Oedipus Rex by Sophocles

Oedipus Rex was the third "Great Book" in Hillsdale's online course Great Books 101. This play was much shorter. I read the whole thing in about 20 minutes. I really enjoyed this play. Oedipus' emotion and powerful reactions come through so clearly in the text. You can tell by his presence that he is not someone to be trifled with, yet at the same time, you suspect he is his own worst enemy.

Upon Oedipus' birth, there is a prophecy that he will murder his father and marry his mother. In order to negate this destiny, his parents leave him to die in a field. Eventually he is adopted and raised as the child of another set of parents, completely unaware of the situation of his birth. As an adult, the prophecy is repeated again. In order to foil this declaration, he runs away. While on the road, he meets a rich man, robs and murders him, meets a widow and marries her, and becomes King.

The story opens with the city under a plague. The oracle makes it known that the plague can only be lifted if the town punishes the man who killed his father and married his mother. Oedipus rashly declares he will make it his life mission to uncover the perpetrator.

Slowly he comes to realize that he is that man. With each dawning revelation, Oedipus sinks further and further into dismay and disbelief. His emotions are palpable. The reader can almost hear Oedipus saying to himself, "Oh, what have I done?" We can feel Oedipus begging for the tale not to be his own, yet the weight of the truth is crushing. Finally, when all is revealed, his wife kills herself. Oedipus destroys his own eyes, feeling no longer worthy to see; he who was so blind. He weeps for his children and their future.

Clearly the story introduces the role of fate. In an unresolvable, paradoxical way, knowing the future seems to be what caused it to happen. Yet at the same time, Oedipus is a picture of a rash man. He must act on the spur of the moment doing what seems best at the time. He kills a man and his party, yet we never get a sense that it was justified. He marries the widow without looking into how she became a widow. He boldly promises the harshest of punishments for the man accused of being the source of the plague without first looking into the facts of the story. He blinds himself and sentences his daughters to a life of misery assuming no one will want to marry them with their blighted parentage. He offers no comfort to his wife.

My heart broke as I read the story. It is a slow-motion train wreck. The weight and power of the emotions come through the ancient text in vivid colors. I cannot recommend it highly enough!

Discussion questions from the course:

1. What is the role of the chorus in Greek drama, and why is its role so important?
   The chorus plays multiple roles. They serve to fill in details in the story. They offer a chance to hear the thoughts of the characters. In addition, they play the role of the audience. They ask the questions the audience is or should be asking. They reflect the emotions the audience is feeling. Their role is an important way for the audience to become a part of and connect to the story.
2. How does the virtue of Oedipus lead to his tragic downfall?
   Oedipus is hamstrung by his promise. He must punish the man who brought the plague on his town, even if that man is himself. Even as he begins to suspect his own complicity, he must follow the story to the end. His honor and virtue demand it. Finally, as he realizes his own mental blindness, he physically blinds himself in an ultimate act of retribution. He does not stop his wife from killing herself and effectively ending their sinful marriage. His sense of justice demands nothing less.
3. Is it possible to reconcile the concept of free will with the seemingly inevitable outcome of the play?
   In an ironic way, had the original parents not known of the prophecy, none of this would have happened. So it seems as if the prophecy actually caused itself to be true. Is it possible that there is some other scenario in which Oedipus would have killed his father and married his mother if he had known their true identities but the prophecy had never been given. It's hard to imagine. Patricide was not uncommon in the ancient world, but to marry one's own mother was certainly considered depraved. So in a sense, the prophecy put the chain of events into action. However, Oedipus did not need to kill a random noble and his party on the road. He did not need to marry a widow. Once he heard the prophecy as an adult he could have decided to never kill or marry anyone, just in case. He thought by running away from his "parents" he had solved the dilemma. Did he even consult with his adopted parents? Would that have disabused him of the notion that leaving them was the answer? Even though Oedipus is clearly destined for a particular outcome as told by the prophecy, it was his free-will choices that brought it to pass.