“The plot of Oedipus Rex is a search for knowledge and its climax is a recognition of truth.” Substantiate the statement.
Introduction
Sophocles’s ‘Oedipus Rex’ deals with the discovery by Oedipus and Jocasta of the sins they have unwittingly committed. The tragedy lies in the revelation of the guilt that is dramatic. It is towards the revelation of the guilt that the development of the play has been moving. If Oedipus and Jocasta had remained ignorant of the sins committed by them till the natural end of their lives, there would have been no tragedy. Sophocles shows his dramatic skill in choosing as the theme of his play, the circumstances leading to the discovery, the sins themselves being shown as having occurred in the past.
Oedipus Towards Knowledge
The play opens with the Theban citizens, led by their priest, describing their misfortunes to their king, Oedipus, who, however, is already aware of their sufferings. Creon arrives with a message from the Oracle that the murderer of Laius must be found and banished from the city. In this way the subject of the drama and the situation from which it starts are presented to us. In the announcement of the punishment for the murderer are the seeds of Oedipus’s insistence of his own banishment from Thebes at the end of the play.
The clash between Oedipus and Tiresias is highly dramatic. It is natural for Oedipus to summon the prophet in order to get from him a clue to the identity of the murderer. Tiresias, an well-known prophet, is reputed to possess powers of divination, and Creon has advised Oedipus to send for the prophet, the advice being presently reinforced by the chorus. Tiresias, of course, knows who the murderer is, but he would not like to disclose the shocking fact to Oedipus. He therefore evades Oedipus’s question with the result that Oedipus misunderstands the whole situation, flies into a rage, and accuses Tiresias and Creon of having hatched a conspiracy against him. Tiresias loses his temper also, with the result that hot words ensure between the two men, and the prophet openly names Oedipus as the murderer. We find Oedipus to be hot-tempered, rash, hasty in inferences, suspicious, arbitrary, and moving towards tyranny. In any case the clash between the king and the prophet takes the story one step further towards ultimate discovery.
The scene with Creon emphasises the contrast between the mild and moderate Creon and the rash and autocratic Oedipus. Oedipus pays no heed to Creon’s defence of himself and sentences Creon to death or at least to banishment. The hubris of which Oedipus is guilty, is further emphasized in the scene. This suggests Oedipus’s obstinacy without wisdom.
The accusations of Tiresias have deeply disturbed the mind of Oedipus. Jocasta tries to soothe her husband’s feelings by saying that no man possesses the secret of divination. The tragic irony of Jocasta’s advice to Oedipus here is noteworthy; the evidence which she cites to support her view of the falseness of the Oracles is precisely the evidence which, without her knowing it, supports the truth of Oracles. At the same time, Oedipus gives Jocasta an account of his own early life before his arrival in Thebes and his marriage with her. Oedipus is feeling more and more troubled by doubts and his apprehensions have begun to trouble Jocasta’s mind also. The scene with Jocasta thus carries the story further towards the discovery.
The next development in the plot is arrival of the Corinthian messenger. When the messenger reveals the circumstances in which he himself handed over Oedipus as an infant to Polybus, the real identity of Oedipus as her own flashes upon the mind of Jocasta and she turns white with terror. Her only anxiety now is that Oedipus should be spread the knowledge of his own identity. But Oedipus is determined, now more than ever, to know his parentage. The arrival of the Theban shepard leads to the final discovery in the play. This is the supreme moment of the tragedy in the play. The Theban shepard tries his outmost to keep back the information which would have been a stunning effect on Oedipus, but Oedipus forces the Theban shepard to come out with the truth. When the truth comes out, it is most agonizing moment of Oedipus’s life. This moment marks the climax of the play. This is the most painful moment for the audience also. Oedipus had tried his outmost to prevent the fulfilment of the Oracle’s prophecy, but he had failed. Circumstances and, to some extent, his own temperament had gone against him and he had committed the very sins which he had tried to avoid.
Conclusion
The tragedy lies in Oedipus’s discovery of his guilt, and this tragedy he has himself brought about. Thus it is a result of Oedipus’s efforts to punish the murderer of Lauis and to find out his own parentage that Oedipus learns the truth; and the truth is appealing for him and for us.
————————-
Related Question
“The tragedy of Oedipus lies in his knowledge of the guilt rather than the guilt itself.” Do you agree? Give reasons.
Hello! I'm Golam Mortuja is here to share with you my own creative English study materials from pre-primary level to master's and higher English competitive level for your betterment in English language and literature. So, stay updated.
Read all Othello MCQ to test your knowledge. Othello is one of famous Shakespearean tragedies based on the main theme of racial prejudice and jealousy ...
