Oedipus the King by Sophocles – The Tragedy of Blind Wisdom

Oedipus the King by Sophocles – The Tragedy of Blind Wisdom

By a.d. elliott | Take the Back Roads - Art and Other Odd Adventures

Dear Henry,

Book Seven of the Bucket List Book Adventure, Oedipus the King by Sophocles, is done, and it remains one of the most piercing stories ever written about truth and fate.

Sophocles was born around 496 BC in Hippeios Colonus near Athens. The son of a wealthy armorer, he was educated, served as a soldier and statesman, and lived through both the Persian and Peloponnesian Wars. He won his first dramatic victory in 468 BC, defeating Aeschylus, and over the course of his lifetime, wrote more than 120 plays, though only seven survive. Of them, Oedipus the King is the most famous (Dr. Freud saw to that).

“Alas, how terrible is wisdom when it brings no profit to the wise.” – Sophocles, Oedipus the King

The play opens in Thebes. Oedipus, who became king after solving the riddle of the Sphinx, faces a city ravaged by plague. Seeking answers, he consults the oracle and is told the curse will end only when the murderer of King Laius is found and punished.

Oedipus summons the prophet Tiresias, who tells him bluntly that he himself is the murderer. Oedipus rejects the accusation and turns to his wife, Jocasta, for comfort. She tries to reassure him, saying that prophecies cannot be trusted; after all, it was once foretold that Laius would be killed by his son, yet the infant had been abandoned to die.

“If you think obstinacy without wisdom a valuable possession, you are wrong.” – Sophocles, Oedipus the King

The pieces begin to fall into place. Laius was killed at a crossroads by a stranger, and Oedipus remembers killing a man in just such a place years ago. When a messenger arrives to announce the death of Oedipus’s supposed father, Polybus, he also reveals that Polybus was not his real parent at all. A shepherd is brought forward, and the truth is laid bare: Oedipus is the son of Laius and Jocasta.

Jocasta, realizing the horror, takes her own life. Oedipus blinds himself with the pins of her robe and exiles himself from Thebes, the very city he had once saved.

“To throw away an honest friend is, as it were, to throw your life away.” – Sophocles, Oedipus the King

 The plague is lifted, but the moral disease of hubris remains. Oedipus’s tragedy lies not in his crimes, committed unknowingly, but in his unshakable belief that he could outthink fate. Each step he took to avoid the prophecy brought him closer to fulfilling it.

It’s a terrible reminder that wisdom without humility is a dangerous thing and that the gods have a way of turning our cleverness against us.

Next up is Oedipus at Colonus, where the blind king seeks peace after a lifetime of punishment. I’ll let you know how it ends.

xoxo,

a.d. elliott

*Note* The Bucket List Book Adventure continues on Rite of Fancy — my literary corner of the Take the Back Roads journey. Come read more reflections on philosophy, faith, and the books that shape the road.

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a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller living in Salem, Virginia. 

In addition to her travel writings at www.takethebackroads.com, you can also read her book reviews at www.riteoffancy.com and US military biographies at www.everydaypatriot.com

Her online photography gallery can be found at shop.takethebackroads.com

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