Oedipus is a man of accepting his responsibilities and acting on them. Being a man of action, accepts his responsibility of a son and leaves home attempting to avoid his faith which consists of the murder of his father and marriage to his mother. As king he accepts his responsibility of the uncovering of the murder of King Laius. The search for the murderer leads to nothing but a discovery of regrettable action and literally a blinding truth. A truth that was better left undiscovered. Oedipus discovers that he murdered King Laius and married his mother Jocasta.
His discovery yet innocent at heart leads to his ealization that he is guilty of one thing, trying to change his own faith. Oedipus the King is a man of responsible action, but has an uncontrollable curiosity which hurts him in the end. Oedipus accepts his duties as king and tries to end the plague in Thebes. Then Ill go back and drag that shadowed past to light. Oh, yes the pious Apollo and your piety have set on foot a duty to the dead: A search that you and I together will pursue. My designs could not be suited more: to avenge the god and Thebes in a single blow. Ah!
Not for any far-flung friend, but by myself and for myself Ill break this plague. For who knows, tomorrow this selfsame murderer may turn his bloody hands on me. The cause of Laius therefore is my own. So, rise up, children, and be off. Take your prayer boughs too. Summon here the counselors of Thebes and muster too the Cadmus clan. I am resolute, and shall not stop till with Apollos help all-blessed we emerge, or else we are lost-beyond all purge. ( Prologue, pg 219). This refrain is describes Oedipus motives and intent for his action or any action he make in the play.
He is declaring his search for the murder of King Laius. It shows that he is aking responsibility for being king, vengeful to the god, persistent in pursuit for the murderer, but most of all selfish. Oedipus says himself in this line Not for any far-flung friend, but myself and for myself Ill break this plague. Oedipus is acting noble in avenging the former kings death, but his first sign of selfishness protrudes out this line. Oedipus action of avenging the kings death and breaking the plague is the chance for him to be proved as a great king.
Oedipus finds out from the oracle in his childhood town Corinth that he will murder his father and marry his mother. Oedipus being just and reasonable does not want this to ccur, so he leaves Corinth. Oedipus tries to deny his own faith by leaving home. Oedipus proves to be selfish by not accepting his own fate. Apart from what he was fated to do, he does not want to do accept his faith and leaves. Some say these actions maybe, innocent. Who would want to murder their own father, let along marry your mother? It was his curiosity of wanting to know his own faith.
It is not his choice to change it and he is guilty of that. His action of leaving innocent, but the Oedipus not accepting his faith which he desired is selfish. Oedipus persistence and curiosity overpowered reason. In the First Episode on page 226 Tiresias the blind oracle say Id rather keep you and me from harm. Dont press me uselessly. My lips are sealed. Tiresias consciously tries to cover up the knowledge Oedipus desires, but eventually sets the knowledge free. Oedipus curiosity and persistence lead him to the beginning of his own doom.
Oedipus actions stop being noble when he becomes suspect to the crime. From the moment Tiresias tells Oedipus that The rotting canker in the State is you. , Oedipus noble search becomes a personal one in which he can not refrain from settling his curiosity. This is where sometimes the ruth is better left unsaid, but Oedipus refuses to refrain from his overpowering curiosity. The arrival of the shepherd answers all the questions Oedipus desires. The messenger helps explain what happened in the woods and during his childhood. The shepherd and messenger were neighbors on the slopes of Cithaeron.
They were both involved in Oedipus childhood. The sheperd received a baby from the king and brought it to the messenger who always wanted a child. The messenger brought the child to Polybus. ( The conversation takes place in the 4th Episode pgs 250- 253) He realizes that he killed the king and married his mother. Oedipus actions here were innocent. As I reached this triple parting of the ways, a herald and a man, like you described in a colt-drawn chariot came. The leading groom-the old man urging him-tried to force me off the road. The groom jostled me, and I in fury landed him a blow.
Which the old man sees, he waits till Im abreast, Then from his chariot cracks down on me, full on my head a double headed club. He more than paid for it. For in trice this hand of mine had felled him with a stick and rolled him from the chariot stunned. I killed him. I killed them all. ( Second Episode, pg 240-241,Oedipus). It obvious that Oedipus is innocent in his action of killing the king let along killing his father for at this time his father was Corinthian, Polybus. The passage shows that Oedipus was walking on a road when he is suddenly being forced to remove himself from the chariots path.
He was assaulted. Oedipus was innocently defending himself. The murder in its simplest form wouldnt be considered murder since it was self defense. When it comes down to the judicial system of today Oedipus did nothing wrong. The king and his servants attacked one man. Oedipus defended himself and the killing of the king wasnt ntentional, because he had no knowledge that he was fighting a king. Its important to understand that his actions in this event were innocent. He was not trying to fulfill his destiny of killing his father, he was trying to avoid it.
The marriage his mother was another innocent action. Oedipus had no idea that the queen was his mother. His mother was Dorian, Merope. If anything both Jocasta and Oedipus are both clear headed not to question if maybe the oracles prediction was occurring. Queen Jocasta knows her husband is dead and that she is marrying a man significantly younger. Perhaps hes the age of how many years ago that you gave birth. Definitely simple minded, but on the other hand she believed that she avoided her faith by sending her child away.
Oedipus should have questioned as well, but the knowledge of who his real parents were was absent from his knowledge. He didnt even know he was adopted. Oedipus was innocent when marrying his mother. The most important line in the conversation in Episode 4 is when Oedipus says Youll die today unless you speak the truth. The truth was a blinding one, because Oedipus eventually gouges his eyes out. The gouging of his eyes symbolizes that the truth will blind you. When you believe something for so, long and find out otherwise Oedipus does not want to see the truth anymore.
Does not want to see his mother and wife and does not want see his children mothers grandchildren. He wants to be blind to the truth. Curiosity killed the cat. Simple in text, but relative to the event that has taken place. Oedipus curious of his future and curious of his past leads to the undeniable existence of what he was fated to do. His discovery of the truth led to his own exile and blindness to the world. Although proven innocent when he killed the king and married his mother, he is guilty of one thing and one thing only, Trying to Change His Own Fate.
