Oedipus is not formally charged with any
crimes. He does manage however to commit
incest, and murder. His father is
cursed. The curse states that his son
will kill him and marry his wife. These
facts are discovered in the introductory, "...if laius , king of thebes,
had a son by jocasta, his queen, that son would kill his father and marry his
mother. Laius in light of these facts
has Oedipus abandoned as a child.
Another family raises him as their own.
Oedipus was on his way to town when he
encountered a carriage. Some negative
events transpired and Oedipus kills the entire caravan. He continues on towards the city only to find
that a sphinx was terrorizing the city with a riddle. It killed every man that answered the riddle
incorrectly. Oedipus arrived at the
solution and saves the city. He is immediately proclaimed King. He does not know he has killed the former
King nor do the people. He marries the
queen which just happens to be his biological mother and has children by
her. " ...child of impurity,
begetter in the same seed that created my wretched self."
Oedipus does not try to defend his
actions. In fact he blames himself as
quoted from the story "Light of the sun, let me look upon you no more
after today! I who first saw you the
light bred of a match accursed, and accursed ." The consequences of his
actions are harsh. He stabs his own eyes
out and his wife/mother took her own life.
Justice is defined as "the abstract
principle by which right and wrong are defined." Utilizing this definition pertaining to the
story Justice has not been served. Since
Oedipus's actions were predetermined by the gods, he should not have to face
the consequences. Even though he was not
mentally responsible for his actions he decided to punish himself. He stabbed his eyes out and his wife/mother
took her own life.
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