Oedipus the king 4
Oedipus the king 4"Oedipus the King" is a play that focused on discovering truths. The central conflict in "Oedipus the King" is a quest for truth, unequivocally, Oedipus's journey for the truth surrounding his birth. Although Oedipus pursues his journey for the truth with the anticipation that knowing the truth will allow things to be as they should, to be right, the play, from the very beginning, hints that Oedipus's anticipation of the truth is inaccurate. Rather than presenting truth in a positive light, "Oedipus the King" presents the truth as a dangerous force not to be reckoned with.
When Tiresias initially refuses to answer Oedipus's questions, at their first meeting, this demonstrates the dangerous nature surrounding the truth. Oedipus goes on to demand that Tiresias reveal what he knows about the murder of Laius, to "grudge us nothing now" ("Oedipus the King" 1. 352), Tiresias replies, "Just send me home. You bear your burdens, I'll bear mine. It's better that way, please believe me" ("Oedipus the King" 1. 364-366). The knowledge Tiresias is reluctant to reveal of Laius's murder has the potential to end the plague that has taken over the city of Thebes; however, Tiresias's refusal sends a message to the reader that it is better for Thebes to suffer than for the truth to surface. This leads Oedipus to believe that Tiresias is "bent on betraying us, destroying Thebes" ("Oedipus the King" 1. 377), ironically, this claim has an element of truth to it. In a...
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