Mystery and Prophecy in Oedipus

While reading Oedipus, the extent of the role that mystery plays in the play was very high. Obviously a lot of the story is Oedipus and Creon trying to find out who killed the former king, but if you look at Oedipus’ life, it is completely full of mystery. First of all, it is unclear to Oedipus and his adopted family where exactly he came from and who his true parents are. Then, the entire reason he is in power is because he was the one able to solve the Sphinx’s riddle, a mystery no one else could solve. Then, the kingdom is not in good shape, and no one really knows why. It is pretty clear that these problems are being sent as a punishment by the gods, which is relatively common in these types of stories, but Oedipus doesn’t really know for what. I’m not really sure how his all ties together, but it's possible that the author is suggesting that Oedipus doesn’t really know his purpose in life, and that all the mystery in his life is suggesting that he should not be where he is. This seems plausible because after his crimes are confirmed, he seems to know exactly what he needs to do. He immediately stabs his eyes out, apologizes to Creon, and demands to be taken far away or put to rest. This is a marked deviation from the mystery in the rest of the story, as it is about the first time he really knows what his life is.

Another interesting part of this play is the prophecy involved. Oedipus’ real father, Laius, is given a prophecy that his son will kill him, and Oedipus himself has the prophecy that he will kill his father and marry his mother. Clearly, neither individual wants these to come true, so they both take action to try to prevent it. Laius leaves Oedipus for dead as a baby, which is a truly unspeakable act, while Oedipus leaves his presumed parents out of love for them. There is a clear difference in the morality of these two acts, which in my opinion shifts some of the reader’s sympathy off of Laius. Does this vindicate Oedipus’ actions? Probably not, as he did murder someone, which is kind of Laius getting what he deserves, but it's still murder. Oedipus should probably not be villainized that much, as his (misguided) actions were not out of hate or cowardice but out of respect and love for his adopted family.