Often, people like to turn to their surroundings for an explanation of their behavior. Regardless, this is another way for them to ignore their own mistakes. The circumstances are no different in the story of Oedipus Rex. After receiving a disturbing prophecy promising the marriage of his mother and the murder of his father, Oedipus runs away from home. He finds success in Thebes, but soon learns that to save the city, he must uncover the murderer of the late King Laius. Thus begins the saga of Oedipus’ quest for truth. But, upon realization that the prophecy has been fulfilled, Oedipus sees his world as it is. Many think of Oedipus’ doom as fate. However, Oedipus’ own personality, attitudes, and actions were the cause of his downfall.
Oedipus’ …show more content…
He was inclined to turn the blame against everyone else. These actions stemmed from ignorance and Tiresias, the blind prophet, noticed right away. It becomes clear that Oedipus “‘sees not into what misery [he] has fallen, / Nor where [he] lives nor with whom [he] mates,’” (Sophocles and Storr 426-428). This proves a problem, letting Oedipus trod between scenes without an impending sense of worry or healthy dose of caution. To make matters worse, Oedipus not only lacks knowledge of the underlying set, but is also oblivious to his own oblivion. Such a position opened the gates for many of his actions, resulting in neglect for the warnings he inherited. Oedipus was so far from the correct answer that he was the last to understand Jocasta’s. He could not comprehend her wishes for him to stop his search and brushed it off as “‘her pride of ancestry,’” (Sophocles and Storr 1074). Oedipus remained thick headed, and as the plot began to twist, it went unnoticed by him. He paid no attention to the reactions of those around him, nor the implications that they spoke of. His inability to heed the signs drove him to learn what he had never wished to know, and thus, steered him to his
Oedipus’ …show more content…
He was inclined to turn the blame against everyone else. These actions stemmed from ignorance and Tiresias, the blind prophet, noticed right away. It becomes clear that Oedipus “‘sees not into what misery [he] has fallen, / Nor where [he] lives nor with whom [he] mates,’” (Sophocles and Storr 426-428). This proves a problem, letting Oedipus trod between scenes without an impending sense of worry or healthy dose of caution. To make matters worse, Oedipus not only lacks knowledge of the underlying set, but is also oblivious to his own oblivion. Such a position opened the gates for many of his actions, resulting in neglect for the warnings he inherited. Oedipus was so far from the correct answer that he was the last to understand Jocasta’s. He could not comprehend her wishes for him to stop his search and brushed it off as “‘her pride of ancestry,’” (Sophocles and Storr 1074). Oedipus remained thick headed, and as the plot began to twist, it went unnoticed by him. He paid no attention to the reactions of those around him, nor the implications that they spoke of. His inability to heed the signs drove him to learn what he had never wished to know, and thus, steered him to his