Essay about oedipus rex

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Anthony Conrad
Professor Meravy
English 112
February 15, 2014
He should have been more careful.
In Sophocles’ Oedipus the king.
“You pray to the gods? Let me grant your prayers.” (1131) Oedipus exclaims to the chorus as if addressing the entire city of Thebes, and showing off his arrogance. By this point in the play Oedipus has already taken over the city of Thebes as king, and the chorus has been pleading with Apollo about how they are going to rid themselves of this plague, through Creon Apollo has is instructed them “drive the corruption from the land, don’t harbor it any longer, past all cure, don’t nurse it in your soil-root it out!” (1128). After setting a curse on anyone who has information about the murder of King Laius and does not come forward, Oedipus seeks out the help of a blind prophet, Tiresias.
Oedipus thinks highly of Tiresias because upon first meeting Tiresias, Oedipus had great confidence in him calling him the “master of all mysteries of our life” (1134). Oedipus begs Tiresias to share what mystical knowledge he has of the situation, but Tiresias refuses “I’d rather not cause pain for you or me” (1134) knowing that this truth he has to share can cause hurt to everyone in the kingdom. As the interaction between them continues, Oedipus grows frustrated with Tiresias’s steady denial to share information, and, finally, Tiresias tells Oedipus, “I say you are the murderer you hunt” (1135). Oedipus asks Tiresias if he thinks he can get away with this accusation, because it seems outrageous that the king of a land would be responsible for its downfall and a tremendous plague. Oedipus asks Tiresias “you think you can keep this up and never suffer?”(1135). Tiresias replies, “indeed, if the truth has any power” (1135), which it does. Because Tiresias is not punished. Instead, Tiresias goes on to warn Oedipus that the truth he has just learned is not the worst fate to come, but there is more that is sure to doom him “No man will ever be rooted from the earth as brutally as you”(1137). Finally before leaving Tiresias reveals the identity or the murderer of King Laius by saying,
“He will soon be revealed a native Theban but he will take no joy in the revelation. Blind who now has eyes, beggar who is now rich, he will grope his way toward foreign soil, a stick tapping before him step by step.”(1138)
By the end of the play this proves to be the true fate of Oedipus going blind and becoming exiled from his land having to grope his way and use a walking stick to get around obstacles because he no longer has eyes to see.
Oedipus is ignorant to Tiresias’ forewarning, and by the time Oedipus has sent for
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