Using Character Flaws and Literary Devices to Teach Morality in Oedipus RexThe Greek tragedy Oedipus Rex is an excellent example of how an author can use literary techniques and personality traits to teach a certain moral or theme. In Oedipus Rex, Sophocles communicates his themes and morals to the reader through the character flaws of Oedipus, a tragic hero. The most significant character flaw that Oedipus possesses is his excessive arrogance. This defect is particularly illustrated by Oedipus' repeated use of the pronoun “I”. In lines sixty-seven through eighty alone, Oedipus uses the word “I” eight times, projecting his haughty personality. "I found a useful solution and I followed it: I sent Creon... to Delphi..." Oedipus says, describing the action he took to help the people of Thebes recover. of their poor condition (70-73). This quote is just one of many quotes that show Oedipus' pride through the excessive use of the pronoun "I". Another example of Oedipus' pride is the way he speaks in a condescending tone to whomever he is speaking to. “I sent Creon… to Delphi, the place of Apollo's revelation, to learn there, if he could, what act or commitment on my part could save the city” (74-77). In these lines, Oedipus suggests that Creon is inferior to him by stating “if he can” (77). Oedipus often indicates, as here, that others besides him are insolent and incapable of carrying out their tasks correctly. He also indicates in the quote above that he, the all-powerful Oedipus, is the only person who could save the city of Thebes saying, "what act or commitment on my part can save the city" (75). This extreme arrogance, demonstrated through condescending speech, is apparent throughout the end of the paper ......tions of Oedipus Rex, edited by Michael J. O'Brien. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1968. Jevons, Frank B. “In the Tragedy of Sophoclea, Humans Create Their Own Destiny.” » In Readings on Sophocles, edited by Don Nardo. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 1997. Murray, Robert D. Jr. “Moral Themes of Sophocles.” In Readings on Sophocles, edited by Don Nardo. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 1997. “Sophocles” in Literature of the Western World, edited by Brian Wilkie and James Hurt. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1984. Sophocles. Oedipus the King. Trans. by F. Storr. no page.http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/etcbin/browse-mixed new?tag=public&images=images/modeng&data=/texts/english/modeng/parsed&part=0&id=SopOediVan Nortwick, Thomas. Oedipus: the meaning of a masculine life. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 1998.