“To this guilt I bore witness against myself— with what eyes shall I look upon my people?” (1561-62). Decimated, humiliated, and confused, Oedipus cannot fathom the undeniable truth of being the murderer of his father, husband of his mother, and the product of adoption. The irony Sophocles reveals at the end of this story is mind-boggling and rather inconceivable. Throughout the entirety of the story, Oedipus refuses to believe the prophecy of Tiresias. When we finally discover he does the things Tiresias accuses him of, we are left in a state of awe and amazement. The allegations Oedipus attempts to circumvent haunt him like ghosts in a graveyard; he cannot avoid them. His reaction to this grief-stricken discovery is one of bitter remorse, for he decides to stab his eyeballs, causing eye damage and blindness. A leader who people envision as strong-minded and optimistic descends quickly to a weak and guilty suspect. “I beg of you in God’s name hide me somewhere outside your country, yes, or kill me, or throw me into the sea, to be forever out of your sight” (1586-89). Oedipus’s stigma delivers him a feeling of loneliness and embarrassment, for he asks for God to keep him out of his sight. He repeatedly requests for Creon to send him far away from Thebes, claiming that he does not deserve to remain in the city. His shame outweighs all the positive contributions and accomplishments he holds in Thebes, and forges a sympathetic view of life for himself and the city. The quote, “Give me liberty or give me death” by Patrick Henry accurately describes the situation. Oedipus does not feel he deserves to live after the allegations are proven to be true. With his failure to prosper, he believes death is the best option.
I really like your connection to the quote. Oedipus was so horrified by learning about the truth of his family that he begged to be sent away- almost like it would do his city a favor. I think this does show he's a true leader, because he sets a good example of honoring his city instead of poisoning it with death and sins. We learn that his intentions were good, but he was just ignorant to the truth of his bloodline. Oedipus's story is truly a tragedy.
ReplyDeleteI like that you pointed out irony. He really is haunted by the ghost of himself and will forever be haunted. This is the complete opposite of what he was when we first met him in the opening. He is now destroyed and will only live with his guilt and nothing else.
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