Opeidus Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Opeidus - Essay Example When Oedipus heard of the prophecy, he attempted to change it by leaving what he thought was his birthplace. He didn’t trust himself enough to not kill the man he thought was his father and then marry his mother: â€Å"So for years I’ve given Corinth a wide berth/†¦so I wouldn’t kill my father.† It was because he didn’t trust himself to not perform these acts he would never knowingly do that he put himself in a position to unknowingly perform them. Tiresias serves as a foil to Oedipus; he is a blind man that sees the truth of the situation. His words serve as a way for Oedipus to take responsibility for what he’s done: â€Å"How terrible—to see the truth/ when the truth is only pain to him who sees!† Because Oedipus was unable to see the truth of the situation, he punished himself by blinding himself. He thought it was a fitting punishment because his eyes did not allow him to see the truth as it was. â€Å"But the hand that struck my eyes was mine,/ mine alone—no one else—/ I did it all myself!† If Oedipus didn’t want to fulfill the prophesy, he could have chosen not to kill anyone or to marry someone younger than him. But because he himself chose his line of action which fulfilled the prophesy, he accepted responsibility for his own