Oedipus Rex writeen by Sophocles and translated by Robert Fitzgerald. It is about two ways to interpret a passage.
Oedipus at Colonus is the story of the last day in the life of Oedipus. After many year of wandering, Oedipus arrives in a grove outside Athens and understands that this is the place he would die. Theseus, king of Athens and its surroundings, promises to give Oedipus the right to be buried in Colonus and to protect his secret burial place. More than that, Theseus brings back Oedipus' daughters who were abducted by Creon. Oedipus apologizes for not thanking Theseus right away, instead of talking to his daughters. Theseus understands that Oedipus needs the time to talk with his saved daughters, and refrains from bragging about his struggle with Creon, but he asks Oedipus to do "a trivial thing" and meet someone who looks desperate to meet him.
Oedipus:
What is his country? What is he praying for?
Theseus:
All I know is this: he asks, they tell me,
A brief interview with you and nothing more.
Oedipus:
Upon what subject?
If he is in prayer it cannot be a trifle
Theseus:
They say he only asks to speak to you
And then to depart safely by the same road
Oedipus:
Who could it be who would come here to pray?
Theseus:
Think: have you any relative in Argos
Who might desire this favor of you?
Oedipus:
Dear Friend!
Say no more
Theseus:
What has alarmed you?
Oedipus:
No more!
Theseus:
But what is the matter? Tell me.
Oedipus:
When I heard Argos I knew the petitioner.
Theseus:
And who is he whom I must hold at fault.
Oedipus:
A son of mine, my lord, and a hated one.
Nothing could be more painful than to listen to him.
Theseus:
But why? Is it not possible to listen
Without doing anything you need not do?
Why should it distress you so to hear him?
The first eight lines of this passage can be interpreted in two different ways. In these lines, Oedipus keeps asking questions about the stranger: his origin, his subject, and what he is praying for. Knowing that Oedipus is after many years of wandering and suffering, and in the last day of his life, we
Oedipus:
What is his country? What is he praying for?
Theseus:
All I know is this: he asks, they tell me,
A brief interview with you and nothing more.
Oedipus:
Upon what subject?
If he is in prayer it cannot be a trifle
Theseus:
They say he only asks to speak to you
And then to depart safely by the same road
Oedipus:
Who could it be who would come here to pray?
Theseus:
Think: have you any relative in Argos
Who might desire this favor of you?
Oedipus:
Dear Friend!
Say no more
Theseus:
What has alarmed you?
Oedipus:
No more!
Theseus:
But what is the matter? Tell me.
Oedipus:
When I heard Argos I knew the petitioner.
Theseus:
And who is he whom I must hold at fault.
Oedipus:
A son of mine, my lord, and a hated one.
Nothing could be more painful than to listen to him.
Theseus:
But why? Is it not possible to listen
Without doing anything you need not do?
Why should it distress you so to hear him?
The first eight lines of this passage can be interpreted in two different ways. In these lines, Oedipus keeps asking questions about the stranger: his origin, his subject, and what he is praying for. Knowing that Oedipus is after many years of wandering and suffering, and in the last day of his life, we