Oedipus Rex Essay

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Alexis Alicia DeWitt 15 October 2012 Cuevas 6 Oedipus Rex Literary Analysis Ignorance is Bliss: Why Ruin it? Sophocles once said, “Ignorant men don’t know what good they hold in their hands until they’ve flung it away.” All through history many hard working people fall due to ignorance. Oedipus Rex, a play written by Sophocles, is about a man born with a cursed life. Oedipus, the main character, was born with a wretched, lugubrious fate such as; marrying his mother and slaughtering his father. Oedipus’ parents, Jocasta and Laius, sent Oedipus to die because of his fate. Oedipus survived and later save the city of Thebes from the sphinx. Oedipus is later found married to the queen of Thebes and is now trying to find out who killed the previous king, Laius. Regarding ignorance, Sophocles seems to say that ignorance can be anyones down fall. The first example is that Oedipus’ anger helps show how ignorant Oedipus is and how he even makes false accusations towards others. Oedipus sent Creon to find the city’s seer, Tiresias, and Oedipus then asked Tiresias who killed the previous king. Tiresias would not give Oedipus a valid answer and Oedipus grew angry. “Indeed, since I am so angry, I’ll pass over none/ of what I understand. Know that I think/ you, too, had your hand in this deed and did it,/ even though you did not kill with your own hands./ But if you could see, I would think the deed yours alone” (l. 364-368). Oedipus is lead by his anger and he does not overlook anyone, including Tiresias. Oedipus’ frustration allows the emotion of anger to take over his mind and he could not shake off this emotional state. Frustration can easily fuel someone’s anger and in this case it fueled Oedipus’. Anger always beckons the darkness to come near and most of the time ignorance is used in a dark situation. Oedipus and Tiresias continue to repeatedly throw insults at

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