Wu 1
Derek Wu
Professor Hyo Kim
English 212
25, February 2013
Open to Interpretation: Plato’s Apology & Sophocles’ Oedipus the King Interpretation of human reality in many eyes can be viewed in numerous, if not countless number of ways. In Plato’s Apology and Sophocles’ Oedipus the King both text are intensely concerned with how human reality seems open to interpretation, and their concerns caused a threat to be overcome in both readings. In both readings their suggested responses is similar to the concerns of the threat of open to interpretation. The Apology, written by Plato, illustrates the argument Socrates gives at his trial in Athens. Socrates is giving his defense of not in favor of believing in the gods and corrupting the youth. In making his defense, Socrates will respond to two kinds of accusations. The first one is referred to as the older or more ancient accusation and the second one is the current charge being made by Meletus, and other civilians who are currently at the trial. They accused him of being a sophist, someone that provides wisdom for a fee. Socrates advises the jurors that the statement is false; he enlightens others for the sole purpose to make everyone aware of their lack of knowledge. Socrates informs the jurors how he achieved this reputation. He claims that his childhood friend, Chaerophon, went to an Oracle of Delphi and inquired if there was someone wiser than Socrates and the oracle said “there is no man wiser” (561). Socrates couldn't accept
Wu 2 the Oracle's words since he knows for a fact that he doesn't own this wisdom. Socrates then went on a mission to decipher the paradox and to clarify the meaning of the Oracles words by interrogating others that were wise. By questioning others, this earned him a reputation of being a "busybody" and caused many people to dislike him. Socrates opening move was to call on Meletus, his main accuser, and interrogates him. Socrates does not even pretend to have an interest in identifying the source of Meletus' views. Throughout a discussion with Meletus, he explains that Meletus has not deliberated out the accusation against him. "Meletus is a wrongdoer, because he jokes in earnest, lightly involving people in a lawsuit, pretending to be zealous and concerned about things or which he never cared at all" (563). The whole time, Socrates torments Meletus, disrespects him and pushes him to reply more promptly. When their arguments arrive at their conclusion, Socrates leaves off questioning Meletus overall, and responds to his questions for himself. In his second defense, Socrates conveys that he does not possess wisdom and that makes him wise according to the Oracle at Delphi. This intended to demonstrate to the jurors that he too believes in the gods. And states god is the only one that is wise. Socrates states that, “but the fact is, gentlemen, it is likely that the god is really wise” (563). By stating this, Socrates claims he is ignorance in which he stated that he knew he knew nothing and it is god that knows everything. Socrates is aware of his lack of knowledge and tried to assist others to understand that their knowledge was only partial. He spoke with poets and asked about the meaning of their work. He found the poets were not able to transmit the meaning. Socrates stated that poets composed not by wisdom, “but by nature and because they were inspired, like the prophets and givers of
Wu 3 oracles; for these also say many fine things, but know none of the things they say” (562). Socrates also was examining a politician founded wise by others but ended up as ignorant. "They believed themselves to be the wisest of men in often things in which they were not wise" (562). Socrates journey to discover a wiser man than he made him many enemies. Socrates was able to conclude that they all considered they knew a lot but truthfully did not; this demonstrated their lack of true knowledge. Socrates was different from these people since he discovered that he did not possess true wisdom which he believed was self-knowledge. This is evident when Socrates quotes the oracle, “This one of you, O human beings, is wisest, who, like Socrates, recognizes that he is in truth of no account in respect to wisdom” (563). Despite his defense, Socrates still ended up with the death penalty. Socrates was persistently on a search for wisdom and by getting the death penalty he wasn’t upset at the juror’s decision since he believed that, “the unexamined life is not worth living for man” (574). Socrates didn’t have a whole understanding of knowledge, but if death can provide these answers by questioning Minos, Rhadamanthus, Aeacus, and other sons of God in the metaphysical realm he would die again and again (574). Socrates says he is ignorance shows deep wisdom that cannot be achieved by many. Socrates comprehends that what he knew did not have real value. From this he knows what he knows is limited and the only real knowledge knows you know nothing. Countless believe real knowledge is only facts and what the eye can see, however, Socrates suggests that knowledge is only partial and we should never stop questioning to seek truth. Wu 4
