'O NEVER LIVE TO LEARN THE TRUTH' (JOCASTA IN OEDIPUS REX)

In Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex[1], truth is one of the fundamental themes that percolates throughout the play. This theme is examined in the belief that a prophecy’s divine prediction would inevitably come true, regardless of any efforts to prevent it. Indeed, the entirety of the play focuses on Oedipus’ desire for the truth. Despite Oedipus’ desires most of the characters who know the truth are unwilling to tell it, demonstrating the potentially harmful nature of the truth. When Oedipus inevitably finds out the truth, he ends up blinding himself, portraying truth’s harmful nature and conveying a sense of irony. This also explores the contrast between the seen and unseen in the play. The Chorus also plays an important part in the presentation of the truth in the play, allowing audiences to gain further insight into events.

Greeks and Romans believed in the divine nature of prophecies. Guo claims that ‘the oracle is always enigmatic but never lies’[2] and therefore inevitably comes true. Indeed, Rosenmeyer backs Guo’s statement when he says ‘in the psychological climate of Greek tragedy an oracle shapes the future […] ultimately it will come true’[3]. This does not prevent Iocasta, Laius and Theban attempting to prevent the oracle from coming true as they ‘thought to send / The child abroad’ (Oed. Rex, IIII.1180). Oedipus also believes that, as Knox stated, ‘he has evaded the fate predicted by Apollo’[4]. Yet he still fears that ‘Apollo’s oracle may come true’ (Oed. Rex, III.1011). Despite these efforts to prevent the prophecy from coming true, by the end of the play it is clear that Oedipus has killed his father by the ‘place where three ways met’ (Oed. Rex, III.801). Kane offers an explanation for this when he declares that the ‘laws of the gods are universally efficacious, since the gods cannot be oblivious to anything’[5]. This is supported by the revelations of the truth in the play. It is made clear that Oedipus does indeed ‘mate with [his] own mother […] / And that [he] was to be the murderer / Of [his] own father’ (Oed. Rex, III.791-794). This fulfils the Delphi prophecy regardless of any attempts to prevent it. The fact that Oedipus ‘eagerly hastened to the sacred oracle at Delphi to learn the truth’[6], as stated by Barstow, supports the argument that prophecies and oracles are destined to come true. Why else would Oedipus consult an all-seeing oracle. So, arbitrary fiction comes true as a result of prophetical predictions that are divine in nature[7]. This substantiates the notion that prophecies will come true regardless of attempts to undermine and prevent it.

Oedipus seeks the truth due to the prophetical statement that Oedipus’ actions have brought about the ‘sickness’ and ‘plague’ (Oed. Rex, I.61) in Thebes. He stresses that ‘I’ll find the truth’ (Oed. Rex, I.131) and that they ‘soon shall know’ (Oed. Rex, I.84) the truth. Indeed, Oedipus’ ‘strength to pursue the truth’[8] is admired by Guo as well as other critics such as Koper. The protagonist continues to seek the truth until the very end stating that he ‘will know the truth’ (Oed. Rex, III.1065). Here the emphasis on ‘will’ is twofold. First, there is the physical italicisation of the word itself. Second, is the use of iambic pentameter in the line, causing ‘will’ to be a stressed syllable. This highlights Oedipus’ determination to find the truth despite his mother begging him to ‘seek no more’ (Oed. Rex, III.1064). This determination causes Koper to state that ‘Oedipus is the hero because he wants to know the truth’[9], showing support for the character who cannot be blamed for his actions[10]. Indeed, the etymology of Oedipus’s name, derived from the Greek word oida (“I know”), underscores the paradox of his character; he is a man defined by his quest for knowledge but is blind to the most crucial truths of his existence.

