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Most of the tragedies that people face in life are as a result of the past mistakes that were done by their parents. No matter how much effort that people people try to put in order to overcome such situations, they find themselves trapped and helpless. The following discussion focuses on the Oedipus story in trying to find out whether the themes in the play are still relevant in the contemporary society.
Discussion
Oedipus is a mythological play that was written for the purpose of explaining and emphasizing certain themes that are so dominant and prevalent in the society today. It is a play that is full of tragedies that seem to be under the control of supernatural powers. Man has no power to control his fate and he has to rely mostly on what has already been predetermined.
Oedipus was going through various conflicts in his life because of the mistakes that were done by his father Lainus. He had been invited by King Pelops to train his son in chariot racing. He is said to have molested the child and for that matter the curse was laid upon him and it was supposed to affect the whole generation beginning with his own son,’ you are doomed to perish by the hand of your own son,”( 24-25). The Oracle who was believed to have the power to control the fate of people assured him that he would die through his own son.
The contemporary readers can identify with this play in the sense that most of people are fatalistic in nature. This means that they depend on the power of nature to determine their destiny. They believe that they have no power to con troll their daily event in that they have already been determined. All what happens in the play was already predetermined as it is demonstrated by the line,
“That I was fated to lie with my mother,
and show to daylight an accursed breed” (791-93).
This shows that he had no power to control that fate. This is well brought to light when he tried to run away to Thebes so that he would not kill his father and marry his own mother. However, on the way he met his father and the two were engaged in a kind of conflict and in the process he ended up killing him. He did not know that this was actually his father but the truth of the matter was that the prophesy had been fulfilled.
Currently, many people still belief in the power of gods and are suffering from the low effort syndrome. This is a situation where one has no motivation in life to achieve anything. This is because they believe that the kinds of hardships they go through are justified and therefore there is no need to try and fight them out. This is especially common among certain religious groups where the members are encouraged not to worry about their current situations since life will be better. The societies therefore place their hope more on the power of the supernatural beings and fail to take precautions in their life.
The other important thing that the contemportary society can identify with in the play Oedipus is the matters of religion. This is a social institution which serves several functions that are so important in any society. They include maintaining social order by providing a standard code of conduct that regulates the behavior of the whole society. The existence of religion in the play is demonstrated by the presence of sacred symbols and the mentioning of the figures that are revered and believed to be in contact with the gods. These people are the prophets such as the Tiresia who is said to be blind, the Chorus and the Priests. These are important people that Oedipus approaches in order to for them to explain to him why the land was facing the plague and also to know who his real parents were.
The same happen in the society today. People flock in different religious places to seek to divine intervention especially when they are facing difficult moments in life such as the economic down turn, hunger and famine, conflict and wars and other depression causing agents. Matters of religion are therefore so ingrained in the people’s culture and they cannot be separated from them.
The other factor that people face today which is demonstrated in the play is sight and blindness. People are known to have eyes, but they do not have insight of what they observe. Oedipus was a victim of this which prompted prophet Tiresia to tell him,
“So, you mock my blindness? Let me tell you this. You with your precious eyes, you’re blind to the corruption of your life…”(468-69).
He had gone to seek for intervention from this prophet but when it turned out that he was the one to blame for all the catastrophes in Thebes, he doubted about his credibility. This has happened especially in the current generation of the young people who think that the old folks have nothing to offer them. Most of the social disorder has been contributed by man but he keeps blaming nature. For instance, the current adverse climatic changes have been as a result of man’s lack of care in the activities that pose threat to the environment. Such activities include the release of poisonous chemicals and gases in the atmosphere which affect the ozone layer and as a result, this has negative implications on people’s health and also on climate. Most of the suffering that people go through today is as a result of their irresponsibility, but none of them want to own as they are bent on rationalizing and denying that fact.
The other important thing that many nations are grappling with and which is dominant in the play is the state of power and control. People in power tend to think that if the information they receive is inconsistent with their beliefs and posing threat to their status, should be done away with. This is observed when Oedipus orders that the prophet Tiresia be taken away from the palace,
‘Yes, take him away. You are a nuisance here. Out of the way, the irritation is gone.’(487-89). This kind of stubbornness and pride is expressed by the people who are in power since they are sure that they have the prerogative to do as they please. Most governments today are performing poorly due to their lack of heeding to the advice they receive from the experts concerning good governance. Majority of the leaders are concerned about the accumulation of wealth through corrupt means as the expense of the citizens who are left to suffer.
Conclusion
Oedipus story is still relevant to the contemporary society as it addresses matters of religion, family and government which are important social institutions. The conflict and tragedies that he goes through are also faced by many people today who try to find their origin but without any success.
Reference
Robert Fagles: Oedipus the King. USA. Penguin publication. 1982.
Sophocles. Sophocles I: Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonus, Antigone. 2nd ed. Grene, David and Lattimore, Richard, eds. Chicago: University of Chicago, 1997.
Dawe, R.D. Sophocles: Oedipus Rex, revised edition. Cambridge : Cambridge University Press. p.1 2006.
Brunner, M. King Oedipus Retried Rosenberger & Krausz, London, 2000
Foster, C. Thomas. How to Read Literature Like a Professor HarperCollins, New York, 2003
Dallas, Ian, Oedipus and Dionysus, Freiburg Press, Granada 1998. ISBN 1-874216-02-9
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