Oedipus
Oedipus' Curse of CuriosityIn Oedipus the King Sophocles concocts one of the most famous and intricate characters of Greek drama. Oedipus' desire for self-discovery and understanding, which can be described as his tragic flaw, leads Oedipus to the lucid realization of his ominous fate. In the end, it can be seen that Oedipus' tragic flaw is his own determination and persistence. Contrary to Knox's belief that Oedipus' search for the truth is his only freedom or salvation, Oedipus unremitting need to know and his overbearing curiosity about his life traps him and leads to his demise.Oedipus's zealous curiosity is illustrated when Oedipus forces his prophet, Teiresias to reveal information that will lead to Oedipus' knowledge about the fate that awaits him. Initially, Oedipus unknowingly inquires about his own fate by asking Teiresias the identity of the murderer of King Laios. With the knowledge that Oedipus was the murderer of King Laios, Teiresias decides that it in his best interest, as a servant to his King, not to tell Oedipus the truth. After being asked who murdered King Laios, Teiresias responded, "How dreadful knowledge of the truth can be When there's no help in truth! I knew this well but made myself
Immediately upon learning the truth by failing to appreciate the advice of those people trying to protect him Oedipus realized "Ah God! It was true! All the prophecies!" (Sophocles 64)Knox believed that searching for the truth gave Oedipus his salvation. Oedipus seems unaffected by Teirsesias' warnings, and he proceeds with his questioning as if he did not even hear Teiresias. A stunned and frustrated Oedipus subsequently told one of his guards to "Come here, one of you; bind his arms behind him. At the end of Oedipus's search for the truth, instead of gaining salvation through truth, Oedipus gains misery. ------------------------------------------------------------------------**Bibliography**Oedipus the King, -Sophocles. Eventually, Teiresias reluctantly gives in to Oedipus's wish to know his own fate and Teiresias exclaims, "I say that you are the murder whom you seek. Oedipus becomes a tortured old man; he gouges out his own eyes because he can't bear the pain of living with the "truth" which he learned. Teiresias' attempts to warn Oedipus about the danger of answering Oedipus' question fails. Oedipus realizes that his children have to live with their !father's horrible actions and that they too will be cursed because of them. However, it seems Oedipus' misfortune happens in the first place because of his unending search for the truth, and that ignorance would have served as his salvation.
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