rior intelligence, also displays an uncompromising attitude in his loyalty to Thebes. This is another factor that led to the tragic figure's ruin. The story of Oedipus fascinates us because of the spectacle of a man freely choosing, from the highest motives, a series of actions which lead to his ruin. Oedipus could leave the city of Thebes and let the plague take its course, but pity for the sufferings of his people and the fear for his own life compelled him to consult Delphi.When Creon returns and bring back Apollo's word, he could leave the murder of Laius uninvestigated, but pride and justice cause him to act. Oedipus cannot let a murder investigation go by without solving the riddle of who killed King Laius because his pride overpowers him. Oedipus' pride reveals itself again in his loyalty to the truth. Oedipus' constant struggle to discover the truth ruined him most in the end. Even though he is warned many times to stop seeking the truth, he continues his search.Oedipus has to choose between his doom and an alternative, which if accepted would betray the hero's own conception of himself, his rights, his duties. In the end, the hero refused to yield. He remains true to himself. Therefore, one can see Oedipus' need to uncover the truth about Laius and then about himself as proof of his commitment to uphold his own nature. Oedipus' quest for the truth fits his self image as a man of action, the revealer of truth, and the solver of riddles. He doesn't seem to realize the personal consequences his hunt will have for him. It appears to me as though his loyalty to the truth is based upon his ignorance of it. He cannot live with a lie, and therefore must learn the truth behind the illusion he has lived for so long. Tiresias, Jocasta, and the herdsman all try to stop Oedipus, but he must reveal the answer to the last riddle, that of his own life. As the truth unfolds, the people of Thebes see Oedipus as prideful and arrogan...
