Oedipus Rex: Human Dignity Facing Fate

Introduction: What Freud Missed

We know 'Oedipus Complex' only as "desire to kill father and marry mother". Because Freud used this myth as a tool for sexual desire. But if you read Sophocles' tragedy 'Oedipus Rex' carefully, you realize this is not a Sex story. It is a Detective Thriller seeking Self-Knowledge, and an Existential Struggle keeping dignity even before harsh fate.

Act 1: Fate Closer the More You Run

Hearing the terrible oracle "You will kill your father and sleep with your mother," Oedipus leaves Corinth, mistaking his foster parents for biological ones. He did his best to avoid fate (Moral Man). But because of that 'effort to avoid', he kills his biological father at a crossroads and defeats the Sphinx to become a hero and marry his biological mother.

• Psychological Meaning: Return of the Unconscious. The more we suppress the unconscious and try to run away, the more it returns from outside in the name of 'Fate' (Jung).

Act 2: Detective Seeking Truth

When plague hits Thebes, Oedipus hears an oracle. "Find the murderer of King Laius." He starts finding the culprit to save his people as a King. The prophet Tiresias says, "The murderer is you." Oedipus denies with rage but does not give up and interrogates witnesses. As truth draws near, his wife (mother) Jocasta begs, "Please ask no more!" But Oedipus shouts. "However humble my birth may be, I must know who I am!"

Act 3: Ruin and Dignity (Blinding)

All truth is revealed. Jocasta commits suicide, and Oedipus stabs his own eyes with her brooches. Why did he stab his eyes?

1. Responsibility: "Punishment for eyes (ignorance) that failed to see what they should have seen."
2. Insight: Will to close the Physical Eye and open the Inner Eye. Like the blind prophet Tiresias.

He did not commit suicide. He did not run away cowardly, but became blind and walked out into the wilderness on his own feet. Accepting all that curse with his whole body.

Deep Dive: Purification of Karma (Catharsis)

Oedipus's story is completed in the sequel 'Oedipus at Colonus'. Old and weary Oedipus arrives at the sacred grove of Colonus. He is no longer a sinner. The Gods accept him as a sacred being (Hero) through the suffering he endured. His grave becomes the guardian of Athens.

• Sin vs Hamartia: In Greek tragedy, the cause of protagonist's ruin is not 'Moral Evil' but 'Error of Judgment (Hamartia)'. Oedipus is not an evil man, but a man who committed a Sin in Ignorance.
• Consecreation: He committed sin in ignorance, but after knowing, he Took Responsibility. This makes him great.

Practical Application: "Who Am I?"

Is there a recurring misfortune in your life? It could be a 'Family Curse' or your 'Character Flaw (Karma)'.

1. Face it: You must ask like Oedipus. "Why on earth is this happening? Who is the culprit?" (Even if that culprit is me).
2. Don't Run: If you run blaming "Parents, Society", fate will chase you.
3. Take Responsibility: Even if it was an unconscious mistake not of my fault, when we take responsibility for the result of our life, we become not victims of fate but Masters of Fate.

Conclusion: Light of Truth Stings but Sets Free

Oedipus lost his throne and sight, but gained Truth. We want to stay in sweet Lies (Persona) rather than facing Truth (Self). But Sophocles says. "Wisdom comes through suffering (Pathei Mathos)." Only those with courage to face the truth can complete their own myth.

References:

• Sophocles, Oedipus Rex
• Sigmund Freud, The Interpretation of Dreams
• Jean-Pierre Vernant, Myth and Tragedy in Ancient Greece