OEDIPUS ESSAY

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Adam Gross
Oedipus Essay “Life is nasty, brutish, and short.” This quote is written by a man named John Locke. Locke was philosopher from the 18th century. But enough about John Locke, you came here to learn about Oedipus Rex didn’t you? Well, Oedipus’ life was doomed from the moment he came into this world. There once was a great Oracle of Thebes, who prophesized that King Laius (Oedipus’ father), and Queen Jocasta (Oedipus’ mother), would have a child named Oedipus. The Oracle stated that the son of the two was destined to kill his father, wed his mother, and take the throne of Thebes. Frightened by the Oracle, when the Queen Jocasta conceived the child, she left the baby boy to die in Cithaeron… A blind seer, named Teireseas comes to Oedipus at his throne to tell him about the murderer of his father. Oedipus being blind to his own actions sends the “crazy fool” away. Thinking that Teireseas is just speaking in riddles to confuse him. Teiresias refuses to go; he is trying to explain to Oedipus that fate is doing more damage to him, than he can do to himself. Like this quote here Teireseas says “Let me go home. Bear your own fate, and I’ll bear mine. It is better so: Trust what I say.” (Sophocles, p.215) Oedipus’ foolishness is blinding him; he does not realize that he is the actual murderer of his father… Oedipus will only find the murderer of Laius if he finds himself. Teireseas still remains at Thebes, weary of the stubbornness of the king; he leaves Oedipus with one final mark, even foreshadowing his future. “A blind man, who has eyes now; a penniless man, who is rich now.” (Sophocles p.219) Does Oedipus not get what Teireseas is trying to save him from? The blind seer is warning Oedipus not to dig into his past, that it will cause him great trouble. “A blind man, who has eyes now…” Although Oedipus has full use of his eyesight, he still cannot see the one thing that is in front of him. His wife is his mother, & he murdered his father. If he keeps digging into his past and figures these things out, terrible things are in store for this man. The final piece of fate lies within the man himself, Oedipus. Oedipus has just found out that he was the one who slayed his father, he married his mother, and mated with her, having two children. He rushes to his chambers to find Queen Jocasta hanging from ceiling, she took her own life. Horrified by the scene, Oedipus reaches and takes the brooches off of Jocasta sash, and gouges his own eyeballs out. “A
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