Ricky L. Tsui

ENG OA1 -01

27 September 1999

The play Oedipus Rex, written by Sophocles, tells a horrendous tale about one man's quest for the truth. In the play, King Oedipus was burdened with the task of finding his predecessor's murderer so that order may be restored to his kingdom. While his conscious mind was seeking the murderer, his unconscious mind was retarding his progress in order to conceal the truth. Tiresias, prophesies the truth to Oedipus, but Oedipus's unconscious mind would not hear it. Thus, when the awful truth is finally revealed, Oedipus is overwhelmed by it. This causes the physical and emotional wounds that would last him a lifetime. A supplementary piece of literature, Tiresias by Tennyson, was written to complement this play. In Tennyson's poem, he told about a man who was touched by the Gods, when he reached the point of enlightenment in his life; this man is Tiresias. Through the study of Tennyson's Tiresias, one can better understand the play Oedipus Rex, Oedipus the character and one's self.

In Tiresias, the narrator speaks about his desire to be like his friend Fitz. The perception of Fitz given by Tennyson is that he was a very spiritual man touched by the Gods. Tennyson's first attempt to be like Fitz was to become a vegetarian:

And once for ten long weeks I tried
Your table of Pythagoras,
And seem'd at first "a thing enskied,"
As Shakespeare has it, airy-light
To float above the ways of men,
Then fell from that half-spiritual height

Chill'd, till I tasted flesh again
One night when the earth was winter-black,
And all the heavens flash'd in frost;
And on me, half-asleep, came back
That wholesome heat the blood had lost,
And set me climbing icy capes . . . (Tennyson, 14-25)

The imagery used describes Tennyson's dreadful experience as he aspires to be like his friend Fitz. As one can see, Tennyson's experience proves that he is unready to be as 'enlightened' as his friend. To be 'enlightened' one must be physically and mentally ready, most importantly the person must be touched by the Gods. Without being blessed by the Gods, one is limited to how far one can go on the path of enlightenment. This is similar to the prologue of Oedipus Rex. In the prologue, the kingdom of Thebes is described as: "... tossed on a murdering sea and can not lift her head from the death surge. ... Death alone battens upon the misery of Thebes." (Sophocles, 716) The similarities between the two prologues imply that Oedipus is unready to rule Thebes. In Oedipus Rex, Oedipus was not blessed by the Gods to take the throne of Thebes; thus his success as a king was cursed since the prologue. This example proves that one will not be successful in a higher state of being if one is not blessed by the Gods, regardless of how hard one tries to achieve this higher state being. This is an essential point to the understanding of Oedipus. As a man untouched by the Gods, Oedipus is blinded from the truth and remains a man bounded by the flesh.

In scene I of Oedipus Rex, Oedipus is confronted with the truth prophesied to him by Tiresias. Tiresias's prophesy was that Oedipus is the murderer he has been seeking. Oedipus's initial reaction to this accusation was that of disbelief, then anger as Tiresias continued his accusations. Kreon told Oedipus that the murderers of Laos were a band of highwaymen, but in response Oedipus said, "Strange, that a highwayman should be so daring- unless some faction here bribed him to do it." (Sophocles, 718). Subconsciously, Oedipus knew that Tiresias's prophesy was true when he used the singular word form of 'highwaymen'. This proves that Oedipus's conscious mind blinded him of the truth, which indicates that Oedipus was very much of the flesh and was unready for his title. Similarly, when Tennyson recalls his younger days he speaks about how he wishes that he could have such insight when he was young; but like Oedipus, he was blinded by the ways of man.

" . . . but made me yearn / For larger glimpses of that more than man / . . . Yet loves and hates with mortal hates and loves, / And moves unseen among the ways of men." (Tennyson, 17-23) This emphasizes that Oedipus must mature to a state of readiness in order for the truth to be revealed to him. Thus in scenes two and three, Oedipus is gradually convinced of the truth. The rhythmic rhetorical process of question and answers found throughout the duration scene two and three compels Oedipus to mature quickly toward the truth.

Scene IV of Oedipus Rex is the serendipitous moment where the truth is finally revealed to Oedipus's conscious mind. The truth was realized by Oedipus when he said, "Ah God! It was true! All the prophecies! -Now, O Light, may I look on you for the last time! I, Oedipus, Oedipus, damned in his birth, in his marriage damned, Damned in the blood he shed with is his own hand!" (Sophocles, 747) This feeling of damnation is echoed in Tennyson's poem when he said, "And angers of the Gods for the evil done / And expiation lack'd -no power on Fate / . . . For blood, for war, whose issue was their doom, . . ." (Tennyson 60-65) Strong emotions are often affiliated with a moment of enlightenment. The feeling of anger is common, this is often because the person being enlightened is usually not quite ready for the truth, thus they are angered at the Gods for bringing this fate upon them.

When all is done, the enlightened man must retire from the ways of man and of the flesh. Tennyson speaks of this eternal rest as "Remembering all the golden hours / Now silent, and so many dead, / And him the last; and laying flowers, / This wreath, above his honor'd head, / . . . May prove as peaceful as his own." (Tennyson, 202-207) Likewise, Choragos ode to Oedipus describes a fate similar to that of Tennyson's. "Let every man in mankind's frailty consider his last day; and let none presume on his good fortune until he find life, at his death, a memory without pain." (Sophocles, 757) This imagery of peace and serenity causes one to strive for such enlightenment.

After an extensive examination of both works, one's understanding of Oedipus Rex the play, Oedipus the character, and one's self is heightened. One can better understand how Tiresias, Oedipus, and one's self are bound to the ways of the flesh. One also understands that in order to break free from the ways of man, one must reach enlightenment which is done when one is touched by the Gods.

Sophocles. "Oedipus Rex." Elements of Literature. Ed. Robert Scholes, Nancy R. Comley, Carl H. Klaus, and David Staines. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1990. 714-757.

Tennyson. "Tiresias." ENGOA1 Handout.