knucklebumper Posted April 16, 2011 Report Share Posted April 16, 2011 So my topic for my World Lit. 1 is:How do Oedipus and Meursault respond to their ultimate fates in Sophocles' Oedipus the King and Albert Camus' The Outsider?I'm just a little confused about a bit in Oedipus the King. Does Oedipus gouge out his eyes because of the death of Jocasta? Or, is it because of the realisation of the truth that the prophecy holds? Or is it both?I was just hoping to use this aspect of the play to show how Oedipus responds to his ultimate fate by being self-destructive (to pay a penance). But, if he does this out of some sort of desperation of losing his wife/mother, I'm not sure that it's a valid point.Thanks for any comments or suggestions! All will be very appreciated. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Summer Glau Posted April 16, 2011 Report Share Posted April 16, 2011 My memory of the book is a bit rusty, but I think Oedipus gouged out his eyes after Jocasta died. At this point he realized that he was the curse upon Thebes (the prophecy was correct) and he blinded himself because the truth (the light) was too much for him to bear. I think it's more of a moment where he realizes the truth rather than an act of desperation. You could look at it in a few different ways, but looking at it from the perspective of realizing the truth and punishing himself for it is the strongest argument, in my opinion. 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ice Cream is really yummy Posted April 22, 2011 Report Share Posted April 22, 2011 He also takes his eyes out because, in Oedipe the King, the "blind" person is actually able to see clearly. It is through that obscurity that things are made known. There is a "game" on light/darkness, clarity/obscurity. 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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