Oedipus The King Quote Analysis
The change reflected in Oedipus that between the first quote, and the quote is the descent of Oedipus’s self-consciousness from secondary processing to primary processing. Oedipus goes from blaming himself for fulfilling the prophecy to acknowledging that he had no choice on whether he did or did not fulfill the prophecy, that he was a vessel for the gods. His self-consciousness leads him to blame himself for the fulfillment of the prophecy as seen in, Oedipus the King. For example, Oedipus attributes the creation of the prophecy to Apollo, but blames himself for the actions, “but the hand that struck my eyes was mine, mine alone– no one else–/ I did it all myself!” (Oedipus the King, lines 1469-1471). By placing the blame on himself he is
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In Oedipus at Colonus, Oedipus proclaims his innocence based on his unwillingness to fulfill the prophecy and the claim that the gods fulfilled it by acting through him. For example, when Oedipus cries out, “now that I hear the oracles my dear one brings/ and brood on the old prophecies, stored/ in the depths of all my being,/ that Apollo has fulfilled for me at last” (Oedipus at Colonus, Lines 508- 511). In Oedipus the King, Oedipus attributes the fulfillment to himself, yet, here he attributes it to Apollo. This shows a transfer of blame from Oedipus to the gods which demonstrates a move toward primary processing because Oedipus’s blame follows the line of thinking that the gods created the prophecy and thus, also fulfilled it, or that correlation is equal to causation. The fact that Oedipus is unwilling in the fulfillment of the prophecy is demonstrated when he says, “say my unwilling crimes against myself/ and against my own were payment from the gods/ for something criminal deep inside me … no, look hard,/ you’ll find no guilt to accuse me of – I am innocent!” (Oedipus at Colonus, 1101-1105). However, this creates a paradox between these two ways of processing because, Oedipus’s simple awareness of a lack of control, is a form of secondary processing and the rational mind. By extension, the rational mind/being cannot exist without the repression of material which leads to the creation of the unconscious (John Riker). Ergo, Oedipus does not change between the two plays, but begins to develop an unconscious by repressing his role in acting out the
In Oedipus at Colonus, Oedipus proclaims his innocence based on his unwillingness to fulfill the prophecy and the claim that the gods fulfilled it by acting through him. For example, when Oedipus cries out, “now that I hear the oracles my dear one brings/ and brood on the old prophecies, stored/ in the depths of all my being,/ that Apollo has fulfilled for me at last” (Oedipus at Colonus, Lines 508- 511). In Oedipus the King, Oedipus attributes the fulfillment to himself, yet, here he attributes it to Apollo. This shows a transfer of blame from Oedipus to the gods which demonstrates a move toward primary processing because Oedipus’s blame follows the line of thinking that the gods created the prophecy and thus, also fulfilled it, or that correlation is equal to causation. The fact that Oedipus is unwilling in the fulfillment of the prophecy is demonstrated when he says, “say my unwilling crimes against myself/ and against my own were payment from the gods/ for something criminal deep inside me … no, look hard,/ you’ll find no guilt to accuse me of – I am innocent!” (Oedipus at Colonus, 1101-1105). However, this creates a paradox between these two ways of processing because, Oedipus’s simple awareness of a lack of control, is a form of secondary processing and the rational mind. By extension, the rational mind/being cannot exist without the repression of material which leads to the creation of the unconscious (John Riker). Ergo, Oedipus does not change between the two plays, but begins to develop an unconscious by repressing his role in acting out the