Readers are attracted to moments of intensity in a writer's work.
In Oedipus The King there are a number of moments of intensity throughout the play. The part that caught my eye was when Oedipus believed that he should not see anymore and jabs his eyes out.
"He rips off her brooches, the long gold pins holding her robes---and lifting them high, looking straight up into the points, he digs them down the sockets of his eyes, crying..."
So from this entire passage. Oedipus has finally found about the whole prophecy and how he has been doomed from the beginning. Having incest and killing his father really takes a toll on him. It effects him so much that he stabs his eyes out cause he feels that his eyes have been tainted from what he has seen and experienced that he should no more, see what goes on around him. By making this scene so emotional it shows how tragic the actual situation is. It gives the emphasis on how Oedipus may in the beginning known what was going on but never actually thought twice about it. When the event and prophecies actually come true and pass right under his nose, he is ashamed in what he has done and gorges out his eyes. From there on emotions seem to be feeling sympathy for Oedipus but at the same time you may feel he deserves it cause he acted arrogant because he was able to solve the riddle of the sphinx which made him feel like a god. Anyway from this passage the other has conveyed emotionally how the blinding of Oedipus is key and a climax to the whole play.
Questions:
1) Why did Sophocles reveal the truth way before the end?
2) Does the interpretation of the author of knowing how much Jocasta knows about the prophecy effect or mean anything significant.
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