Oedipuss Innocence and Guilt - Essay Example

Oedipus The King Brief Synopsis The plot revolves around the actions taken by King Oedipus to avoid the prolonged scourge that the people of Thebes were going through, thanks to a curse. The citizens’ gifts to the gods in the form of branches wrapped in wool do little to save them from poverty and eventual death. The Chorus and the priests try their hands at calling on the gods Athena, Apollo and Artemis but still no answer. Thebes’s cries for help and need for a saviour reach the king, Oedipus, who dispatches his brother-in-law, Creon, to consult the Delphic oracle. Creon returns with a message from the oracle and insists on delivering the message in private to the king. Oedipus however, insists that he will hear the message in front of his citizens. The message is that the god Apollo through the oracle, demands that, for the curse to be lifted, the murderer of Laius must be found and brought to justice. Laius was the former king of Thebes before Oedipus. He was attacked and killed on a crossroad by thieves when on his way to consult an oracle. All, but one of his travelling companions survived the attack (3). Oedipus’s Innocence In determining whether Oedipus was guilty or not, one has to put into account information that was available to him at the time his alleged crimes were committed. A great portion of Oedipus’s innocence lies in his ignorance of his past and that of Thebes. Oedipus had attacked and killed a group of travellers at a crossroad sometime in the past. At the time, they did not seem significant and never did he think that this incidence would ever come up in the future. When he was a child, it was revealed to him, by an old man that he was adopted; furthermore he was told that he would kill his biological father and have carnal relations with his biological mother. What he did not know at the time that these individuals would be king Laius and his wife, Jocasta, respectively. There was some aspect of relief when news reached Thebes that his adoptive father had passed on. The relief was however, short lived since future investigations revealed that the man he killed at the crossroads was king Laius. In this aspect, Oedipus is innocent of both regicide – Killing a king- and patricide – Killing his father- because he had no idea who the man was at the time (30 - 35). Assassinating a leader was and still is a serious offence. Oedipus’s case however has two possible outcomes. First, if Oedipus attacked Laius’s travelling party first without being provoked, then, he is guilty of murder. Secondly, if Oedipus was attacked first By Laius, then this can only be viewed as a classic case of self-defence. Both these theories can be true depending on who among the two survived to tell the story. When Oedipus took over as king following Laius’s death, he also took up his widow, Jocasta, as his wife. Oedipus had a number of children by Jocasta as his wife. Knowing what has been mentioned above; this is an obvious case of incest. Oedipus is however, innocent of incest since neither he nor Jocasta had any idea that they were related in the remotest possible manner. When Oedipus realized that he had been having an incestuous relationship with his own biological mother, he punished himself very harshly by plucking out both his own eyes. His mother or wife consequently killed herself on learning that the son that she thought had been killed long ago, was the man whom she shared a bed with. Oedipus’s Guilt Oedipus’s guilt in one aspect seems to stem from hubris. He had previously gotten his peoples acclaim by saving them from the curse of the sphinx. Seeing a chance to emerge a hero yet again, he completely ignores all advice given to him. First, on lifting the curse of the sphinx, he was specifically warned not to investigate the murder of Laius. Instead he promises his citizens that he will investigate the murder and decrees a steep penalty for whoever is found guilty. Secondly, his pride comes in when he orders Creon to tell him the news from Apollo before his citizens despite Creon’s insistence of doing it in private (6 & 7). Third, he calls upon his blind prophet Teiresias for advice on how to handle Apollo’s terms. Teiresias insists that he (Oedipus) will not like what he will say and actually prefers to leave other than speak. The proud king again insists, to which Teiresias tells him that he is the one who is guilty of the murder of Laius (13 - 17). Bigotry reveals its ugly head when Oedipus responds with mockery towards Teiresias following his accusation of him being Laius’s murderer. Just because he did not concur with what he had to say, was not an excuse for the king to throw away his principles. Here he is guilty of bigotry. Thebes’s Treatment of Oedipus Just like mob psychology, does a nation judge its leaders? The truth is that it is both fair and unfair since both arguments make complete sense to whoever is carrying the motion at the time. The same comes out in the case of Oedipus and the citizens of Thebes. Despite the fact that Oedipus had saved his people from the curse of the sphinx, he still had to atone for killing their former king Laius. This happens without anyone blinking an eye to the fact that the same murdered king Laius had ordered Oedipus killed as a child. Similarly, Oedipus cannot be held accountable for participating in incest since he had no idea that his queen and the mother of his children was actually his biological mother. Being that he cursed the murderer of his predecessor and decreed that if found, the perpetrator should be banished, not knowing that he was actually curse himself, does not matter. This is a clear example of ignorance is no defence. Oedipus was also a victim of fates irony. However way he would have chosen to handle the situation that he had in Thebes, he still would have lost. His destiny and prophecy’s paths were intertwined and there was no escaping for him. Creon on the other hand could not overturn his predecessor’s decree to favour the particular situation. Oedipus had said that no one despite whom they were in the society would face the full extent of the law. In essence, Oedipus was treated fairly according to the law which he helped put in place. Work cited Storr F. Oedipus the King. “SOPHOCLES : Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonus and Antigone 1912” The Pennsylvania State University (2013): Web. 11 Nov. 2013 .Print. Read More