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Oedipus Rex is a play that follows the Greek myth of Oedipus. Oedipus is given away as a child because an oracle foretold he would kill his father and marry his mother. But because he is given away, he ends up doing what the oracle foretold without realizing it. At the end he gouges his eyes out and banishes himself.
The main theme of this play is the contrast between the sweet bliss of ignorance and the harsh reality of truth. This is shown in the symbolism of blindness. The only character in the play who knows the truth is Tiresias, the blind prophet. When Jocasta learns the truth she kills herself and when Oedipus learns the truth he gouges his eyes out. This represents the suffering that comes with knowledge. The fact that Oedipus becomes blind when he sees the truth is a nice ironic touch as well. However, this play isn't about how it's better to remain ignorant, but that we must find the truth even if we don't want to. When Tiresias says
"Let me go home; prevent me not; 'twere best
That thou shouldst bear thy burden and I mine."
he is warning Oedipus that the truth isn't worth it. But Oedipus still continues for the good of his people when he says
"For shame! no true-born Theban patriot
Would thus withhold the word of prophecy."
He recognizes the necessity for truth and is willing to do what it takes to get it. This makes Oedipus someone to be looked up to, and not pitied.
One thing that I noticed after reading this play is that self inflicted harm seems to be a recurring plot device in tragedies. Lots of them involve a character trying to fix a situation, but in the end they end up doing exactly what they were trying to prevent. Oedipus tries to avoid the prophecy by leaving his family, but ends up running into his real family fulfilling the prophecy. This also appears in Hamlet, where Hamlet dooms his family by trying to get revenge, and Romeo and Juliet, where they end up causing each others' deaths because they try to be together. This device adds to the idea I discussed in a previous post about how losers in tragedies are actually just unfortunate.
Here's a link to the play. Above is a summary and analysis of the play.
Oedipus Rex is a play that follows the Greek myth of Oedipus. Oedipus is given away as a child because an oracle foretold he would kill his father and marry his mother. But because he is given away, he ends up doing what the oracle foretold without realizing it. At the end he gouges his eyes out and banishes himself.
The main theme of this play is the contrast between the sweet bliss of ignorance and the harsh reality of truth. This is shown in the symbolism of blindness. The only character in the play who knows the truth is Tiresias, the blind prophet. When Jocasta learns the truth she kills herself and when Oedipus learns the truth he gouges his eyes out. This represents the suffering that comes with knowledge. The fact that Oedipus becomes blind when he sees the truth is a nice ironic touch as well. However, this play isn't about how it's better to remain ignorant, but that we must find the truth even if we don't want to. When Tiresias says
"Let me go home; prevent me not; 'twere best
That thou shouldst bear thy burden and I mine."
he is warning Oedipus that the truth isn't worth it. But Oedipus still continues for the good of his people when he says
"For shame! no true-born Theban patriot
Would thus withhold the word of prophecy."
He recognizes the necessity for truth and is willing to do what it takes to get it. This makes Oedipus someone to be looked up to, and not pitied.
One thing that I noticed after reading this play is that self inflicted harm seems to be a recurring plot device in tragedies. Lots of them involve a character trying to fix a situation, but in the end they end up doing exactly what they were trying to prevent. Oedipus tries to avoid the prophecy by leaving his family, but ends up running into his real family fulfilling the prophecy. This also appears in Hamlet, where Hamlet dooms his family by trying to get revenge, and Romeo and Juliet, where they end up causing each others' deaths because they try to be together. This device adds to the idea I discussed in a previous post about how losers in tragedies are actually just unfortunate.
Here's a link to the play. Above is a summary and analysis of the play.