Alsabahi, Firdous
Mrs. Clark
English
December 14, 2014
Oedipus the King
“There are two way’s to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.”- Soren Kierkegaard. Often in life people are put in that a have you blind to the truth. The truth and honesty are both powerful but they can harm a person as well. Many people like Oedipus the king would rather stay blind to the truth then to find out the horrid truth that you are destined to have a fate that ruins your family for many generations to come, and also harms your country which has occurred to Oedipus the great. The truth can be overwhelming at times it can ruin the relationships with family’s friends, and sometimes the town or community. People would rather stay bind to the truth because it can be painful. In Oedipus the Great by Sophocles the kings of thebe’s arrogance and “blindness” to the truth and others advice eventually lead to his tragic downfall as a king and leaves him visually impaired.
Oedipus is adamant to his own ways, “blind” to the fact that his actions and his actions alone will lead to his own banishment and death. While the people tell their kings of their troubles and how everyone is dying from a dieses Oedipus pontificates,” I know to well you all are sick, yet not one as sick as I. Your pain is single each to each, it does not breed, and mine is in treble anguish crying out.” (Sophocles 7). Oedipus is “blind” and arrogant he does not know that he has brought these dieses upon his kingdom. He is the very reason for the suffering of the people. All though Oedipus is not physically blind he is mentally. His people cry out that they are in pain and suffering and he does nothing in return. Oedipus was blind in more then one way.
He Was blind to the truth about his whole life. Oedipus had no idea that his real parents were Laius and Jocasta. He was so “blind” to the truth that he got mad at anyone who was foolish enough to even suggest such a crazy idea. His implacable attitude caused him not to see the truth. After the news that has Tiresias just delivered, Oedipus audaciously says “dear gods must I listen to this thing? Look it dawdles want… to wallow in perdition! does not turn in panic from home”(24). Oedipus disparages Tiresias in front of everyone calling him names such as an old blind fool. Little does Oedipus know that everything that the old blind fool has said is true. Oedipus has become ostentatious about deafting the sphinx and saving the city. Although Oedipus has saved the city from the sphinx he is now “blindingly “drowning the city with him.

Oedipus was also physically blind his tragedy was discovering the truth and becoming blind. Oedipus nervously says “it all to clear … my wife …I have passed into territories of fear, such