Out Of Control In Sophocles Oedipus The King

Some things are out of our control, like not learning something as quickly as other people do, our health, the way we look, or how wealthy the family we’re born into happens to be. But no one’s life was more out of his control than Oedipus’. In Sophocles’ play Oedipus the King, Oedipus knows of the terrible plague that has been put on Thebes, so he sends Creon his brother-in-law, to get Apollo’s help. Creon tells Oedipus that the plague will be lifted if the Laius’ murderer, is killed. Oedipus then summons Tiresias, a blind prophet. Tiresias accuses Oedipus himself of killing Laius. Oedipus angrily rejects the Tiresias’ accusations and orders him to leave, but not before Tiresias mentions an incestual marriage and a future of blindness and disgrace. Jocasta tells him to not believe prophesies, explaining how a prophet told her once that Laius, the former king, and her husband, would die at the hands of their son and how she would marry him as well. The prophecy did not come true because the baby, according to Jocasta, was abandoned and died, and Laius was killed at a crossroads by a group of robbers. Oedipus begins to feel anxious

Oedipus is respected for his clear-sightedness and quick understanding of situations. For instance, he solved the Sphinx's riddle. During the play, clear vision is used many times as a metaphor for knowledge and insight. Ironically Oedipus is blind to the truth. This is made clear when Tiresias, a blind prophet can plainly see the horror that is Oedipus' life. Tiresias is literally blind, but Oedipus's eyes work fine, however, the unfortunate king fails to see the dreadful fate that he has. Tiresias says to Oedipus, “I say that you and your most dearly loved are wrapped together in a hideous sin, blind to the horror of it.”(Sophocles 21). To this Oedipus responds with, “You think you can go on blabbering unscathed?”. This shows how Oedipus clearly can not see the truth and is living in