Oedipus the King Essay

In the play written by Sophocles â€Å"Oedipus the King,† is depicted as one who is blind to his own ego, pride stubbornness, anger and lack of knowledge. First written in Greek mythology this play is about a King of Thebes whose ego overshadowed his ability to focus on his the necessary things to stabilize his kingdom; his anger and pride eventually led to his down fall. Having solved the riddle of the Sphinx, (an evil creature) King Oedipus was able to succeed as the new king of Thebes and became the new husband of the queen Jocaster, not knowing that she was his biological mother. Oedipus son of king Laius and Queen Jocaster was doomed from birth, fearing that their son Oedipus will take his father’s life Jocaster give him (Oedipus) to a herdsman to be killed, he was then given to another herds man in the fields In a twist of faith who then returned him to Corinth where he was adopted by King Polybus and his wife Queen Merope, who raised him as their own. It would seem the gods will have their fun day with Oedipus. Blinded by ego as a king Oedipus seeks only to please his people, his city and himself. Plagued with sufferings throughout his kingdom in which famines, diseases animals becoming extinct, and the women who were stricken with bareness were becoming a desaster. With no end to their sufferings the people of Thebes turned to the king for guidance and to help appease their discomfort. Obligated to his people, his city, and himself the king in his search for answers, summons Creon his brother in law and uncle to provide him advice from the wise council of the Oracle in Delphi. Creon learns from the oracle that the kingdom was plagued by a series of unfortunate events and revealed it to the King. According to Creon the plague in the land must be driven out by bringing the murderer of the previous king to justice. â€Å"I will tell you, then, what I heard from the God. King Phoebus in plain words commanded us to drive out a pollution from our land, pollution grown ingrained within the land; drive it out, said the God, not cherish it. † (Sophocles 105-110). The plague was as a result of the murder of King Laius (Oedipus’s biological father) whose killer was never found and brought to justice. Oedipus felt it was his duty to find the killer and have justice served. Not satisfied with the answers he had gotten from Creon, Oedipus sent out for Tiresias a prophet. â€Å"Tiresias you are well versed in everything, things teachable and things not to be spoken, things of Heaven and Earth – creeping things. You have no eyes but in your mind you know with what plaque our city is afflicted. †(Sophocles 315-320). Again Oedipus’s ego drives him to pursue answers to which the end result will only destroy himself; the gods must be laughing now. Oedipus points out the fact that Tiresias is blind, but he fails to see that he himself is blind to the events taking place within his kingdom. Oedipus acknowledges that although Tiresias is physically blind he has discerning capabilities that allow him to see what others cannot, moreover he knows of the plaque in the city. It is Oedipus’s pride that compels him to seek the truth in order to bring freedom to the people of Thebes in hope of gaining more power from them. As Tiresias became hesitant and refuses to speak what he knows Oedipus became angry. There is no fairer duty than helping those in distress. † (C & B 301-302). Oedipus made this remark because he wants to be the savior of the city, the man who will bring it out of distress and misery. He sees Tiresias as hard headed individual and a man with no feelings; making reference to his eyes being cold (C & B lines 307-308). Oedipus continues to accuse Tiresias of his faults, finally! Tiresias decides to speak the truth behind Oedipus’s own blindness to which he is blind and thus cannot see the nature of his own wrong doings (C & B Lines 324). Tiresias revealed that Oedipus himself was the pollutant of the land because he (Oedipus) is the murderer of King Laius. It would seem the gods got their wishes in spite of Oedipus unknowingly killed his biological father. Oedipus stated,† it has but not for you; it has no strength for you, because you are blind in mind and ears as well as in your eyes. †(Sophocles 400-410). Oedipus refuses to believe Tiresias words and continues to provoke him, exclaiming: â€Å"your life is one long night so that you cannot hurt me or any other who sees light,† (Sophocles 410-420) although it is he Oedipus who cannot see the light. The irony here is supported by the metaphor of knowledge as vision. Tiresias though being sightless discerns the truth through wisdom, while Oedipus is essentially in a sense, blinded by his anger and cannot see the truth. Oedipus secret of killing his father is no longer remaining unknown for the Shepard, and Tiresias know of Oedipus hidden past. Blinded by lack of knowledge towards his past he accused his brother in law Creon of treason and plot to destroy he (Oedipus) an argument between Oedipus and Creon lures Jocasta towards Oedipus in which she tries to calm him down. Jocasta goes on to say that the oracle cannot be trusted. Throughout the story of her former husband death, she mentioned he died on the three way crossroads just before Oedipus arrive to Thebes. After Jocasta has mentioned how Laius died, Oedipus realized that he may be the one who murdered Laius (his father). Hoping that he is not identified as Laius’s murder, Oedipus sends for the shepherd that survives the attack. As he Oedipus finds out the truth about himself, his past, his biological father and mother his physical and spiritual eyes became opened. In his conviction as well as guilt he then blinded himself, the irony here, is just when he saw the light, he took his own sight, â€Å"what use are my eyes if I cannot see? † Oedipus was blind towards the past, not knowing his real parents, the present, putting pride ego and anger before rationalization, and the future, physically taking his own sight away by blinding himself. The play begins with the praise and love for a king, Oedipus is praised at the beginning of the play and is looked up to by the people, Tereisais refuses to speak the truth and Oedipus refuses to see the truth. Finally Oedipus went from being a blind man with seeing eyes to a man with sight, but his real eyes destroyed. This hero fell because his pride and ego made him blind to the truth that was right before his eyes. The gods got what they desired did they desire more?