Whilst some critics show support for Oedipus others such as Reid seem to take a less forgiving stance claiming that once the ‘truth is revealed almost at once by Tiresias [it] is hotly denied by Oedipus’[11]. Indeed, Oedipus initially appears to deny the truth stating that Tiresias will ‘pay most dearly for this insolence’ (Oed. Rex, II.368). Despite this, he remains ‘resolved to find […] / [his] parentage’ (Oed. Rex, III.1064-72); he goes as far as threatening ‘if you’ll not speak from / pleasure, speak from pain’ (Oed. Rex, III.1152-53). This demonstrates his effort to know the truth even if it is unpalatable[12].

Oedipus is aware from an early stage in the play that the truth may cause harm, resonating with the theme of the potentially harmful nature of the truth. As Oedipus comes closer ‘to what he imagines to be truth and salvation, the closer he comes to his own ruin’[13]. Iocasta, suspecting the reality, tries to warn Oedipus, as does Tiresias when he states ‘what a burden knowledge is’ (Oed. Rex, II.316). The fact that most of the characters who know the truth but don’t want to tell it demonstrates this notion of the truth being a double-edge sword; it is important to know the truth, but it can be harmful at the same time. This is depicted when Oedipus initially responds to the truth with violence. He asks someone to ‘twist his arm’ (Oed. Rex, II.306) in order to gain the truth, demonstrating the damaging nature of the truth whether it harms those who seek it or those who have it. This is something picked up on by Versényi when he states that ‘the urge to know might in itself be an ‘awful’ thing, a terrible gift of man's which can lead to pain rather than joy’[14]. Inevitably Oedipus’ discovery of the truth does lead to pain for both him and his wife.

The potentially harmful nature of truth is depicted through the suicide of Iocasta and Oedipus’ self-mutilation. There are hints early on at the dual nature of the truth when Corinthian states that ‘joy be crossed with grief’ (Oed. Rex, IIII.937). Here, ‘joy’ could refer to the revelation of the truth whilst ‘grief’ could refer to the consequences of that truth. For Iocasta, the truth causes her to kill herself ‘by her own hand’ (Oed. Rex, IIII.1237). She cannot bear the reality of her situation due to ‘the cruel story’ (Oed. Rex, IIII.1240). The vivid depiction of her ‘hang[ing] by the neck […] / held in a swinging cord’ (Oed. Rex, IIII.1263-64) helps convey the terrible consequences of the truth being revealed. This confirms Tiresias’ statement that ‘to see the truth / When the truth is only pain to him who sees’ (Oed. Rex, II.369). Here, the use of ‘sees’ is ironic; on seeing the truth, Oedipus blinds himself so he cannot physically see.

Oedipus is forced to learn the truth after he spends the majority of the play seeking it. This truth is uncomfortable at best and leads to the tragic element of the plot. Oedipus finally becomes aware of the truth and in doing so ‘struck his own eyes / crying aloud that they should never see’ (Oed. Rex, IIII.1270-81). Whilst this is both a response to him finding the truth and the suicide of his mother it also eludes to the imagery between seeing and unseeing. Initially Oedipus is blind to the truth. When he is finally able to see the truth he then physically blinds himself in an ironic act of violence[15]. This is something picked up on by Segal when he states that ‘explicit model onstage for a story that refused to be told and a knowledge that refused to be known’[16]. Teiresias’ ability to see, he knows the truth, conflicts with Oedipus’ unseeing, ignorance, near the start of the play which helps to embody the themes of truth and knowledge and how that can be harmful. Indeed, the irony that Oedipus blinds himself upon “seeing” the truth symbolizes the consequences of discovering the truth.

