However, once Oedipus allows himself to face the reality he was masked from so long, he is not prepared to face the terrible truth of his past and in an effort to be masked from the truth again he physically blinds himself. .
The story of Oedipus then continues as the blind man, who was exiled from Thebes, is lead by his loyal daughter Antigone to Athens and to his death in the next of Sophocles" three Theban plays, Oedipus at Colonus. This play delivers many messages in the same way, through the characters, through the plot and through the theme. As the lessons in the previous play were mainly based on the course of human lives, I believe that the lessons in Oedipus at Colonus are more on the general subject of human interactions and relationships and how these relationships make us react to each other. .
The first lesson in Oedipus at Colonus is that one should never judge another by rumors or by his appearance. When the people of Athens (the chorus) first see Oedipus they pity him and his daughter Antigone, who has lead him throughout the country since his exile from Thebes. However, when they discover Oedipus" true identity they are scandalized and would never consider him as a guest in their city. The King of Athens, Theseus, is very kind to Oedipus and Antigone and sees the truth with in Oedipus, when he explains that the horrific acts that Oedipus carried out were his fate and despite great efforts, he could not avoid them. In this story Oedipus is seen in many varying ways and at first, the people of Athens judge him by his state and appearance which works to his advantage; however, when they discover the terrible truth of his past, it is to his disadvantage that they judge him by rumors and what they see on the outside, Oedipus, King of Thebes, son of Laius who killed his father and married his mother. When Theseus looks beyond the rumors and his past, however he sees that Oedipus not only holds a promising future for Athens, but he also has pity for him, for he sees, as any wise man would, that Oedipus, as any other, was unable to escape his fate.
