pitiful decline from a proud masterful ruler to a begging blind man, "And you, I command you - I beg you" (1583). By Oedipus hesitating and retracting his previous kingly statement, Sophocles makes a drastic comparison to give the reader a feeling of sympathy for Oedipus. Oedipus retracts his royal title again when asking Creon about his children, "Take care of them, I beg you. Wait, better - permit me, would you? Jus to touch them with my hands and take our fill of tears. Please ... my king. Grant it, with all your noble heart" (1605-1609).

Through Creon's grace and his sympathy for Oedipus, Sophocles also allows the reader to at first take a positive stance on Creon's character, "I haven't come to mock you, Oedipus, or to criticize your former failings" (1557-1558). But then at the end of their conversation, Creon takes away both of Oedipus's children and establishes a mocking tone, "Still the king, the master of all things? No more: here your power ends. None of your power follows you through life" (1675-1677). Creon poses a question which ultimately explains the downfall of Oedipus in a sarcastic tone. Sophocles gives the audience a fair reason to take a negative stance on Creon mainly to justify Oedipus's fall to an exiled blind man, which could be compared to Creon's fall from sympathetic grace to mocking punisher.