Whilst there is a sense of tension between the characters that remains unseen and invisible the chorus helps readers and audiences to pick up on the tension. The chorus is vital in helping the audiences see and understand the truth. Segal states in his essay that there is ‘something there but not representable, or representable only as a tension’[17]. Towards the end of the play, the chorus states ‘O horrible, dreadful sight. More / dreadful’ (Oed. Rex, IIII.1298). Here the use of the intensifier ‘more’ and the repetition of ‘dreadful’ emphasises the awful sight of Iocasta’s death and Oedipus’ self-harm, providing clarity to the audience regarding the harmful effect of knowing the truth. Similarly, the chorus also helps guide Oedipus to find the truth stating that ‘here is the one to find him […] / the prophet […] / the only man whose heart is filled with truth’ (Oed. Rex, II.297-99). The chorus’ indication meditates the inevitability of fate and the limitations of human understanding and helps to underpin the themes of knowledge and truth, helping to portray the themes of truth with greater clarity and detail. The chorus aids Oedipus in his searching for truth and helps audiences understand the consequences of discovering the truth.

Oedipus’ desire for knowledge and truth is his driving force in the play as he attempts to save the plague-stricken Thebes. Truth leads to the consequences of his self-harm when he blinds himself as well as the suicide of his mother. Afterall as Rudnutsky declares, the language in the play ‘possesses a 'double striking' quality, and it repeatedly occurs that the news which at first seems favourable to Oedipus ... proves ultimately to contribute to his downfall’[18]. This is emblematic of the double striking effect of the truth, both revealing the reality but also causing harm. Nevertheless, Oedipus’ seeking out the truth is supported by many critics some such as Hathorn even claiming that even the ‘recognition of an unpleasant truth is a moral act’[19].

Bibliography

Barstow, Marjorie, ‘Oedipus Rex as the Ideal Tragic Hero of Aristotle’, The Classical Weekly, 6.1 (1912), pp. 2–4, doi:10.2307/4386601

Dodds, E. R., ‘On Misunderstanding the “Oedipus Rex”’, Greece & Rome, 13.1 (1966), pp. 37–49

Faber, M. D., ‘Self-Destruction in “Oedipus Rex”’, American Imago, 27.1 (1970), pp. 41–51

Fagles, Robert, ‘From Sophocles’ “Oedipus the King”’, The Kenyon Review, 4.2 (1982), pp. 55–67

Gould, Thomas, ‘The Innocence of Oedipus: The Philosophers on Oedipus the King’, Arion: A Journal of Humanities and the Classics, 4.3 (1965), pp. 363–86

Guo, Yue-hua, ‘Oedipus Rex: Fate, Truth and Self-Will’, Canadian Social Science, 2.2 (2006), pp. 45–49, doi:10.3968/j.css.1923669720060202.009

Harshbarger, Karl, ‘Who Killed Laius?’, The Tulane Drama Review, 9.4 (1965), pp. 120–31, doi:10.2307/1125037

Hathorn, Richmond Y., ‘The Existential Oedipus’, The Classical Journal, 53.5 (1958), pp. 223–30

Kane, Robert L., ‘Prophecy and Perception in the Oedipus Rex’, Transactions of the American Philological Association (1974-), 105 (1975), pp. 189–208, doi:10.2307/283940

Knox, Bernard, ‘Oedipus Rex’, Grand Street, 4.2 (1985), pp. 203–15, doi:10.2307/25006718

Koper, Peter T., ‘Myth and Investigation in “Oedipus Rex”’, Contagion: Journal of Violence, Mimesis, and Culture, 12/13 (2006), pp. 87–98

Nietzsche, Friedrich, The Birth of Tragedy: Out of the Spirit of Music, ed. by Michael Tanner, trans. by Shaun Whiteside, Revised ed. edition (Penguin Classics, 1993)

Reid, Stephen A., ‘Teaching Oedipus Rex’, College English, 29.8 (1968), pp. 615–19, doi:10.2307/374565

Rosenmeyer, T. G., ‘The Wrath of Oedipus’, Phoenix, 6.3 (1952), pp. 92–112, doi:10.2307/1086579

Rudnytsky, Peter L., ‘Oedipus and Anti-Oedipus’, World Literature Today, 56.3 (1982), pp. 462–70, doi:10.2307/40137217

Segal, Charles, Oedipus Tyrannus: Tragic Heroism and the Limits of Knowledge, 2nd edition (Oxford University Press, U.S.A., 2000)

