Aristotle has written that “poetry is a higher form than history.” He qualifies that history is the story of a particular event that happens at a particular time to a particular person or group, while literature is the story of what is universal in the human experience. After reading Oedipus the king, its clear to see he couldn’t escape his own destiny. During this time, they believed that everyone’s fates were determined from birth and fates were unalterable. Oedipus is the protagonist and his fate, the antagonist. When Oedipus learned of his fate, he left Corinth after he heard what the prophecy directed to Polybus, the man he thought was his biological father. It was said that one day he would kill his father and marry his mother. Oedipus eager to know the truth was unable to control what was given at birth for him. He believed he was powerful and when his father died, he set out with his own free will to find justice for King Laius, for the people of his land and his own personal reasons. He proclaimed death upon the man that killed King Laius. His fate was defined when he realized the man, he was searching for was himself.
Daily Archives: March 11, 2022
In the reading of “Oedipus the King”, timeless human experiences or behaviors I found was since birth Oedipus didn’t know about his real parents and he ended up killing his father and marrying his mother (Jocasta) who he didn’t know about it till it was revealed after. This led to Oedipus accusing Creon of Laius’s death and planning his exile or death, to Jocasta killing herself after finding out the truth that she’s Oedipus mother and wife on her own, and lastly, Oedipus dying from all the misfortune he’s had and from my take of the Chorus saying “he has passed the final limit of his life secure from pain.” (1728). Oedipus’s real father Laius and Jocasta sent their kid to be killed after a prophet told them that their baby will kill him and marry his mother, even after trying to change destiny, it still happening, proceeding to show that you can’t always force a change on an incident because it’ll end up happening again. Changing the outcome also caused plenty of people to get hurt in the process.
Throughout the story of “Oedipus the King” the king suffers from his timeless human experience as he impulsively blinds himself. Oedipus learns of the truths behind his parents and of his children and in his shame he cannot bare to look at what he has done. With his impulsive decision he found a permanent solution for his shame and in turn later regretted it as he wanted his children back in his arms. As a consequence, he is forced to let go of his children after all, in order to live outside of Thebes away from the horrors bestowed upon him. Creon also demonstrates a timeless behavior as he is gracious towards Oedipus and tries to show him that he was a decent man before the recent events and will continue to be a decent man after them. Creon says to Oedipus “I gave you this because I knew from old days how you loved them as I see now.” Crean feels for Oedipus and his act of pity will not be forgotten.
It is an incontestable fact that, despite years of human history and societies, some behaviors and experiences patterns are still intrinsic in our lifestyles and still are a huge part of who we are as individuals, or as a community. Several of these timeless patterns can be encountered in the reading “Oedipus the King”, such as the community’s respect towards its social hierarchy, and the feeling of revenge. In the lines 254 to 260, Oedipus says: “But if you shall keep silence, if perhaps some one of you, to shield a guilty friend, some one of you, to shield reject my words – hear what I shall do then: I forbid that man, whoever he be, my land, my land where I hold sovereignty and throne; and I forbid any to welcome him or cry him greeting or make him a sharer in sacrifice or offering to the Gods, or give him water for his hands to wash.” Here, Oedipus symbolizes not only his power towards his country and community, but also an allusion about how much his loyal followers are expected to respect his words, and fear his attitudes. Today, despite the almost complete extinction of monarchy countries, we as individuals and as a country or society in a democracy, still respect the State and its authority figures. Further, in the lines 119-120, Creon says: “By banishing a man, or expiation of blood by blood, since it is murder guilt which holds our city in this destroying storm.” As a way to symbolize that, the only way to make that empire prosper again is to find revenge against those who hurt them […]
In “Oedipus the King” by Sophocles, many things make this story timeless and always relatable to the human condition. One such behavior is the inability to admit when one is wrong. It is common, and most of us would like to think we are immune to such a thing. Still, when confronted with a situation like that, most of us turn defensive and dig in our heels instead of examining the case presented to us and seeing if we are genuinely wrong about something. In the story, Teiresias tells Oedipus that he is the murderer of the king. Oedipus can’t believe his misfortune and gets mad at being told that he is the person who is the one behind the former king Laius’s death. So instead of determining if what the prophet says is true, he gets outraged and sends him away. This situation is an excellent example of literature. We can see in the characters’ behaviors that are relatable to us to this day, even with such a vast gulf of time between us.