Oedipus the King, written by Sophocles, informs readers that society can be blinded to the truth. The answer that they seek may have been accessible to them yet they cannot make out the answer. Society was blinded to the truth. Oedipus was born as the son of Laius and Jocasta, the king and queen of Thebes. After Oedipus was born he had a prophecy to fulfill learned by his father Laius."It was fate that he should die a victim at the hands of his own son and marry his mother" (520). As a result, Laius binds the feet of his infant son together with a pin and orders Jocasta to kill the infant. Jocasta wasn't hesitant to do so she orders a servant to commit the act for her. The servant instead takes the baby to Mount Parnassos above the city of Thebes to die but gets rescued by a shepherd and gives him the name Oedipus. The shepherd gave Oedipus to a ruling family, King Polybus and Queen Merope of Corinth. When Oedipus grew older he learned from the Oracle at Delphi of the prophecy he had to carry out and thus fleeing Corinth. As he headed out to Thebes he encountered a man in a chariot coming the other way and both argue on who should move aside. The disagreement resulted in Oedipus killing the individual which he didn’t know at the time was King Laius. This is an example of him being blinded from the truth. As Oedipus arrived at Thebes, the city was at the mercy of the Sphinx, who killed those who could not answer its riddle. “What goes on four feet in the morning, two feet at noon, three at dusk” (500). Oedipus was the only one that knew the answer: the human being. Oedipus was rewarded the city and the queen, Jocasta. He had lived out the prophecy without even knowing he had. Wu 5 Thebes fell onto dreadful times as a plague covered the city. Oedipus learned from his brother in law, Creon that the Oracle from Delphi had told him that in order to save the city he must punish the murderer of King Laius. Oedipus calls upon the blind prophet, Teiresias, (who sees most often what Lord Apollo sees) informs Oedipus that he is the murderer of King Laius, and caused of the land’s pollution. This news bothered Oedipus as he taunts Teiresias for not knowing the truth because he is blind. As Teiresias leaves he tells Oedipus “from father and mother both, shall drive you forth out of this land, with darkness on your eyes” (513). This predicament bothered Oedipus, but Jocasta tells him not to accept as true in prophets, since they've been wrong before. She tells Oedipus about how she and King Laius had a son who was prophesied to kill Laius and sleep with her but at the end never came true. As Oedipus searched more and more, Jocasta realized that she had married her own son, and hangs herself. Soon after, Oedipus, too, realizes that he was the polluter of Thebes and that he’s been married to his mother. Oedipus then siezed a pin from Jocasta’s dress and blinds himself and is exiled from Thebes. Even though Oedipus has physical vision he was blinded from the truth and what he sees is very limited. Oedipus was blind to the truth about his own life, who his real parents were, fulfilled the prophecy without even knowing, and it was him that caused the bad times in Thebes. But as for Teiresias who is physically blind sees the whole truth. Teiresias who has limited vision saw the truth behind Oedipus, and what he will become. “The truth is what I cherish and that’s my strength” (511). Wu 6
Both Plato’s Apology, and Sophocles’ Oedipus the King interpretation to human reality can appear to be rather similar. In the Apology, Socrates was told by the Oracle that he was the wisest of them all. He knew that he doesn’t contain this wisdom. For this reason he goes around questioning others that others thought was wise to prove the oracle wrong. Instead of finding someone to prove the oracle wrong he concluded that everyone he interrogated all thought they knew but clearly they do not. This showed their lack of wisdom as they see the world as complete but in reality it is only partial. Socrates believes that true wisdom can be only achieved by the gods of the metaphysical realm. In Sophocles’ Oedipus the King, Oedipus has a prophecy he had to fulfill, murdering his father, and marrying his mother. He doesn’t believe in prophecies, uses reasons, and intelligence to live life for example solving the Sphinx riddle. When Teiresias informed the truth to Oedipus that he was the polluter of the land because of the murder of his father and marrying his mother he uses his reasoning to show that this can’t be true. The blind prophet Teiresias had the power to “see” the truth behind the causes of Oedipus’s problems. Oedipus was blinded to the truth. The answer to all his problems was in front of him the whole time. Even though Teiresias vision was limited he had another type of vision, the truth. Teiresias vision became a reality at the end of the play and resulted in Jocasta hanging herself, and Oedipus blinding himself then separates himself from the land of Thebes. In texts, Apology, and Oedipus the King are deeply concerned with how human reality seems open to interpretation. The accusers of Socrates and the protagonist Oedipus seem to believe that what they know seems to be complete. But as for Socrates and Teiresias, their limitation caused them to be the wisest of them all. Socrates limitation was he did not know the complete truth regarding the world, but understands that what we see is only partial, and that god
Wu 7 knows everything. Teiresias limitation was physical vision but had another vision, ability to seek the truth.
Sources:
The Longman Anthology World Literature. Plato. Apology. 559 – 575
The Longman Anthology World Literature. Sophocles. Oedipus the King. 500 - 540