Oedipus the King Essay Example

Oedipus the King Essay Example Oedipus the King Essay Oedipus the King Essay When given a prophecy, most accept it and live their lives accordingly. From day one everyone did all possible to prove Oedipus’s prophesy wrong, and did all possible to prevent it. Oedipus left his family in route for a new fresh life. Oedipus was naive in disregarding his prophecy, proving that the human race is sheltered from what they see and what they chose to believe. Despite knowing of his prophecy since birth, Oedipus lives his life naive of his foreshadowed destiny. Though countless hints and warnings, Oedipus continues to see past the truth of his prophecy, and only believes what benefits him directly. Oedipus summoned Teiresia to come to Thebes, to help Oedipus solve the mystery of Laius, but ends up setting himself up for his own demise. Teiresia tries to evade telling Oedipus who was responsible, but found himself unable. Though Oedipus knew of his fate and was being told of his past, he still was horrified that someone could accuse him of such a crime. Oedipus was unable to see the reality of this situation; instead he created his own fantasy about prevailing situation. By moving away from his, or what he though was his, family, Oedipus thought he was debunking his prophecy and fate. Feeling so mighty in saving the city and dodging his fate, Oedipus actually made himself small and blind and imperceptive, to what a real man would see and accept. But by, attempting to prove his innocence he actually bought about his own fall. Jocasta to gives Oedipus hints to his true past, but because he is unable to comprehend anything but his idea of the truth, he continues his search of the murderer. Oedipus brings on his own demise by being blinded to what everyone is clearly drawing for him. He is not ready to accept fate or his role in the murder, for he is still in a sense blind to reality. Oedipus, fearing he has murdered a king and his own father, suddenly begins to put the puzzle pieces together, revealing that he indeed murdered his father, Laius. Gorging his eyeballs out and blinding himself was the only way for Oedipus to have a clear vision of reality. Oedipus could not grasp sleeping with his wife and mother, fathering his children and siblings, and murdering his father and king; therefore he had to abandon his resurrected â€Å"life†. Oedipus begged Creon to â€Å"Get rid of me quickly. Deport me To some empty waste land†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Finally excepting his fate, Oedipus wants to go into the mountains where he can die, as he was supposed to do. By blinding himself to the truth for so long, he made it impossible for Jocasta to live, and his children to live normally. By being naive to his fate, Oedipus not only found his demise but compromised the life of the three closest to him. This shows the human race’s refusal to believe anything that would hinder there well being. Oedipus felt superior to the gods, to the oracles, and to fate leading to him overall failure. By being blind, to all that is not rationally seen, we close our minds to the world. Oedipus lived his life closed minded to any thought other than his successful avoidance of his prophecy, therefore missing all the clues that led him straight to it. When we close our minds to anything out of the ordinary, or any thought unlike the desired belief, we create a jaded and fictional reality. If Oedipus had initially accepted his fate, or listened to the truth of Laius’s death, he would have saved the life of his wife and the humility of his two children. Being naive to what is destined to happen causes Oedipus to be blind to what was made very obvious to him. Ironically, he needed to be blinded to see and understand what was so clearly drawn out in front of him.