A family that somehow ended up with an even more screwed up family tree. And we thought Oedipus was bad......

Fate versus Human Will

The true beginning of the story starts when Jocasta gives baby Oedipus to a shepherd to go kill. Her husband, Laius, had an ill-fated prophecy that stated that he would be killed by his very own son. Jocasta tries to have the baby killed to prevent such a fate. The shepherd, however, can't find it within himself to kill the baby and instead gives him away. Baby Oedipus then begins life as a prince of Corinth. Oedipus eventually finds a drunken man who tell him that he was not birthed by Queen Merope. He then finds it necessary to go to the oracle at Delphi to find out the truth about his parents. He is answered with a disturbing prophecy that stated he will kill his father and sleep with his mother. Oedipus was afraid of this actually happening and ran to Thebes where he solves the sphinx's riddle and becomes king. On his way to Thebes he kills a group of men he met at a crossroad out of anger. One of those men was King Laius, his real father. As king of Thebes, he also had a bunch of kids with his wife, Jocasta, who was also his mother.

This entire scenario shows that regardless of how much you struggle, fate will always overpower human will. Jocasta could not change her husband's destiny and Oedipus could not change his. In Oedipus' case, he found himself not running away from his fate, but straight into it. Jocasta could only prolong her husband's life. The shepherd is the factor that kept each fate true. He was also the only one who could shed the most light on Oedipus' problem.

Everybody thank the shepherd for keeping fate rolling!

Tying Up Loose Ends

Creon finds Oedipus outside his castle. He forgave Oedipus for his previous accusations and requested that he go inside so that he would not make himself a public mockery. (It wouldn't have mattered anyway because I was already there.)  Oedipus thanks Creon for his grace, but requests to be exiled and brought to the mountains. Creon agrees, but tells Oedipus that every detail must be approved by the gods. Oedipus embraces exile. He tells Creon that his sons are old enough to take care of themselves, but he requests that he take care of his two daughters whom he requests to "see" before his departure.

He tells his girls that he is sorry for the shame he has brought them. He apologized that they will be exiled and mistreated because of his doing. He apologized that nobody will want to marry them. Creon breaks up the reunion and decided that Oedipus has shamed himself enough. His daughters were sent away and Oedipus taken to the mountains.


"Oedipus, greatest of men, has fallen, they say, and so all life is miserable, and only death can bring peace." ~ quoted from Oedipus Rex. 

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How Fun it is to See a King Fall:

Oedipus ran up to his bedroom door cursing himself and Jocasta. The door is locked. As he sobs he burst down the door only to find Jocasta swinging left and right. Her body swaying in the slight breeze of the room. She was hanging by a rope-crafted noose that slightly began to borrow into her neck. She was cold and dead. Oedipus burst into tears and embraced her. He then took the pins that held her robes together and pierced his eyes. He repeatedly stabbed his eyes as he wept. His blood splattered and oozed down his face and hands. He is now blind just as he was blind to the truth. He began his walk outside.

Oedipus is showing how loyal of a king he truly is. He is punishing himself not only because he's ashamed, but because the people depend on it. He's strong, but there could be some controversy as to wether or not he still holds ant honor. Is the the solution to his problems? Would you have done this? Has Oedipus gone crazy? As always, there is a comment box waiting for you.

The Awful Truth

The truth has finally been told! The shepherd Oedipus was looking for to tell him his family heritage just so happened to be the same shepherd that survived the crossroad attack with Laius. Oedipus asks the newly found shepherd who gave him the baby that was given to the messenger. The shepherd acted as if he had no idea what Oedipus was talking about. Oedipus grew angry and threatened the shepherd with torture. He told him to speak honestly and quickly. The shepherd finally spoke truth and told Oedipus that he received the baby from the house of Laius. He told Oedipus that the baby was given to him by Jocasta and that the baby was to be killed because of a prophecy that the child will someday kill Laius. Oedipus ponders about the new information for only a matter of seconds when he realizes what has happened. He screamed and ran inside claiming that he now knew the truth.

The puzzle has finally come together! We now know that Oedipus is a cold-blooded murder who just so happened to have no idea what crime he had committed. We also know that Oedipus is extremely younger than Jocasta. Young enough to be her son. Oh wait! He is here son! This means that not only is Jocasta a cougar, but Oedipus and Jocasta have done an extremely nasty thing. This all means that Jocasta is Oedipus' mother and wife, making Creon Oedipus' brother-in-law and uncle, and making Oedipus the brother of his own kids! Isn't royalty wonderful? How do you feel about this? There is this extremely fascinating comment box that's just itching for your opinions.

The Messenger

A messenger from Corinth arrived at the castle. He speaks of the death of Polybus. Jocasta immediately exclaimed that that was wonderful news. This means the prophecy was incorrect and Oedipus was safe. Oedipus rejoices but is still worried about the second part of his prophecy. There is no way he wants to sleep with his mother. The messenger tells Oedipus that he need not worry for Polybus and Merope are not his true parents. He explains that he found Oedipus on Mount Cithaeron with his legs pinned. He gave Oedipus his name (Oedipus means swollen ankles) and he still walks with the limp he had as an infant. Oedipus asked the messenger who left him in the woods alone. The messenger stated that he received Oedipus from another shepherd. Oedipus decides he wants to find his parents so that he can know the true identity of his birth. Jocasta jumps up and tells him not to. There is no reason to know and she tells him to abandon his search. Oedipus throws aside Jocasta's concern as a snobbish fear that he may not have actually been of noble birth and insists on finding the shepherd. Jocasta flees back inside the castle upset.

We now know that Oedipus is arrogant and hard headed. We also know that he isn't of noble birth. It's comment time. Feel free to ask your own questions this time and to express your opinions. Is Oedipus and arrogant jerk?

Flashback

Oedipus tells Jocasta that he may have been Laius' murderer. He tells Jocasta that when he was once the prince of Corinth he heard a drunk man tell him that his father was not his actual kin. Hearing this, Oedipus went to Delphi to seek answers. The oracle did not give him the answers he searched for, but it told him a horrid prophecy. The prophecy stated that Oedipus will one day kill his father and sleep with his very own mother. He fled his home and came to the crossroads where Laius was killed. There, he was harassed by a group of highwaymen that he killed out of anger. Jocasta reminds him that even if the prophecy was true, Laius' son was killed years ago. She also reminds him that there were multiple men involved. Oedipus decides that the only way to know for sure is to call upon the only survivor of the attack on Laius.

Oedipus is finally realizing that he has another riddle to solve. It's good to know that he hasn't completely lost his mind yet. It's insane that he thinks he killed Laius. There were multiple killers according to Creon and Jocasta. Why is Oedipus so stressed? What do you think? Is Oedipus the killer? Is Polybus actually Oedipus' father? Do these stories connect? There's a comment box waiting for your answers.