Oedipus The King was originally written by Sophocles.
translated and introduced by Bernard Knox. The name Oedipus means swollen foot.
Comparatively speaking, Oedipus has about the same amount of brains as a foot. I.
think that King Oedipus is dumb primarily because of these reasons. He was.
irrational to accuse his brother Creon for treachery, he was constantly growing.
ignorant from his so called fate, and his last speech to his daughters was.
deffinately demoralizing.
Oedipus was irrational to accuse his brother Creon for treachery because his accusations were based upon hearsay and crystal clear assumption. Oedipus has left himself open and vulnerable to Creon. Oedipius has no proof, or anybody to back him up on his word. When Oedipus speaks to Tiresias about how Laius was killed, Tiresias then tells Oedipus of how he is danger. Oedipus then becomes irrational. He starts asking obscene questions. Oedipus asks tiresias, "Was it Creon, or you, who has invented this story?" Tiresias says, "It is not Creon who harms you-you harm yourself."(pg.26) Oedipus took the advice from Tiresias with a grain of salt, and continued with his ignorant belief about Creon. .
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Ignorance flows deep within Oedipus. His irrational thoughts are not only ignorant, but stupid. All throughout the play, Oedipus is constantly closed off to the fact that he very well may be a subject to the prophecy made from Apollo. He is constantly trying to find something, or anything to fuel his belief that he is not the son who kills his father, and falls in love with his mother. An example of Oedipus selling himself on how he is not a subject of the prophecy would be when he gossips with his wife jocasta and tells her, "So! Why then, Jocasta, should we study Apollo's oracle, or gaze at the birds screaming over our heads-those prophets who announced that I would kill my father? He's dead, buried, below ground. And here I am in Thebes-I did not put hand to sword.
