Who lies to Oedipus and who tells him the truth? How do truth and lies help determine O's actions during his life? Who do you think is responsible for the tragedy of Oedipus? (Some candidates: the gods [Apollo], fate, Oedipus' hubris, Tiresias, Jocasta and Laius, the sphinx.)
Oedipus' story becomes tragic because of the lies he is told and his inability to understand his situation. When reading about a tragedy, whether it be a literary one like Oedipus or a real one, people seek to assign blame quickly. It is easier to understand something with only two sides, a good and a bad, an innocent and a guilty party. We decide whose fault the issue is and often forget to look deeper, at the motivations and intentions of everyone involved. Oedipus Rex is valuable because it is a reminder that life is rarely as simple as that.
ReplyDeleteMany characters could be blamed for the tragedy, Laius for attempting to thwart the prophecy, Jocasta for being blind to what she knows, Apollo for sending the plague, and of corse Oedipus for refusing to acknowledge his own destiny. Even though all these characters are trying to prevent the horrible prophecy from being fulfilled, it reveals that the cause of their misfortune is their lack of honesty. Both Oedipus' real and adopted parents lie to him, and it is because of this that he unable to avoid the prophecy. He even lies to himself, because as soon as he puts the puzzle together, he will have to face an incredible painful truth of what he has done to his parents. This also underline the importance of honesty, because while the truth may be painful at first, if it is covered up and not dealt with, than the consequences may be even more severe.
I totally agree with you, Leah Francis!! Oedipus' story really emphasizes how lies can eventually lead to tragic events, and those who lied will have to suffer the consequences. I especially agree with tragedies having to immediately pick who is at fault and who isn't, along with how life will never be simple as to finding who is responsible for any bad things that happen in life. There are many people to blame, but over all everyone contributed to the prophecy.
ReplyDeleteOedipus is lied to by multiple people in the story, Jocasta being a particular character who does. She doesn't necessarily lie to Oedipus, but instead she hides the truth from him, which in this case, is almost equivalent. Oedipus finds out about the truth regarding himself by two people, the messenger and then the shepherd. The messenger told him that the king who recently died is in fact, not his real father, the first truth he got. The second truth he received from the messenger was that he was given Oedipus as a baby from another shepherd. Lastly, the final truth Oedipus needed to find the real truth about himself came from the shepherd who confirmed that he found Oedipus and gave him to the messenger. All these truths and lies helped determine Oedipus' actions during his life because he wasn't aware that his prophecy was coming true, so he just thought about what was right for him, neglecting his fate.
ReplyDeleteAlthough more than one character could be blamed for the tragedy of Oedipus, his parents are to blame the most. Both his biological and non biological parents don't tell him the truth about who he is or even who his real parents are. Therefore, his real parents are to blame for ignoring the prophecy from the start and his adopted parents are to blame for not telling him that they aren't his real parents.
I really liked what you had to say about Oedipus' parents! Although our parents are not responsible for our actions as an adult, they do shape us, and educate us. Oedipus' parents, both biological and adopted, did him a great disservice by not telling him the circumstances of his birth. I believe we can make the the best decisions when we have all the facts available, and Oedipus did not have that.
DeleteI don't really think that anyone really lied to Oedipus, I think that he was just too oblivious to his past and the different signs leading to the truth. Although some characters seemed to know more of the truth, they just didn't really say anything about it in my perspective.
ReplyDeleteBecause the characters around Oedipus neglected to tell him the truth of his existence before killing his father, their negligence results in the prophecy being fulfilled. By not saying anything, the impact of the truth becomes even more visible to Oedipus once he finally realizes everything. There are many characters who share the blame in causing the tragedy of Oedipus, and overall i believe that everyone is at fault. All characters, including fate, resulted in this tragedy.
I can completely see where you're coming from and I totally agree. Everybody tried to stop the prophecy from being completed by ignoring it, but in the end it became more of a tragedy. Even though they weren't necessarily lying to Oedipus, everybody kept an important part of his life to themselves, which resulted in this tragedy. I also agree with how everybody had some kind of impact on this tragedy, but I also think some are more to blame than others.
DeleteThe outcome of Oedipus’ life isn't a product of lies, but the product of a truth. First of all there were two types of “truth” in this story: First the truth perceived true by a character and second the factual truth. Throughout his life, Oedipus was told information that was perceived true by the informants. No one necessarily lied to Oedipus. The main argument to this point is concerning the Ruler of Corinth, Oedipus’ adoptive father, he told Oedipus that he was his father and Oedipus was his son. This can be seen as a lie, but in reality it is pretty much the truth. Despite not being Oedipus biological father he still raised him, clothed him, and fed him like his actual son because to Polybus he was he was his son therefore to him he was his father. Just like Polybus everyone around him believed that this was true so all through Oedipus’ life he perceived the same.
