Oedipus is Innocent

A detailed Summary of Oedipus is Innocent

Because Oedipus knows nothing about the past of Thebes, he is not an assassin. Oedipus committed murder but unknowingly of who King Laius was. Oedipus' honor was his claim against the murder. Had it been the other way around and Oedipus had lost the battle, King Laius' alibi would have also been for reasons of honor: for reasons of royalty. Oedipus was royalty and knew it as well did King Laius. The main idea behind Oedipus' innocence is this "royalty."

Regardless of either of their class standings a fight occurred and the one to start had been King Laius' men, or group, the fact that they lost is not the fault of Oedipus. In other words, King Laius and his men wanted to discipline Oedipus for not showing honor towards a king. Yet, in return, Oedipus wanted respect in return from King Laius and his men. They were both rightfully due the same amount of respect yet King Laius' and his men felt they were entitled to pass first. The first blow came from the driver of King Laius' chariot. This shows how Oedipus reacted in defense and feared for his life as well as his honor.

Oedipus is an innocent man whose fate was also his destiny. There was no way to stop the prophecy no matter what action was taken. Throughout

his life he ruled for his people. He was looked at as a "mortal set apart to face life's common issues and the trials, which the gods dispensed to men" (3). He was the hero, the one that everyone looked to in a time of need. It can be said of his case that the good should outweigh the bad. That Oedipus reacted as any other would. Though the prophecy is what he was running from, the prophecy is what he ran into.

"Who are my parents?" were Oedipus' words to Teiresias when he mentioned them to Oedipus (11). Though Oedipus wanted to know who the murderer of Laius was, he also came to realize that Teiresias knew something else that Oedipus wanted to hear. Oedipus knew there was something that caused Teiresias to say those things. He also knew that his position as a King was desired by many. This jealousy from some also caused Oedipus to look for facts before he just listened to one person.

As Sheppard mentions of Oedipus' innocence "the hero, when he stands revealed as the murderer of his father and the husband of his mother, feels himself utterly vile, polluted, and the polluter of all who have dealings with him" (191). He knows now that the threats he had made against the murderer originally are the threats that he now sees against himself. He told his people that he "shall not rest until he dispels the defilement" (5). The murderer "will be banished from the land. This man must be denied entrance into their homes" (8). Though he makes these threats and moreover he does this to help the people have the courage to find the murderer. When Oedipus is discovered as the murderer what can he do but follow the judgement he set for the murderer.

Sophocles. Oedipus Tyrannus. Trans. Luci Berkowitz and Theodore F. Brunner. New York: Norton & Co. 1970: 3-18.

His innocence is obvious. He does what needs to be done. Had he been guilty of murder or of any other crime he would not have gone through the process of finding the truth behind King Laius' murder. He tells Creon "you will find me a firm ally, and together we shall exact vengeance for our land and for the god...And with the help of God, we shall find success - or ruin" (5) He knew what his duty was and that was what he wanted to follow. He needed to save thousands of people and Oedipus woul

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Approximate Word count = 1538
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English