Question

Critically analyse the tragic ending scene of King Oedipus.

Answer 1

The ending is tragic as the king self blinds himself and asks for his death.

• Oedipus tragic discovery was that he had killed his father and married his mother which is the subject of this tragic play.
• The final scene is significant because it depicts the title character regaining his heroic status.
• Jocasta's son/husband had learned the truth about his heinous crimes and left his home for the last time as a blind and bloodied man.
• As a punishment for his role in his country's curse, he had actually blinded himself. After being blinded by the discovery of a startling reality, Oedipus acts heroically by demanding his own exile as a punishment for killing his father.