Oedipus The King: An Honorable Man

In most cultures killing another human is considered an act of severe moral consequences, for both the one who commits the murder and for society. Oedipus seems to be an honorable man and to discover he has inadvertently killed King Liaus, who also happened to be his long-lost father, would have surely placed the poor guy in a state of consternation. Sleeping with his mother, even inadvertently, I’m with Oedipus on that being an abomination, that would be hard to take. Again, Oedipus being an honorable man, both these acts and the suffering he has brought to his children and the city is an evil act.

In our society today I feel that, despite the ugliness we see, most people want to see the best In others and are willing to overlook and

excuse their actions which is kind, and I consider a notable achievement. To us, we look at Oedipus and say it’s not right, but he really didn’t’ know and his Father and Mother did abandon him when he was a baby and he was raised by a family he knew to be his in a whole other city-state. However, in the play, Oedipus is held accountable for his actions regardless of the fact he knew or not.

I don’t think Oedipus was the worst of men, he did seem to have faults, he was quick to violence, killing his father and his party, and he accuses Tiresias and Creon of plotting against him as he spirals downward. By the end of his play has lost his mind. Is he the worst of men? No, not really, but his search for the truth and his pride where his fatal flaw. Both Tiresias's and Jocasta at one point told him to forget the search but he couldn’t and the search and the truth eventually lead to his undoing.

I am sure this comparison has been made before, for me the plot of the play was like watching Jerry Springer, you know the people you see aren’t necessarily bad, but it is a train wreck with no good outcome, which is a Greek tragedy in a nutshell.