Death And Suffering In Oedipus The King

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A multitude of people including Oedipus perceive death as having a negative connotation. People fail to recognize that death is a joyous occasion. It is not until one is dead that they are relieved from their suffering. Throughout Oedipus the King death is both feared and avoided, but death should be viewed for what it is- a release from suffering. Oedipus’s misperceptions about death cause his prolonged suffering. Similar to how Oedipus is unable to see the horrors unfolding before him, he is incapable of comprehending death. It becomes evident throughout the play that Oedipus views death as a source of punishment and suffering. Often in the play Oedipus utilizes death as a tool to threaten others in order to get what he wants. For example Oedipus threatens the herdsman with death after he refuses to do what Oedipus wants, “You’re a dead man if I ask you again.” These instances indicate that Oedipus does not view death as a release from suffering, but a continuation of suffering. Oedipus’s inability to see death as a release from suffering causes him to have great fear surrounding his own death. Following the realization that it is King …show more content…
There is physical suffering and emotional suffering. For Oedipus his physical and emotional suffering begins the moment he exits the womb. The oracle that Oedipus was fated to fulfill causes his father to attempt infanticide by tying his piercing his feet and abandoning him in the woods. A shepherd in the woods rescued Oedipus, “I loosed you; the tendons of your feet were pierced and fettered”(55). Due to the physical trauma to his ankles as a baby, Oedipus still physically suffers as he walks with a limp due to his feet being abused. Similarly, the catalyst for Oedipus’s emotional suffering is also the heinous oracle. Oedipus’s status as a tragic character results in him subjecting himself to greater physical and emotional

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