When comparing history and literature, Aristotle believes that literature like poetry is superior since you can relate to some of the experiences or behaviors no matter the time you’re reading it, these works transcend time. In “Oedipus the King” by Sophocles, there are many experiences and behaviors that still happen in reality today like lying to loved ones, murder within the family and public humiliation. To be specific, Jocasta lies to Oedipus bout the truth of his origins and his current situation in order to protect her son from a harsh reality. It may not be as extreme as the events in the story, it is very common for someone close to you to lie in order to protect your feelings, but just like in the story, that never ends well. Another example is when Oedipus finds out the truth and that the residents of his city have become aware. Oedipus is so ashamed and embarrassed that he basically exiles himself assuming that it’s what the people of Thebes would want anyways. It’s almost human nature to assume the worst when information that you would want secret gets out. Once again, not as extreme as blinding yourself, but that sense of embarrassment can still be exhibited today.
Daily Archives: March 9, 2023
We look at this man’s words and yours, my king, and we find both have spoken them in anger. We need no angry words but only thought. how we may best hit the God’s meaning for us. This remark caught my attention the most because, despite what people often claim, some things can be painful to hear and express. When they do, it hurts so much that we don’t stop to consider the impact of our words or the harm they may cause. We never apologize after angry speech and continue. When we finally realize how much harm our words caused, it is already too late.
Several timeless experiences and behavior displayed in the play are relevant in society today. We tend to live off our fate and free will, which is essential to us. But, when we think about it, someone always influences our life daily. As the play showed how King Oedipus wanted to find closure to know the truth about the killing of Laius, little did he know that he was about to get shocked in his life to know that Laius was his father and his wife Jocasta was his mother. As a human, and I’m a victim of this, I must say that we always dig deep when we want to find things out and sometimes don’t agree with the outcome, which could cause pain and sorrow. That’s what the saying said, “what you don’t know won’t kill you. “Finding out how you were bought into society the way King Oedipus did would have drawn an everlasting burden, causing depression, questioning oneself, there are thoughts of suicide, just to be shamed and having that guilt will just want not to be a part of society. King Oedipus begged that he be hidden outside the country, killed, or thrown into the sea, just to be out of the sight of others. Could we imagine all the vulnerable young adults in our society that experience these traumas and don’t have the support or the correct tools for assistance? The shame and emotional reck just scared me for my life. Oedipus tried his best to be strong, but he had no control over what happened to him.
In the play “Oedipus the King,” one can observe numerous timeless human experiences and behaviors throughout the entire reading. The behavior I’m going to focus on is the search for truth. The search for truth is important to humans because it is a natural urge to understand the world and our place in it and it provides purpose to our lives as well as helping us make sense of everything that happens. However, people tend to make mistakes and make bad decisions chasing the truth. In the play, Oedipus had been metaphorically blind to the truth for his entire life trying to find out who his parents are. He ends up killing his father and marries his mother without knowing they were his parents. When he eventually learnt the truth, he blinded himself by poking out his eyes. This is an example of one of the many timeless human experiences one can discover in this play.
The story of Oedipus and his tragic fate was written by Sophocles in Ancient Greek times, but it contains poetic language and themes such as family, death, community, violence/war, and surrender that are relevant to readers today. People are affected by these matters to a certain extent, whether experienced first hand or from a distance. These themes are also used for entertainment in excessively dramatic contemporary shows and movies, such as soap operas. They may not be as intense as the murder, incest, suicide, and eye gouging involved in the story of Oedipus, but still very theatrical. There are also so many emotions that people experience in devastating times that are expressed in “Oedipus the King” including hopelessness, desperation, anger, and distrust. Although shown in an exaggerated state due to the plot, it can still be relatable to be that passionate in a heated moment. “Oedipus the King” is an example of what would happen if people did not control their emotions. These qualities make this story an enduring one that will always be disturbingly fascinating.
The timeless or human behavior that I found in reading Oedipus is that the search for truth can destroy you. At some point in our lives we have all felt powerful and at the top. In this work the author places the character at a time in his life when he is at his peak. He is powerful, loved by all his subjects, by his wife, this could go on for a long time. But the search for the truth will lead to revelations that will cause his downfall. As the plot unfolds we can say that this work alone represents a philosophical reflection on happiness which is something very subjective, power and knowledge. During the time when Oedipus does not know, he is happy and exercises the power entrusted to him by his people. And paradoxically, the closer he gets to the truth, trying to find out who he is, the more he loses himself. He blindly searches for the truth but when it is within his reach he refuses to hear it. Once the truth is revealed, he loses his wife, his family and the power that had been entrusted to him. The search for the truth can do good but also cause the downfall of a person and I find that it is some universe in the experience of being human