Oedipus the King has many timeless human experiences or behaviors. For example, the power of fate. Fate is something that people find very debatable. People being in control of their lives makes them feel superior over others as they are free to make decisions as they wish to. In the case of Oedipus, fate already had a plan for him, even though he found it difficult to accept his reality of no longer being in charge. Another timeless human experience is the concept of family and the troubles that they face. Also, we are taught to be ourselves and in order to do that we must find ourselves. This is shown when Oedipus goes on a journey to make an effort to know the truth about his upbringing. Oedipus is met with his original fate that he tries to get away from, which is a curse that he will one day kill his father and marry his mother.
Whereas history is particular, literature is universal. We see universal themes in Oedipus, most infamous of all the Oedipal complex. While Freud developed this millennia later, its base themes of an incestuous relationship are heavily inspired by Oedipus, but are far from singular in literature. For example, one can also reference the Electra complex in literature as well. There is also the social concept of men being “mama’s boys,” or more recently the concept of being a “boy mom.” Part of this is pushed by the age-old patriarchal expectation that a man can only be vulnerable around his mother, caregiver that she is. Another prevalent trope is “ignorance is bliss.” While remaining unknowing of the sins he had committed, Oedipus is revered as the savior and ruler. He is able to make such proclamations of driving the scourge from the land due to his pride in his identity as king. There is also the inevitability of fate, in that one can run and hide as much as one may like, but they cannot escape the machinations of fate and the gods.
In reading, “Oedipus the King,” I was able to find many timeless human experiences or behaviors. Oedipus wife Jocasta tells him that Laius was killed at a three-way crossroads, just before Oedipus arrived in Thebes. Oedipus, stunned, tells his wife that he may be the one who murdered Laius. He tells Jocasta that, long ago, when he was the prince of Corinth, he heard at a banquet that he was not really the son of the king and queen, and so went to the oracle of Delphi, which did not answer him but did tell him he would murder his father and sleep with his mother. Hearing this, Oedipus fled from home, never to return. It was then, on the journey that would take him to Thebes, that Oedipus was confronted and harassed by a group of travelers, whom he killed in self-defense, at the very crossroads where Laius was killed. Oedipus shows that he truly believes he killed Laius and is willing to accept not only the responsibility but the punishment for the act.
In “Oedipus the King” by Sophocles, I noticed the timeless human experience of shame and self-punishment. When Jocasta realizes that she has had children with her own child, the shame of what she has done, albeit unknowingly, is too much to bear and she commits suicide. When Oedipus realizes that he has had children with his own mother, he blinds himself because he cannot bear to look at those children. Shame is a universal feeling and this story, being a tragedy, is an extreme situation of the terrible extent of the shameful deed coupled with the public setting of Oedipus and Jocasta being King and Queen. Everyone can relate to feeling regret over a past act or event and subsequently the need to try to right the wrong somehow in order to cope with the inner turmoil. Sophocles creates a scenario where these feelings are so overwhelming that the audience not only sympathizes with the characters, but pities them.
Oedipus the King has many timeless human experiences. One is the mother and son relationship between Oedipus and his mother. Oedipus killed his father Laios to marry his mother Jocasta. Oedipus had a sexual relationship with his mother who created this unconscious love for her him. Jocasta accepted the fact that they both created this sexual desire for each other. This shows the love of a mother and son relationship and incest that occurs between family members today. Some people across the world have created this normality to have sexual relations and marry relatives. Another example is when Oedipus realizes he killed his father which causes him to change by accepting it and owning up to what he did by blinding himself. In today’s society, this shows people could change over time by owning up to what they have done.
