In what ways do individuals derive strength from struggle, or alternatively, allow struggle to overcome them?
From the start of Sophocles' Oedipus the King, it is apparent that the play's titular character has not been dealt with a great hand of cards. Not only is the man forced to look on as his city decays thanks to an onset of plague, he cannot even oblige their desperate requests for aid. In a cruel twist of fate, his situation worsens upon the realization that he has both murdered his father, Laius, and is currently wed to his mother, Jocasta. With this burdensome knowledge, in addition to the withering state of his city, Oedipus finds himself too tormented to do anything but succumb to struggle.
Oedipus is initially known for his feet, a physical feature so prominent that he was named for their wounds. However, by the play's end, Sophocles has ensured that his starring character will not be remembered for his feet alone. It is in a fit of disbelief and guilt that Oedipus finds his wife and mother has taken her life, further provoking the residual instability he feels after realizing his actions. Overwhelmed by remorse, the king takes his mother's brooches, stabbing his eyes until they are mutilated to the point of blindness.
By no means do I expect Oedipus to have done otherwise upon discovering that his life has been filled with falsities. Quite the opposite, I feel he is justified in allowing his struggle to overtake him. Rather than acting out towards his people, Oedipus acts against himself, a relatively noble decision when one considers the fact that he stabbed his eyeballs into Jell-O with his dead wife/mother's fine jewelry. While he is indeed overcome by his struggle, Oedipus is at peace with the fact, willing to banish himself from his city as punishment for his actions, despite the ignorance surrounding them. As a product of his struggle,Oedipus will live out his days in solitude, giving him a chance to wallow in guilt and sorrow for his fateful actions, forever blinded to the strength that, had he acted towards the prophecy differently, could have very well saved him.
Oedipus is initially known for his feet, a physical feature so prominent that he was named for their wounds. However, by the play's end, Sophocles has ensured that his starring character will not be remembered for his feet alone. It is in a fit of disbelief and guilt that Oedipus finds his wife and mother has taken her life, further provoking the residual instability he feels after realizing his actions. Overwhelmed by remorse, the king takes his mother's brooches, stabbing his eyes until they are mutilated to the point of blindness.
By no means do I expect Oedipus to have done otherwise upon discovering that his life has been filled with falsities. Quite the opposite, I feel he is justified in allowing his struggle to overtake him. Rather than acting out towards his people, Oedipus acts against himself, a relatively noble decision when one considers the fact that he stabbed his eyeballs into Jell-O with his dead wife/mother's fine jewelry. While he is indeed overcome by his struggle, Oedipus is at peace with the fact, willing to banish himself from his city as punishment for his actions, despite the ignorance surrounding them. As a product of his struggle,Oedipus will live out his days in solitude, giving him a chance to wallow in guilt and sorrow for his fateful actions, forever blinded to the strength that, had he acted towards the prophecy differently, could have very well saved him.
