Examining Guilt in the Story of Oedipus Rex
Examining Guilt in the Story of Oedipus Rex
First and foremost, one thing must be understood. The matter of Oedipus’s guilt is not whether or not he murdered his father and married his mother. These facts have been previously determined, as there is no evidence proving otherwise, and also as Oedipus himself admits guilt. What we are questioning in this matter is his culpability in his psychological downfall and of the tragic events that follow the initial crimes: Jocasta’s suicide, the Black Death, and Oedipus’s wretchedness. The defense will first look at the contribution of each possible suspect/witness, and then defend Oedipus’s case. Note: for the purposes of this case, we will take the case in the context of ancient Greece, and agree on the existence of many gods that rule the earth, and that prophets and oracles are reliable sources.
First to be questioned are Laius and Jocasta. This couple learned from an oracle that their son would murder Laius and marry Jocasta. They attempted to thwart the gods’ plans and take matters into their own hands by giving the child to a shepherd, demanding that he kill the baby. Their fault lies in their arrogance to think that they could avoid their future. They were trying to avoid the truth of their lives. Furthermore, it was Laius’ rash anger that made him hit Oedipus on that fateful day when their paths crossed, resulting in retaliation from Oedipus. Neither party could have known that the other was related to him. Therefore, Oedipus cannot be blamed for intentionally carrying out the prophecy of murdering Laius and causing the unhappiness that followed.
Next we look at the shepherd that was given Oedipus by Laius and Jocasta. He knew the reason that they wanted the child dead, but he chose to let him live. Feeling sorry for Oedipus, and not knowing the pain his life would later cause, he, too attempted to avoid fate by, first, hiding the truth of Oedipus’s origin and prophecy from the man he gave the child to, and also by disobeying the king and queen’s orders. He further hid the truth of Oedipus’s life by not letting anyone know that he had let him live.
Polybus and Merope never revealed that their son was really not theirs by birth. It must have come as even more of a shock to Oedipus that the people he thought were his parents were not....