ReplyDeleteDue to this the main factor of Oedipus downfall was the first time the factual truth was told. Which was told by a random drunk guy who states that Oedipus was not his fathers son. This statement, I believe, was the event that turned the wheels of fate. This event, happening by chance, is what rattles Oedipus to the point where he desires to seek out the less savory truth. Lastly I don’t believe the tragedy of Oedipus can be held by any one person. It is a product many factors that lead to his end.
I understand your POV and it is really persuasive, especially the part where you stated that Polybus clothed and raised Oedipus as a child. I did not think of that and now my opinion has structured somewhat into yours. I just can't accept why Polybus didn't come clean and tell Oedipus why he wasn't his true/natural father, I believed that it was somewhat of a lie because he kept the truth away from Oedipus, but all in all I respect your different perspective!
DeleteAs ironic as it might sound, the ones who Oedipus truly believed in were the ones who lied to him, and the ones who Oedipus thought were trying to deceive him turned out to be telling the truth. His so-called parents King Polybus and Queen Merope were not his true parents and they lied about it until he became aware of the harsh reality, as a result, Oedipus was oblivious to the fact that he married his real mother and killed his real father. In the event where Oedipus was learning his prophecy from Tiresias, Oedipus refused to believe Tiresias' accusations. Because of how impractical and insane the prophecy was, he accused Tiresias and Creon of conspiring against him and his high authority. As a result of the lies put upon Oedipus by Polybus and Merope, it made him believe that his flee stopped any sort of relations to his parents so his fate would not come true, when in reality, he actually stepped right into it. Not only did the harsh truth aggravate Oedipus but it also led him to the path of finding out the truth and all the inevitable pain that came along with it. Whom I think is responsible for the tragedy of Oedipus is his own self. Yes, many others like Merope, Polybus, Laius and Jocasta had significant roles in his tragedy, but Oedipus led himself to it because of the fact that he did not try his hardest in trying to avoid it, instead, he tried running away from it which ultimately failed. He should have steered clear of any relations with older women or killing men but no, he did both.
ReplyDeleteOedipus plays a major role in the story, but could it be that he was just a product of fate, influenced by the lies told by his parents that believed until the very end? Oedipus was strong willed and stubborn but only because these accusations tore at his core values and his very foundation as a person. He had no choice but to react the way he did because there is only one way for Oedipus to react.
Deletei totally agree with you! I too feel that because they hid the truth from him, he ended up angrily killing someone for no reason. In addition, I feel that because he ran away from his parents and became King of Thebes, it built his arrogance, which blocked him from truly seeing. I feel that the lies totally set him on his path to his downfall.
DeleteI definitely agree with the first half of your statement; irony was a fine example, and I found myself agreeing to everything to all your analysis and details.
DeleteHowever, I disagree with Oedipus' downfall being brought upon because of himself. To me, although his actions are prudent and inane, his end would have happened no matter what.
I already wrote this but I think that I wasn't signed in or something so I lost it. Hopefully this one makes the deadline instead. No one in the play lies to Oedipus except for his parents. Everyone in Thebes reacts and talks as close to their truths as they can get, the only instance of any fabrication is when Oedipus' parents tell him that he is there son and not adopted. That is why throughout the play Oedipus' denies all other possibilities, because any other circumstance would attack him as a person and destroy his personal beliefs, Oedipus merely reacted out of instinct when he did not heed the warning of others. It is because of this circumstance that no one is to blame but fate, fate that created the perfect situation in which each player would react perfectly and despite the best intentions of Oedipus, Jocasta, Teresias, and even Laius; the prophecy went on exactly as had been foretold. I apologize if this is rushed, I think my other draft was a lot better but I didn't realize it hadn't worked until 8:55
ReplyDeleteOedipus is surrounded by people who ultimately hide the truth and lie to him; those who tell him the truth are usually outsiders. His adoptive parents, King Polybos and Queen Merope, both hide the fact that Oedipus is an adopted child. When Oedipus hears that he is not his parent’s real son from a drunken man from a party, Oedipus confronts them about it; his parents deny it and call the drunken man a “slanderous fool”. Even the wife of Oedipus, Jocasta, is hiding the truth from him by choosing to be ignorant. She suspects that Oedipus is her child, but tries to convince Oedipus to forget solving the mystery of his birth and the murder of Laios; however, she fails to do so. Oedipus finally hears the truth about his identity from the shepherd that was one of Laios’ men and the messenger from Corinth.
