Sophocles’ Oedipus the King and the Human Condition Essay

Sophocles’ Oedipus the King and the Human Condition Oedipus is living in a dream from which he is only just beginning to awake. In this dream, he not only believes that he is in control of his own fate but that he is in control of his own identity. He assumes that he has three virtues: wisdom, reason, and self-control. When he attempts to use these virtues, however, he discovers that he is mistaken on all three counts. His first mistake is believing that he is wise. From this wisdom he hopes to maintain control over the events around him, but true wisdom is actually surrendering to the fact that control is an illusion, a seeming. His second mistake is believing that he is a rational man. Indeed, Oedipus has great cognitive†¦show more content†¦He, not Teresias, can see what is good and what is bad, who is innocent and who is guilty, which is the correct answer and which answer contradicts itself. Of course, all of these beliefs will come to haunt Oedipus. In arguing with Teresias, Oedipus claims that the truth has no strength / for you because you are blind in mind and ears / as well as in your eyes . . . [unlike] me or any other who sees the light (26). Oedipus believes that his powers of insight will lead him to the truth and guide him down the correct path, but in fact, he is like a man who studies the ground so intensely right in front of him that he never bothers to look up. The actions that he thought were good will turn out to be bad. He professes his innocence only to discover his guilt. And, in what might be the greatest piece of irony, his cleverness and insight lead him to a contradictory truth—that he, with all his intelligence, is a fool. Oedipus has spent a lifetime looking out, garnishing cognitive power and insight, but now it is time for Oedipus to look inward. We are all blind to the truth until we have the strength to blind ourselves, to start over by seeing the world in whole new way. Oedipus is blind, not only in mind, but also in ears. He has proven himself to be a man who can listen carefully, but when he becomes angry he cannot hear anyone’s views but his own. His ability to reason, his second great virtue, falls victim to hisShow MoreRelatedThe Riddle Of The Sphinx : How Oedipus Was Destroyed By Knowledge1364 Words   |  6 PagesRiddle of the Sphinx: How Oedipus was Destroyed by Knowledge Tiresias the prophet questions the value of pursuing knowledge and Oedipus angrily respond to his questions: OEDIPUS. Thou lov st to speak in riddles and dark words. TEIRESIAS. In reading riddles who so skilled as thou? OEDIPUS. Twit me with that wherein my greatness lies. TEIRESIAS. And yet this very greatness proved thy bane (Sophocles 439-442). 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