Sophocles, Antigone; Oedipus the King; Electra, ed. by Edith Hall, trans. by H. D. F. Kitto, Reissue edition (OUP Oxford, 2008)

Versényi, Laszlo, ‘Oedipus: Tragedy of Self-Knowledge’, Arion: A Journal of Humanities and the Classics, 1.3 (1962), pp. 20–30

[1] Sophocles, Antigone; Oedipus the King; Electra, ed. by Edith Hall, trans. by H. D. F. Kitto, Reissue edition (OUP Oxford, 2008). All future references of the text are taken from this edition.

[2] Yue-hua Guo, ‘Oedipus Rex: Fate, Truth and Self-Will’, Canadian Social Science, 2.2 (2006), pp. 45–49, doi:10.3968/j.css.1923669720060202.009.

[3] T. G. Rosenmeyer, ‘The Wrath of Oedipus’, Phoenix, 6.3 (1952), pp. 92–112, doi:10.2307/1086579.

[4] Bernard Knox, ‘Oedipus Rex’, Grand Street, 4.2 (1985), pp. 203–15, doi:10.2307/25006718.

[5] Robert L. Kane, ‘Prophecy and Perception in the Oedipus Rex’, Transactions of the American Philological Association (1974-), 105 (1975), pp. 189–208, doi:10.2307/283940.

[6] Marjorie Barstow, ‘Oedipus Rex as the Ideal Tragic Hero of Aristotle’, The Classical Weekly, 6.1 (1912), pp. 2–4, doi:10.2307/4386601.

[7] For more on truth relating to the gods and divinity see (Friedrich Nietzsche, The Birth of Tragedy: Out of the Spirit of Music, ed. by Michael Tanner, trans. by Shaun Whiteside, Revised ed. edition (Penguin Classics, 1993), pp.20-105.)

[8] Guo, ‘Oedipus Rex: Fate, Truth and Self-Will’.

[9] Peter T. Koper, ‘Myth and Investigation in “Oedipus Rex”’, Contagion: Journal of Violence, Mimesis, and Culture, 12/13 (2006), pp. 87–98.

[10] For more on Oedipus’ innocence see (Thomas Gould, ‘The Innocence of Oedipus: The Philosophers on Oedipus the King’, Arion: A Journal of Humanities and the Classics, 4.3 (1965), pp. 363–86.)

[11] Stephen A. Reid, ‘Teaching Oedipus Rex’, College English, 29.8 (1968), pp. 615–19, doi:10.2307/374565.

[12] For more on justice and the necessity for seeking the truth see (Karl Harshbarger, ‘Who Killed Laius?’, The Tulane Drama Review, 9.4 (1965), pp. 120–31, doi:10.2307/1125037.); and (E. R. Dodds, ‘On Misunderstanding the “Oedipus Rex”’, Greece & Rome, 13.1 (1966), pp. 37–49.)

[13] Guo, ‘Oedipus Rex: Fate, Truth and Self-Will’.

[14] Laszlo Versényi, ‘Oedipus: Tragedy of Self-Knowledge’, Arion: A Journal of Humanities and the Classics, 1.3 (1962), pp. 20–30.

[15] For more on Oedipus self-harm see (M. D. Faber, ‘Self-Destruction in “Oedipus Rex”’, American Imago, 27.1 (1970), pp. 41–51.)

[16] Charles Segal, Oedipus Tyrannus: Tragic Heroism and the Limits of Knowledge, 2nd edition (Oxford University Press, U.S.A., 2000).

[17] Segal, Oedipus Tyrannus.

[18] Peter L. Rudnytsky, ‘Oedipus and Anti-Oedipus’, World Literature Today, 56.3 (1982), pp. 462–70, doi:10.2307/40137217.

[19] Richmond Y. Hathorn, ‘The Existential Oedipus’, The Classical Journal, 53.5 (1958), pp. 223–30.