In class we have just finished reading Oedipus Rex, the story of a man whose prophecy from the oracles as a child was that he would kill his father and marry his mother. The boy was chained on the mountain and rescued be a sheep herder who gave the child to a couple who raised him as their own. Oedipus tries the best that he can to avoid making the prophecy come true. I think that the more you try to avoid your fate, the faster it comes after you. I don't blame Oedipus for what happens in the story, because for all he knew his parents were the Corinthians and he did not want to hurt them which is why he left. Although he had good reason to leave, it may have been possible for him to avoid the prophecy if he would have not left, for he may not have ever come into contact with his real parents.
Throughout everything that happens, I respect Oedipus. He says that the man who is responsible for Laius' murder will be exiled. When Oedipus starts to connect the dots about the murder, instead of hiding from the truth and blaming it on somebody else Oedipus continues to investigate his involvement in the murder. When the truth is out not only does Oedipus gouge out his eyes, he orders to be sent to exile and begs for his children/siblings to be taken care of and not be punished for the situation that he and his mother put them in. Oedipus proves to be a man of his words and is truly sorry for all of the trouble he has caused and he really cannot be blamed for marrying his mother because he honestly had no idea, nobody had any idea who he was.
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10 comments:
Senia Lee
I always wondered if fate would have still found it's way to Oedipus if he didn't leave for Thebes. I also wonder how fate would fulfill the prophecy if that were the situation. I also agree with you about Oedipus leaving in order to not fulfill the prophecy and do what he thinks what was right. Fate did seem to come at him faster every time he tried to avoid it. I also question what would have happened if he didn't try to avoid it and what he would have done.
Lauren, I like what you said about how Oedipus stayed true to his word. He really did never give up on trying to find the person who, according to the god's message, was the cause of the horrible plauge. One thing I question, however, is if he could have made a better choice of how to react to the knowledge of his kids' conceptions and the fact of his marriage to his mother. I wonder if he really had to gouge out his eyes. It seems to me that to get rid of the plague, all he would have had to do is leave the kingdom and maybe take his kids with him. Then they wouldn't be left by themselves with the knowledge of their births being known to everyone. If they would have left, the next place they would have gone to would not know their past, and thus, they wouldn't by judged by it. Like the packet we got said though, the sin of marrying your mother was despised and looked at as completely wrong in his time - which is the same now, but the punishment was much different. He mentioned he thought it was more of a punishment not to die, but really, it makes me wonder if he had to disable himself so severly by destroying his eyes and, in addition hurt his kids in the process.
It certainly isn't Oedipus' fault that everything happened. If we consider that it was Laius and Jocasta that originally abandoned Oedipus, it is their fault. This adds to the assertion that fate chases you faster as you try to avoid it. However, to blame the parents wouldn't be the whole story. It's tough to accuse someone of wrongdoing for trying to prevent wrongdoing.
Oedipus is particularly admirable not only for accepting the consequences of his own curse, but for continuing to seek the truth even while Jocasta and Tiresias were telling him to stop.
The eye gouging was a device to show that having eyes doesn't allow one to see all. Tiresias is also a good example of this, as he is the archetypal blind prophet. In a subsequent legend and play, Oedipus is actually very respected for his ability to see into things. His self inflicted punishment is necessary because it provides the implication of true sight without eyes.
Megan S.
I respect Oedipus as well. He eventually realizes the blame should be on him and he keeps his word about being exhiled. He puts blame on other people early on in the story, but that is before he realizes that his parents are not who he thought they were. There was no hope for Oedipus. Even when he tried to make things work out for everyone he truly loved everything turned out worse. Oedipus should have stayed with who he thought were his parents. But fate will do as it may, fate can not be escaped. Especially if a person is running from it.
I'm starting to wonder if anyone would have told if they'd known or found out. Oedipus was the king and whatever the king says is deemed law. One would think anyone who suggested such a thing (that Oedipus was married to his mother and killed his father) would be deemed blasphemous and killed. It seems the most likely reason why the lone survivor of Laius' party fled after seeing Oedipus put on the throne. Also considering Oedipus' desire for truth, it's also entirely plausable that he would try to find out the truth if he and/or the whole city were told straight out in such a way.
Brian Reuland
I think it is interesting how you put no blame on Oedipus. I agree that in his effort to try and excape fate, he runs right into it, and to some extent that isn't his fault. However, I would like to point out that Oedipus certainly had flaws and these flaws were the main reason he fell into his fated "trap." His hot temper and huge ego are major flaws, and without them, he wouldn't have killed the "stranger" who got in his way at the intersection, and nothing really would've happened. So while Oedipus certainly isn't totally at fault for his fate, I would say I have a lot of respect for him. I do agree with you though that he handled his mistakes very well, which is indeed respectable.
I liked what you said about Oedipus being a man of his word. He really did care for the fate of Thebes and wanted to help it even if it meant his downfall. He is a man who does not want to hide behind a lie even if it means the truth will ruin him. I too see him as a very respectable character that other could learn from. Although I do not see gouging his eyes out as a good way to handle a situation I also do see the meaning of it. The blind man sees the truth while people with sight can't see or don't want to see the truth right in front of them. Being able to see is useless in this case. I also think that there isn't a way to avoid fate or making it come faster to you because I think fate is more determined by knowing the actions one would take such as it is known which team will win a game because one team is simply better.
From this perspective, although Oedpus' determination to see the truth leads to his own demise, it can almost be considered a strength. Oedipus is strong for his people and puts them before himself which is quite the honorable trait in a leader.
(Christian Cassman)
Jessica Sands
I think that it really was inevitable that Oedipus would kill his parents. Ithink although is intetions were nobel, he actually made the situation come onto him faster than it originally would have when he decided to run away from home. I admire Oedipus for staying true to his word, i think we could all afford to be as humble and responsible as he was when he took the punishment he swore to give to whomever killed his parents
I agree that Oedipus cannot be blamed for what happened to him. After hearing the horrible prophecy, Oedipus did what he thought he needed to in order to avoid the fate the prophecy predicted. I'm not sure whether I believe fate is unchangeable. Oedipus sure makes it seem as if fate is a predetermined thing, that you are stuck with. I think in some ways people can choose their own fate by the decisions they make. If Oedipus hadn't decided to try and escape his fate then he never would have fulfilled the prophecy. Maybe this play is trying to tell people they need to simply accept their fate and make the best of it.
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