Oedipus Vs King

A Greek play created by Sophocles around 335 BC, Oedipus the King tells a story about one man’s irony to find the previous’ king’s murderer to seek justice. Unfortunately, after much blame he put on others throughout the play, he only finds himself to be the killer. In this essay I explore how one major event can create multiple forms of conflict. The conflicts of Human vs. supernatural, the predestined fate of Oedipus and the gods. Human vs. human, when Oedipus heeds no warnings and stops at nothing to find the truth behind his identity. And lastly; human vs. self, where Oedipus’ curiosity only puts him in a fight amongst himself that he cannot win.

Human Vs Supernatural

Before the birth of Oedipus, an oracle

His extreme desire to uncover the truth about himself is what slowly caused his destruction. Oedipus in a way makes fun Tiresias being physically unable to harm anyone due to his lack of sight. He refers to Creon as being the one who put Teiresias up to this. Teiresias quickly responds “Creon is no hurt to you, but you are yourself”. Implying that the only one doing the harm to Oedipus is himself. Which more and more deep into the play you realize all along it has been fate and war against no one but Oedipus himself. Lesser has proven a good point saying “… The source of the resistance is not eternal – it is in Oedipus himself. From first to last he fights his own inquiry…” It seems as if everyone simply tries to warn him from thinking too far into pursuing the truth. Jocasta pleads with him to stop while he is ahead and search no deeper. However, his desire for the truth and what his life was before king caused him not to heed her

At one point Jocasta pleads with him “I beg you- do not hunt this out- I beg you, if you have any care for your own life. What I am suffering is enough”. In a way I believe here is where she is suffering from guilt keeping his real identity from him, whilst telling him to heed her warning and not dig any farther into the truth. In which he responds that he will not be persuaded and lose the chance of finding out who he really is.

In an analysis article by Stephen Lattimore, he expresses how he believes Jocasta knew of Oedipus’ identity much sooner than Oedipus himself. Lattimore mentions that” Jocasta realizes Oedipus’ true identity before he himself does; but she has always known that the baby was not killed outright” (107). I agree with was Lattimore says, simply because of a scene in which the messenger brings forth a message that Polybus has died. Jocasta takes the news to Oedipus’ in hopes that this will relieve him and possibly stop his search. Oedipus seems relieved that he did not kill his father, thinking it is senseless to fear the Pythian hearth when his father is now dead. However, he looks to Jocasta explaining how he still fears the other half of the prophecy that he should sleep with his mother. He explains to her that “All that you say would be said perfectly if she were dead; but since