noun
1. the principal or practice of unselfish concern for or the devotion to the welfare of others, a selfless concern for others ( Opposed to egoism. )
Oedipus is certainly not the best picture of unselfishness. In fact, through his dialoges with other characters, it is evident that he has an egotistical attitude and seems very full of himself (because of his cleverness that helped him solve the riddle of the sphinx.) However, there seems to be a hint of selflessness in his voice as he addresses the city of Thebes at the beginning of the play. He cares for the greater good of his people, he wants the city to recover from the plague. It is obvious in the following quote both Oedipus' self-righteousness blended with the concern for his people and willingness to hear their cry, " Children, I would not have you speak through messengers,/And therefore I have come myself to hear you- I Oedipus, who bear the famous name."
As I thought more about my big question, however, I considered the element of sacrifice more than the characteristic of selfish/selflessness. Does Oedipus' concern for his people manifest itself in the form of sacrifice? Does Oedipus ever put himself aside in order to sacrifice for a different purpose?
Finding the answers to these questions was certainly difficult and frustrating. Like trying to fit a square into a circle, I tried to fit Oedipus into an altruistic mold, one that he surely was not meant to fit in. I found very few redeeming qualites, or public display's of selfless sacrifice. The only example I could think of is included in the background information of the text, not even quoted in the play itself. Oedipus runs away from Corinth, his hometown, where he grew up, where he had friends, and where was taken care of, because the oracle told him he would kill his father. Unknowingly and falsely believing that his father resided in Corinth, Oedipus makes a break for it, to try to escape his fate, in order, he thinks, to protect his father (from the death he would inflict on him.)
Sure, I could stop there, and tell you that Oedipus is, in fact, somewhat altruistic, because he made a sacrifice that he thought would save his (adopted) father and mother from the horrible prophesy of the oracle. But going back to my first post, I realized that sacrificing is only half the battle. The real issue, is if Oedipus' intentions are truely for (who he thinks is) his father, or for himself. Considering this, I would say that Oedpus is not altruistic at all. Running away from Corinth to save his father, only appears to be a sacrifice, when in fact, he must have been thinking of personal gain. In his mind, if he chose not run away, he would have killed his father, and married his mother, which would be horrible for his reputation, something in which Oedipus is highly concerned about thoughout the whole play. (which is funny, because as hard as he tries to run from his fate, he actually runs striaght to it.) I believe that Oedipus' intentions for running away from Corith are more self centered than centered around the good or wellbeing of his father/mother.
Therefore, Oedipus only completes half the equation. He sacrifices his whole life and comfort in Corith to escape his fate, but without pure intentions, he can hardly be considered altruistic.
