Oedipus is definitely a man with excessive self-confidence, or hubris.
Now, that's not to say that Oedipus is quite at the egotism and selfishness level of our lovely Wall Street trade fellows that such a term would apply to, but he does lay out quite a high platform for himself to fall off of in the ironic opening speech he gives in the beginning of the play in which he lists his own merits which includes (and is not limited to) how he heroically saved the city he rules from a sphinx's curse. This King is not bashful in his proclamation, however. He speaks it unto all people in the land, as an exclamatory monologue. He then goes on to reject all warnings from anyone he speaks to until the horrible truth is revealed.
One could argue that this is a foolish amount of self-confidence.
One could argue that this is a hubris-worthy amount of self-confidence.
And the fall of Oedipus, struck by the hubris that befell Lehman Brothers and Freddie Mac and others, was made very clear in his ... exit speech: "I would not have been saved from death if not, For some strange evil fate. Well, let my fate, go where it will"
Sophocles is apparently a major fan of hubris-suffering kings, because in "Antigone," Kreon rejects the complaints and warnings given to him by many people including his own son, and soon finds himself with a dead son and a disillusioned city.
This only goes to show that maybe a financial principle has an important place in Ancient Grecian literature.
Larry Summers would look great in a toga, don't you think?
Now, that's not to say that Oedipus is quite at the egotism and selfishness level of our lovely Wall Street trade fellows that such a term would apply to, but he does lay out quite a high platform for himself to fall off of in the ironic opening speech he gives in the beginning of the play in which he lists his own merits which includes (and is not limited to) how he heroically saved the city he rules from a sphinx's curse. This King is not bashful in his proclamation, however. He speaks it unto all people in the land, as an exclamatory monologue. He then goes on to reject all warnings from anyone he speaks to until the horrible truth is revealed.
One could argue that this is a foolish amount of self-confidence.
One could argue that this is a hubris-worthy amount of self-confidence.
And the fall of Oedipus, struck by the hubris that befell Lehman Brothers and Freddie Mac and others, was made very clear in his ... exit speech: "I would not have been saved from death if not, For some strange evil fate. Well, let my fate, go where it will"
Sophocles is apparently a major fan of hubris-suffering kings, because in "Antigone," Kreon rejects the complaints and warnings given to him by many people including his own son, and soon finds himself with a dead son and a disillusioned city.
This only goes to show that maybe a financial principle has an important place in Ancient Grecian literature.
Larry Summers would look great in a toga, don't you think?