Lies In Oedipus The King

In the play Oedipus the King by Sophocles, Oedipus does not know it but he has been living a lie. Imagine waking up to find out everything you have accepted to be true is false. This is exactly what happens to Oedipus as he leaves his home of Corinth in order to escape the prophecy set by the Delphic Oracle. While on his journey, he comes to realize that his life has been a lie from the start and he questions everything he has become. Although Oedipus wants to discover his true self, acceptance of the truth does not come easy. Upon arriving at Thebes, Oedipus finds out that King Laius has been murdered and he promises to punish the person who has killed him. As Oedipus searches for the killer, he learns that King Laius has been killed at the three crossroads. It is here that Oedipus begins to question himself, as he previously killed someone at the same spot but he ignores the nagging feeling that something is wrong and continues to look for the killer. Eventually a

The child the herdsman had given away “...was called [Laius’]; child.” (Line 1171) and the herdsmen further explains that “...his wife [can]tell [him] best how it all was.” (Line 1171) Not only has the herdsman confirmed that King Laius was indeed Oedipus’ father, but he tells Oedipus, in not so many words, that he has married his mother. Now Oedipus must face the ugliest of realities that he has committed incest with his mother. Incest is one of the worst things a human can do as it replaces roles in the family and there is a good chance that the children born through incest will have a physical mutation which can continue to be passed along through their own children. Oedipus has fulfilled the second half of the prophecy. Oedipus cannot believe what he has done, and he is not able to handle to truth of who he has become. Oedipus rips out his eyes as he can no longer look at himself. He has seen too much and cannot accept what he has