journal 1 december 2014

Oedipus is about as wild as a drama can get. I feel as if I should dislike Oedipus as a character, but the truth is I think I find him fascinating. As a king, I would expect him out of everyone to know what is going on in the world, but he is the most confused character in the play. I admire how confident Oedipus is in what he does though. What makes this play even more ironic is that although Oedipus is confused about where he came from, he does not know he is confused. He goes through his everyday life without any clue about the damage he has done. I feel I can identify with Oedipus's values in the sense he is loyal to his people. Obviously I have never been the king of anything outside of my own little world I live in, but I can say I respect the goals of Oedipus. He knows he needs to save the people from the plague that has overtaken Thebes, and he does everything he can to do so regardless of the negative results that come from his approach. I identify with the experience Oedipus endured in the sense that I know what it is like to want good for yourself and everyone around you and having things not go your way at all. Like Oedipus, I too have realized the danger of not limiting my own free will which proves to be a significant theme in the Oedipus plays. Oedipus ruled and went about his business as king in a way that was very much so influenced by his emotion. This is similar to the way I do most things in my life, especially my writing. Oedipus never intended to do any harm to anybody. He was fighting for the common good of his people but realized his biggest enemy was the man he would see in the mirror.