These last couple days in class we have been reading Oedipus, a greek tragical play. As I was reading my line as Creon (beautifully I might add), a couple of thoughts crossed my mind that I would like share and open up for discussion. First of all, let's put ourselves in the shoe's of some of Oedipus' situations. Imagine you have just finished putting all of the puzzle pieces together from the king's murder and discover you are the actual killer! But wait, you then go on to realize that he is your real dad, which sucks. But then, to top it off, you realize you were totally having relations with your mom. What ramifications could THAT have on a person's mental stability? If I were Oedipus I think instead of going through with the promise to kill the betrayer, I would simply flee from the kingdom. I know it sounds cowardly but think about it: killing yourself would hurt.
Another thought I had has to do more with the Shepard. It is interesting to me that he would lie about the murder scene and claim that it was a band of men who killed them and not a single man. I couldn't help but wonder to myself whose reputation he was trying to protect. The king was already dead and it's not like the shepard actually had a reputation to begin with, considering he probably played a minor role in the kingdom. I suppose the only explanation is that he though he'd protect the reputation of the entire kingdom. Still, it all seems very strange to me.
Considering we just finished Hamlet, I'll discuss that as well, the ending of the play to be more specific. One thing that seem very odd to me was not a major factor, but it involved Fortinbras. Clearly, he had come to the palace, from Poland, in order to seize control. However, when he comes into the main area and everyone is dead, he undergoes a major mood change. He goes from wanting to invade the kingdom to wanting to honor the deaths of all of the characters, specifically Hamlet. Should he even care if he's going to invade the place? I sure don't think so.
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I wonder if the shepard put together the pieces that oedipus was the baby he gave away. He would then realize he was fufilling his oracle to kill his father and marry his mother. I wonder if he was trying to cover up his own actions of not properly disposing of oedipus as a baby by lying about the murder and then fleeing the city.
ReplyDeleteIs it the same shepard? I thought that the lone survivor and the person who gave Oedipus away were two different people?
ReplyDeleteIf it was the same person then that would make perfect sense to lie about the "brigand" that attacked them, as sophie said, to cover up for himself. He would have been incredibly scared after he realized what he had done and what the King might do to him for helping the Oracle come true
I think the shepherd lied because he didn't want to admit that they had been defeated by a single man. It would have been embarrassing for him. Also, he didn't want the people to know that the king and his guards were all killed by a single man. The king's guards were probably the strongest men in the city. If one man could defeat them, then it wasn't a good sign Thebes.
ReplyDeleteIn response to your first point, if it were me I would have run away as well, but then again, I would also have to think about the people of the kingdom and the plague that I (Oedipus) brought upon it. If running away didn't stop the plague, then there are three solutions. One, be cowardly and stay hidden for the rest of my life, all the while hearing stories of the weak king that damned the city to save himself. Two, commit suicide and then hope that no one thinks ill of having a king that caused so much pain to others only to take the easy way out. Three, stay as king and hope nobody notices. Any of these choices are a little shaky, and there are many problems that arise either way, but as Oedipus, I would probably do the same thing because at that moment anyone would feel incredibly unstable and hypocritical (because he searched for the killer while he was one), which would no doubt drive me insane and end up in suicide. Overall, yes, killing yourself would hurt, but knowing all the pain that you had caused others would hurt for even longer.
ReplyDeleteIn response to the lone survivor lying, I think he covered up the truth for several reasons. The survivor could have been trying to keep intact the King's reputation. Even though King passed away, I think the survivor wanted to save the King's honor. Also, it was better to lie because the King's death would have been an embarrassment to the entire City of Thebes. Thinking about it, it truly would be pathetic if one man killed all the guards and the leader of a city, because aren't his guards supposed to be elite and the best? The survivor made a good decision in lying.
ReplyDeleteYou're right, killing yourself would hurt, but as you said, your mental capacity isn't really top notch after all Oedipus has been through. His belief that his only option is to mutilate himself stems, at least partially, from the fact that everything he thought he knew about the world has been shattered and that he is, for all intents and purposes, insane at this point.
ReplyDeletei'm very dumb
ReplyDeleteIn response to your comment about Fortinbras, I think it makes sense for him to honor the dead royalty. As was mentioned earlier in "Hamlet," the people of Denmark especially loved Hamlet. It would be a lot easier for Fortinbras to take over and control Denmark if he showed the proper respect to the dead royalty. Otherwise, in addition to his already bad image, he would have a reputation of disrespect, which could cause uprisings among the people of Denmark.
ReplyDeleteIn your confusion about the shepard, I think that he did that so his kindom didn't look like they were weak and could be overtaken but just one single man. Even though he did have a small part in the kingdom and the king was dead, he still is corrilated to those people.
ReplyDeleteKarissa Beilke
ReplyDeleteAbout how Oedipus chose punished himself, I don't think he was looking for the easy way out. It seemed to me as though he wanted to suffer because it would portray how truly sorry (for lack of a better word) he was to the city. Blinding himself was his way of apologizing publicly to the people for his actions.