What are three bad decisions Oedipus makes?

Answer 1

During the course of the play 'Oedipus Rex', Theban King Oedipus makes three bad decisions. The first is his decision to behave churlishly towards Teiresias the blind prophet. He bullies and insults the seer into revealing that he himself is the murderer of previous Theban King Laius and therefore the cause of the plague that affects the Theban people, livestock and crops. He goes so far as to call Teiresias a liar. As a result, Oedipus and all of Thebes learn of his own true identity as the killer of father and king and as the wedder and bedder of mother and queen.

The second is his decision to behave equally churlishlytowards his brother-in-law and uncle, fellow Theban King Creon. He accuses Creon of plotting against him and snatching royal powers for his own use and to his own advancement. He goes so far as to threaten Creon with a choice of death or exile as punishment and fate. As a result, he alienates the originally sympathetic Creon and ends up with the same choice for his own punishment and fate.

The third is his decision to blind himself after discovering that Theban Queen Jocasta has killed herself. He thereby makes it impossible for him to rule effectively. Additionally, he encourages Thebans to think of the fulfillment of his predicted fate as a blind exile.

The three bad decisions also make it impossible for him to sort out the three bad decisions that he makes before the play begins. His first bad decision, before the play's action, is fleeing from Corinth. The Delphic Oracle tells him that he's fated to kill his own father and marry his own mother. He goes to the Oracle expressly for a second opinion as to whether he is or is not the rumored adoptive or foster son of his parents. Instead, he should have found out whether or not Corinthian King Polybus and Corinthian Queen Merope were his biological or his adoptive/foster parents.

The second bad decision, before the play's action, is killing a man who's old enough to be his father. Oedipus should have had critical thinking skills developed to the maximum what with his high standing. So he needed to be respectful of prophecies as possible indicators of obstacles in his path and problems in his personality. Instead, his response is emotional in an emotion charged situation.

The third bad decision, before the play's action, is marrying a woman who's old enough to be his mother. Once again, Oedipus should have been able to think things through critically. Once again, he needed to see what prophecies were telling him about where he was weak and vulnerable.

Answer 2

First: Listening to Cassius and joining the conspirators

Second: Letting Marc Antony live

Third: Going to Philippi to fight instead of letting Antony and his Army come to him.

Answer 3

1. I

2. d

3. K