Oedipus Essay

The story of Oedipus is full of the tension between knowledge and ignorance. As readers go through the story, they are aware of some of the events that will happen as the plot unfolds. However, they are unable to influence what happens. They know of the fate of Oedipus as declared in prophesy. Damnation awaits the hero, but there is a sense of residual hope that fate can be deceived in this particular instance. The ignorance displayed by Oedipus only serves to increase the tension in the story. It is best captured in the scene where Oedipus forces the shepherd, who saved him, to tell him the truth about his life. The dawning of the truth has the effect of reducing this tension.
Oedipus’s life reveals that he is an intelligent man. He can deal with the sphinx’s hold on his city by answering its riddle. His interaction with the sphinx depicts a man who is intuitive and clever. However, his intelligence is dampened by his ignorance of the obvious things in his life. As the story proceeds, one cannot help but be astonished at how blind Oedipus is to the truth. It is until he is confronted in public by a drunken man that he finally begins to question his true origins. His ignorance is also reflected in his disdain to Tiresias’s warnings. However, towards the end of the story, Oedipus is revealed to be a person who has matured and learned to embrace his fate. His speech is filled with understanding of the role of fate in his life. He is appreciative of the relationships he has around him and generally accepts what has become of his life. Such a posture is evidence of his wisdom and maturity.