DIVINE DISASTERS AND DISTRESSED LANDSCAPES IN OEDIPUS REX: AN ECO-THEOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

Eco-theology, an emerging field in literary studies, provides a distinctive perspective on the relationship between religion, ecological issues, and human responsibility towards the environment. This paper argues that Oedipus Rex presents a viewpoint on divine disasters to examine the interaction of faith, religion, and the ecological crisis, as exemplified by the tragic plague that befalls Thebes. The play has been widely discussed under the Greek tragedy rubric and the exploration of human actions versus fate. However, this paper explores the concept of eco-theology, focusing on the themes of divine intervention and god’s decisions responsible for the ecological crisis. By applying the theoretical propositions of John B. Cobb Jr.'s “Eco-theology,” this research contends that the ecological disruption in Oedipus Rex, i.e., plague, serves as a form of divine retribution and triggers a theological crisis in the character of Oedipus. The shepherd's act of saving Oedipus, the rise to the throne, and the eventual downfall of Oedipus highlight the divine scheme, leading to the ecological disaster of the plague as divine retribution. Thus, this chain of events shows that the gods not only directed Oedipus's life but also paradoxically punished him with the plague for fulfilling the destiny they designed.