Response paper to Oedipus the king - Essay Example

Response Paper to Oedipus the King The play about Oedipus the King is full of conflicting scenarios, and raises a number of weighty issues. Thebes has been plagued with a curse and to get rid of it, Thebes must find the killers of Laius. In the quest to find the killers, a number of issues emerge, which raise several questions. Oedipus finds out that he was the killer of Laius who happens to be his biological father. It also emerges that he married his own mother. Therefore, one may ask if he was destined to kill his father and marry his mother.

At first, he had sought to find the killer using any means. He subjects the citizens of Thebes to questioning regardless of their age and status in society. He specifically questions a blind prophet, a shepherd, and a messenger. He gets different narratives regarding how Laius was killed. After questioning one of the prophets, it becomes evident that the individual who killed Laius would sleep with his (Laius’) wife, Jocasta (Sophocles par 1). This story disturbs Oedipus greatly, forcing him to investigate the matter further.

Jocasta cautions him not to investigate the matter beyond what he already knows, but he ignores her pleas. Jocasta’s persistence against investigating the matter raises a number of issues. It is most likely that she knew Oedipus was her son. One may ask if she wanted to fulfill the prophecy or acted out of shear ignorance. If she knew what was going on, why did she let Oedipus suffer for things he hardly knew about? After further investigation, it turns out that he was the killer of Laius and that Jocasta was his mother.

From this scenario, it was not destined for Oedipus to kill his father and marry his mother. All these things happened without his knowledge (Sophocles par 1). If he had known that Laius was his father, he would not have initiated such an action. His action was fair, and the people to be blamed were Laius and Jocasta. They abandoned Oedipus at a tender age, and he grew up knowing neither his father nor his mother. However, this does not prevent Thebes from experiencing the plague. This is unfair to Oedipus because he was the killer.

Another issue in the play that is worth mentioning is: why does Oedipus have to suffer for crimes that he did not commit? The actual killing of Laius occurred when Oedipus was provoked and offended by a group of travellers. Oedipus killed Laius in self-defense. When one is faced with such a situation, reasonably, there is no option other than to defend oneself. It is not fair to hold Oedipus accountable for the curse that has befallen Thebes because he acted in self-defense. Although his action was extreme, the people of Thebes should not have been subject to the curse; he should have been judged alone.

As stated earlier, Oedipus did all things unknowingly and lived ignorant of his background. However, he should have sought to know Jocasta’s background before marrying her. This way he could have, with some hope, avoided what was prophesied. Works CitedSophocles. Oedipus the King. Translated by Storr, F. Harvard University Press. Cambridge. N.d. Web. 10 June 2012. http://www.ancient-mythology.com/greek/oedipus_rex.php