ReplyDeleteBecause the prophecy is revealed to Oedipus before the truth about his parents can be, Oedipus ends up running away and fulfilling the prophecy. The effect of lying to Oedipus about his birth parents led to the death of Laois and his men. Originally, Oedipus was upset that he might kill his adoptive parents when he heard the gods’ message at Delphi. If he heard the prophecy, knowing that his parents in Corinth weren’t his birth parents, maybe Oedipus wouldn’t have rashly killed King Laois and his companions. In addition, since Jocasta didn’t reveal her suspicions to Oedipus, Oedipus continued to be oblivious to his identity. He kept on trying to solve the mysteries about himself and his connection to King Laois.
I believe that both fate and the gods are responsible for Oedipus’ tragedy. Yes, there are numerous factors that could have contributed to his fate, but it’s whether or not one believes that fate is a fixed factor in life. In Oedipus Rex, I think that fate is set from the start, seeing that the gods were angry at Laios and Jocasta for conceiving Oedipus, despite knowing that Oedipus is supposed to kill him and marry Jocasta. I feel that the gods felt that fate is set, and Laois was trying to defy his own, resulting in Oedipus’ tragedy. When Oedipus went to the shrine in Delphi, the gods didn’t answer his original question about his parents, but relayed the prophecy. Having a strong faith in the gods, Oedipus fully believed in that prophecy and did his best to avoid it, but ended up falling into fate’s hands. Basically the gods helped fate happen by telling Oedipus his prophecy.
Oedipus is surrounded by people who ultimately hide the truth and lie to him; those who tell him the truth are usually outsiders. His adoptive parents, King Polybos and Queen Merope, both hide the fact that Oedipus is an adopted child. When Oedipus hears that he is not his parent’s real son from a drunken man from a party, Oedipus confronts them about it; his parents deny it and call the drunken man a “slanderous fool”. Even the wife of Oedipus, Jocasta, is hiding the truth from him by choosing to be ignorant. She suspects that Oedipus is her child, but tries to convince Oedipus to forget solving the mystery of his birth and the murder of Laios; however, she fails to do so. Oedipus finally hears the truth about his identity from the shepherd that was one of Laios’ men and the messenger from Corinth.
ReplyDeleteBecause the prophecy is revealed to Oedipus before the truth about his parents can be, Oedipus ends up running away and fulfilling the prophecy. The effect of lying to Oedipus about his birth parents led to the death of Laois and his men. Originally, Oedipus was upset that he might kill his adoptive parents when he heard the gods’ message at Delphi. If he heard the prophecy, knowing that his parents in Corinth weren’t his birth parents, maybe Oedipus wouldn’t have rashly killed King Laois and his companions. In addition, since Jocasta didn’t reveal her suspicions to Oedipus, Oedipus continued to be oblivious to his identity. He kept on trying to solve the mysteries about himself and his connection to King Laois.
I believe that both fate and the gods are responsible for Oedipus’ tragedy. Yes, there are numerous factors that could have contributed to his fate, but it’s whether or not one believes that fate is a fixed factor in life. In Oedipus Rex, I think that fate is set from the start, seeing that the gods were angry at Laios and Jocasta for conceiving Oedipus, despite knowing that Oedipus is supposed to kill him and marry Jocasta. I feel that the gods felt that fate is set, and Laois was trying to defy his own, resulting in Oedipus’ tragedy. When Oedipus went to the shrine in Delphi, the gods didn’t answer his original question about his parents, but relayed the prophecy. Having a strong faith in the gods, Oedipus fully believed in that prophecy and did his best to avoid it, but ended up falling into fate’s hands. Basically the gods helped fate happen by telling Oedipus his prophecy.
I seriously agree with your opinion so much (this is my second response but it's true).
ReplyDeleteThere’s a saying that says “the truth hurts.” There’s something missing from that, “the truth hurts, and the lie kills.” As Teiresias, Kreon, and Jocasta were hinting the truth, they were getting hurt because they were trying to help, but Oedipus rejected that help because he couldn’t see that they were trying to help. He was blinded by this lie that he was this sinless king; that what they said wasn’t true. At the same time, this hurts Oedipus because it completely contradicts his goals to find the truth. And when he does find the truth, he realizes that he was just living this illusion that he was this sinless king, and that what Teiresias, Kreon, and Jocasta were saying was true. This was so overwhelming that Jocasta commits suicide and Oedipus goes back to Apollo’s mountain to die. In the context that “the greatest tragedies are the ones we inflict on ourselves,” Oedipus’s tragedy would be his own fault. However, I don’t believe that it was anyone’s fault, especially not Oedipus’s because the only reason he got to where he is, is because he thought he was doing right, and the same goes for all the other candidates. There is no fault in doing what you think is right.
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