Sunday, May 16, 2010
Assignment #9
The play Oedipus the King is really a sad one. Oedipus's personal traits bring about his own downfall as king by his curiosity to find the murderer of his father King Laius in which he was the murderer. Teiresias who is the blind prophet tells Oedipus he is the murderer when he was outraged with Oedipus but Oedipus doesn't believe him until a shepherd who witnessed the murder of Laius reveals that he is indeed the murderer. Then Oedipus starts the investigation into the murder of King Laius. King Laius was also told by an oracle before this investigation that his son would kill him and marry as his wife his mother. A deadly plague battens upon Thebes because of the murder of King Laius as well. After the shepherd answered all of Oedipus's questions and Oedipus learns he is the murderer of his father King Laius, Oedipus becomes blind and is exiled from Thebes. It really disgust me to see Oedipus was married to his own mother Iocaste and even had children with her. I felt sad in the ending of the play when Oedipus said to Creon "No! Do not take them from me!"(896). Oedipus had to leave his children and it must of hurt him so bad that he had to separate from them. It's like the child welfare taking away a mother or father's children and putting them into foster home. I also was really surprised to see in the ending of the play Iocaste committed suicide by hanging herself with a cord around her neck. Iocaste probably couldn't live with the fact that Oedipus would get to realize that he is married to his mother and that's why she committed suicide. Iocaste tried to keep this a secret but Oedipus learns of this hidden truth. Overall, I enjoyed reading the play and learned a lot about Oedipus's life. Oedipus went from a happy king in the beginning of the play to a sad man exiled from Thebes in the ending of the play.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
your post about the play is good. one theme that seems to be blindness. Oedipus was blind long before he stab out his eyes. He could not see what was in front of him due to pride. the irony of the story is that it took the loss of his pride and his eyes to see the truth.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Marlon that he was blinded by his pride but that is his insight that was blind. May be this is the reason Sophocles chose to make Oedipus blind at the end. And, Like you said Chris, it is disgusting that that Oedipus marries his own mother and have children, but isn't it funny too because as Oedipus is Iocasta's son, he must be a half of the age of Iocasta.
ReplyDeleteyeah i also agree
ReplyDeleteits ashame that all those events had to take place and occur in that fashion
it is also disturbing on how the prophecy does come true