Free Example of Oedipus and His Marriage Essay

When people watch a movie or read a book they often think they would act more reasonably than the hero would. It is easy to estimate actions of other people, even if they are heroes of very old tales, such as Oedipus the King by Sophocles.

If someone who hears the tale of Oedipus says, “Oedipus should still have known better and not married!”, it would be hard to disagree. But the things are not as easy as they look.

Before his birth, Oedipus was destined to kill his father and to marry his mother. “I should mate with mine own mother”, Oedipus said, so he left Corinth and his home, where he had been living in luxury, to prevent the prophecy. (Sophocles). When Oedipus killed King Laius and married his widow Queen Jocasta of Thebes, he did not know that cruel gods had played a trick on him. “My sire was Polybus of Corinth, and My mother Merope, a Dorian” (Sophocles), this is what Oedipus believed by that time.

Being aware of the prophecy, Oedipus should have investigated before his marriage whether Jocasta could be his mother. But that investigation had a very small chance to be completed so quickly. As it can be noticed, everybody wanted to hide the truth from Oedipus - Tiresias and Jocasta as well as Corinthian messenger and, finally, the old shepherd who knew both the secret of Oedipus’ birth and the secret of the death of his father. Oedipus moved forward the investigation, he said to Tiresias, “Since come it must, thy duty is to tell me” (Sophocles). But all people around him tried to dissuade him from further search.

Some people believe that everything in life depends on fate; others think people create their destiny themselves. But it is always worth to search for truth. Finally, maybe too late, Oedipus found the truth - a harmful truth, but still better than a lie. That was the best he could do in his situation.