An Analysis of the play Oedipus the King
             There have been many tragedies written throughout history. Some of these tragedies depict a person avoiding an obvious truth in order to save themselves. This avoiding of the truth often leads to the person's demise. One way a person attempts to avoid these truths are by blinding themselves, mentally. This mental blinding of oneself is shown in the play Oedipus the King, by Sophocles. In this play, Oedipus seeks the killer of the former king of his land only to discover that he is the doer of this terrible deed. Throughout the play, Oedipus blinds himself from the truths that he cannot accept, until he is forced to see and so physically makes himself blind.
             Oedipus blinds himself from the fact that he killed a man on the road as he was traveling to Thebes. He does not want to remember this incident, because he sees it may be connected with the murder of Laius. After sending for the one survivor of Laius' murder, Oedipus says to Jocasta, " If I find his story the same as yours, I at least will be clear of this guilt." Jocasta has told him that "robbers" had killed Laius and Oedipus is one man. He is blinding himself from the obvious truth of what he has done by holding on to this glimmer of hope. Oedipus sees that he most definitely killed Laius but cannot handle this truth so he 'shuts his eyes' to the truth and creates for himself a story that he can accept. Oedipus is causing his own blindness in order to save himself.
             Oedipus blinds himself from the fact that Jocasta is his mother. He finds out that Merope and Polybus were not his parents and that he was given to them by a messenger, who received him from a shepherd. When Oedipus sees that Jocasta is becoming upset at the facts that he is learning, he again makes up a story for himself by saying "Keep up your hear Jocasta. Though I am proved a slave thrice slave, and though my mother is thrice slave,
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