Oedipus: The Danger of Knowledge
Sophocles' play, Oedipus the King demonstrates the importance of knowledge and the respect it deserves. While Oedipus a man that is revered for his knowledge, he becomes a man that must learn about knowledge in a painful way. Oedipus learns many things other than his heritage; he learns that self-knowledge comes with a price. In discovering things about himself, he also learns about the world around him and those in it. He learns that he does not know everything - especially when it comes to other people. Those who tried to convince him to stop looking for the truth are the ones he pushed away. He also learns that he can be wrong. Oedipus also learns that he can only blame himself for everything that has occurred. This is perhaps the most painful thing about himself that he must learn. No one likes knowing that they are responsible for the suffering of those they love and for their own suffering and the extreme measures that Oedipus takes demonstrate the severity of this kind of knowledge. Oedipus learns many things on his journey; the most important thing he learns is that knowledge can be fatal. Oedipus' journey to self-knowledge includes other people and his perceptions of them. Creon, Tireseus, and Jocasta are
Sophocles' play, Oedipus the King is a play about knowledge - the pursuit of it, the need for it, and the result of receiving it. The most striking aspect of Oedipus' journey is that he is not a dumb man. His realization drives him to a point of madness from which he can never recover. He rose to greatness because of his ability to figure things out and makes things work where they were once broken. Oedipus is a proud man and he never thinks that the truth can hurt him. Oedipus learns that knowledge is not always good. He must learn that he is not above the laws of nature and, unfortunately, he must do it the difficult way. Oedipus finally realizes this and he has no one to blame for the calamity but himself. In his last moments, Oedipus realizes how much everyone tried to prevent him from discovering the truth. He learns the value of fate and how it is inextricably tied to human nature. This is correct, and nobody puts it in words better than Oedipus himself when he admits, "I did it all myself!" (693). He learns that he is not as wise as he thinks and he learns that some things are better let alone. After realizing the truth behind his birth, Oedipus asks wheat he can now say to Creon, since he "wronged him so, just now, in every way" (696).
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Acceptance Essays
