You see how much Oedipus truly cares about his people when he talks to them. He always tries to include them in on everything that happened in his life and is very open with them. He states, "But my spirits grieves for the city, for myself and for all of you"(Sophocles 75-76). By this, the reader can see how much he worries and cares about the city more then your average king might do which helped me as the reader feel compassion towards him. Another way that Oedipus's goodness is shown is through his ability to be a good husband to Jocasta. Even after he realizes what he has done he still loves her and feels much compassion for her. Throughout the story he continuously treats her as an equal even though at the time this story was written this was uncommon. This was obvious when Oedipus said, "I will tell you. I respect you, Jocasta, much more than these- (Sophocles 770-771).
Although Oedipus was a character with a lot of goodness he also had problems with his superiority. This was because he was so powerful and so loved that sometimes he became overwhelmed with a sense of power. This overall didn't hurt him in the beginning but in time as he realized how his temper when feeling superior got him in tough situations. This was first shown in the beginning of the story when he cursed himself unknowingly because he was treating himself as a god or as if he felt above all because he was the king. This was shown very obviously when Oedipus proclaimed to the city:.
You pray to the gods? Let me grant your prayers.
Come, listen to me- do what the plague demands:.
You"ll find relief and lift your head from the depths. (Sophocles 246-247).
Yet also, in time, He realized how he doomed himself and began a tragic fall to the bottom towards the middle of the story. At first he felt like a god but then he realized that by doing all of this the gods were now seeking their revenge on him. This was evident when Oedipus proclaimed out:.