Word Count: 677The play “” is a very full and lively one to saythe least. Everything a reader could ask for is included in thisplay. There is excitement, suspense, happiness, sorrow, andmuch more. Truth is the main theme of the play. Oedipuscannot accept the truth as it comes to him or even where itcomes from. He is blinded in his own life, trying to ignore thetruth of his life. Oedipus will find out that truth is truth, it isrock solid.
The story is mainly about a young man named Oedipus whois trying to find out more knowledge than he can handle. Thestory starts off by telling us that Oedipus has seen his moira,his fate, and finds out that in the future he will end up killinghis father and marrying his mother. Thinking that his motherand father were Polybos and Merope, the only parents heknew, he ran away from home and went far away so hecould change his fate and not end up harming his family.
Oedipus will later find out that he cannot change fatebecause he has no control over it, only the God’s can controlwhat happens. Oedipus is a very healthy person with a strong willed mindwho will never give up until he gets what he wants.
Unfortunately, in this story these will not be good trait tohave. Oedipus goes on with his journey not knowing aboutwhat he is going to do next. Oedipus runs into some peopleat a crossing on this journey and quarrels with them to theredeath. After this, he goes along to a city named Thebeswhere he outsmarted a beast that was cursing the city. Hereceived praise and joy. While gaining the trust of all thatlived there he quickly became King of Thebes. The peopleloved him because he was such a great leader. He was sucha great king because he had a lot of love for his people andwould do anything in his power to make them happy. As aresult of this, Oedipus finds out that the city is in troubleunless the killer of their late king is found and punished. Littledoes Oedipus know that he is the killer of their late King orthat the King was actually his father. Oedipus will strive forawnsers even though he has been warned not to dig to deep,for he will regret it. Being the stubborn person that he was,he forced everyone to tell what they knew about the Kingsdeath. Forcing and forcing more, the King found out allabout his childhood. He ended up with different parents afterhis mother abandoned him at birth because of the Oraclethat they received telling them that there son would end upkilling his father, which he did anyway. Oedipus’s mother hasthe same blindness that he has, she thinks that she canchange fate. Oedipus was found to be guilty of killing the late King, alsohis father. His mother, now his wife, was proof that youcannot change fate no matter what you do. In disgust,Oedipus physically blinded himself so he can never see whathe has done again and banishes himself from civilizationforever.
Sophocles uses the word blindness in many different ways.
He makes it a big part of the play. It is ironic that a blindperson can see the future and the real meaning of life whileOedipus only sees what he wants to see and blinds himselfmentally of what he does not want to see. Oedipus is a manignorant to the true appearance of things. Towards the end of the play things change for him.
Everything is too clear of what the truth is and he shows thathe is a coward by trying to avoid his fate once more byblinding himself physically. “Oedipus Rex” was one of the greatest plays ever written.
The major themes in the play were outstanding and it makesyou think about truth and how important and strong it reallyis. The way Sophocles uses the word blind in the story madeit worth while. Piecing it all together made the play a lotmore interesting than most other plays. “The truth will setyou free” is a famous saying that Oedipus should have notlistened to and should have not looked for.
