The Themes Of Emotions In Sophocles's Play Oedipus Rex

Sophocles’ play Oedipus Rex shows how people let their emotions control them to the point where they can no longer think rationally. There are many instances where the characters in the play let their emotions cloud their judgement, which leads to the gods punishing them for their actions. King Laius and Queen Jocasta are told that their infant son is fated to kill its father, and couple with its mother, which causes them to panic. They decide to try to prevent this prophecy by leaving him to die on a mountaintop. A servant feels pity for the baby, and gives him away to another king so that he will not have to die. Years later, Oedipus hears the same prophecy about himself, and runs away from home. He ends up in Thebes, and marries the Queen …show more content…
Oedipus had called on Tiresias in an attempt to find out who the murderer of Laius is, and when he would not tell him, he became enraged and demanded that Tiresias tell him the truth. He says to Tiresias: “What will come? You’re bound to tell me that (178, 390).” He let his thirst for knowledge overpower his common sense, as he would have known that acting in an aggressive manner is not a way to solve any problem, and it definitely does not help when one is trying to get someone to cooperate with them. When Oedipus finds out from the messenger that the people he had thought were his parents actually are not, he is consumed by his need to know more. Even after Jocasta begs him not to continue, he summons the shepherd that the messenger had told him about. When the shepherd arrives, the messenger brings up the topic of the baby that had been given to him in the mountains. To this the shepherd replies: “No - / god’s sake, master, no more questions! (230, 1280).” Oedipus ignores this warning and says to him: “You’re a dead man if I have to ask again (230, 1281).” He was prepared to hurt an old man who was only trying to spare him from the truth, just because he wants to know the truth about his background. However, this truth is the undoing of Oedipus. The old man told him the truth as he did not want to be hurt, and this revelation causes Jocasta to commit suicide, and Oedipus to blind …show more content…
He lets his curiosity cloud his judgement, which leads to him finding out his true identity. He makes decisions based on his emotions without thinking of the consequences , and he then suffers because of them. Also, he lets his rage run wild and does not even try to control it, and it causes him to act in a violent and aggressive manner towards the other characters. Lack of emotional control is something that affects all of humanity, even in present times. Many people are overwhelmed and get stressed easily because of the daily events in their lives. This often leads to them taking it out on their friends and loved ones, and this can destroy relationships. If one does not learn how to make decisions using logic instead of emotion, they may find that there is no one left that wants to be a part of their