Sophocles ties up his famous play, Oedipus Rex, with a powerful line, “Consider his last day and let none presume on his good fortune until he find life, at his death, a memory without pain.” (Sophocles 262). By using Oedipus’ tragic life story, Sophocles implores the audience to never forget how Oedipus fulfilled Teiresias’ abhorrent prophecy. Sophocles wanted to teach three major lessons through the final line.
One of the messages that Sophocles tried to communicate through his work was that all actions have consequences. Oedipus laments how his actions resulted in a cascade of sins, “Where three roads met: you, drinking my father’s blood, my own blood, spilled by my own hand: can you remember the unspeakable things I did there, and the …show more content…
For example, the play began with the priest commending Oedipus, “You are not one of the immortal gods, we know; Yet we have come to you to make our prayer… noblest of men, restore life to your city!” (Sophocles 206). As Oedipus’ story concludes and his crimes are unveiled, the same priest cries, “Oedipus, damned in his birth, in his marriage damned. Damned in the blood he shed with his own hand!” (Sophocles 250). The line perfectly mirrors the tragic hero’s life because his tale begins with him as the venerated King of Thebes, slayer of the sphinx. After being told that the plague would only cease once Laius' murderer was driven from the Thebes, the citizens and the priests approach Oedipus and plead for him to come to their aid. His prestige crumbles quickly when Oedipus realizes that he is the defilement of Thebes, not some lowly stranger. Upon seeing Oedipus in his pathetic state after he had gouged his own eyes out and cursed himself, his people no longer idolized Oedipus and instead pitied him. He abruptly changed from a well-respected, reputable hero into a …show more content…
For example, after his sins are revealed to all, Oedipus howls, “I, thrice miserable!—Oedipus, noblest of all the line of Cadmus, have condemned myself to enjoy these things no more…” (Sophocles 257). Although Oedipus’ people revere him at the start of the play, they do not know that Oedipus is the defilement and murderer whom they seek. They refer to him as “noble”, “wise”, and “the greatest of all men” because all they know about Oedipus is that he came to the city and liberated them in their moment of weakness. Had they known that Oedipus committed the atrocities that resulted in the plague, they would have detested him. Instead, the people admire him for rescuing them until the whole truth is