Oedipus the King 6

       In the reading from today's class, Oedipus finally realizes that his prophecy came true and that he did end up killing his father and marrying his mother. It took Oedipus a long time to come to this realization but after calling in the old shepherd who was said to remember Lauis' death, Oedipus found out that Jocasta and Lauis gave up their baby boy once Tiersias told them that their prophecy was that their son would grow up to murder Lauis and marry Jocasta. Oedipus' parents gave him to the messenger to leave to die but he didn't have the heart to do it. Instead, he gave Oedipus to another shepherd to kill but he couldn't do it either. Instead, Oedipus was adopted and as fate took its place, he ended up fulfilling his prophecy in the end.

       Now, Oedipus' only option is to leave Thebes and never speak to anyone again. He cursed himself and cannot commit suicide because he is a Greek hero, after all. On line 1306, Oedipus says, "O god- all come true, all burst to light! O light- now let me look my last on you! I stand revealed at last- cursed in my birth, cursed in my marriage, cursed in the lives I cut down with these hands!" Oedipus knows what lies ahead of him. He knows that he will become a blind beggar and now he has to accept his own fate.