Who Is to Blame?

“My parents are really well intended, and I think their way of dealing with things is denial and guilt. Nobody wanted to talk about it. But all I did was blame myself.” This quote, said by actress Teri Hatcher about her own childhood relates to Oedipus’s situation from Oedipus Rex by Sophocles. Sophocles‘ Oedipus Rex tells the story of a monarch named Oedipus who becomes the unfortunate victim of circumstances beyond his control. In Oedipus Rex, Oedipus‘ downfall is not a result of excessive hubris or his actions, but rather his parents’ disgraceful actions and uncontrollable aspects of fate.

Oedipus’ parents actions and decisions are a major element in Oedipus’ tragic downfall. Before Oedipus is born, Laius and Jocasta, the sovereigns of Thebes, journey to the Oracle at Delphi and are told by the seer that their; “...newborn son would grow up to kill his father and marry his mother” (Oedipus 1). Laius and Jocasta, disturbed by this news and determined to prevent the prophecy from coming true, order their son, who becomes known as Oedipus, to be killed in an inhumane manner; “A spike was driven through baby Oedipus' ankles and he was left on the side of Mt. Cithaeron to die” (Oedipus 1). Even though Jocasta and Laius believed Oedipus was dead, he was raised by Polybus, the sovereign of Corinth and his wife Merope. Later in his life, Oedipus has doubts about his true identity and travels to the Oracle at Delphi, which was a shrine where many Greeks would go to learn about the future. The Oracle of Delphi does not answer his question directly but instead retells the prediction previously told to Laius and Jocasta. Oedipus, upset that he might kill Polybus, leaves Corinth, travels to Thebes (the place where he was born) ...

... middle of paper ...

...ipus to save his birth place, Thebes, from the tyranny of the Sphinx, kill his father, and ultimately to marry his mother. Oedipus deeply regrets killing his father, even though he didn’t know that the traveler was his Laius, and that he married his mother, even though he did not know that Jocasta was his mother. It was fate that caused these events to happen to Oedipus. Oedipus had the courage to atone for actions that he wasn’t responsible for by banishing himself and striking himself blind. Sometimes tragic figures become tragic figures through no fault of their own.

Works Cited

“Oedipus – Ancient Greece.” Ancient Greece – History, mythology, art, war, culture,

society, and architecture. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2011.

.

Sophocles. Oedipus Rex. 1906. Reprint. New York: Dover, 1991. Print.