Use of Disquietude and Pleasure in Oedipus the King :: Oedipus the King Oedipus Rex

Use of Disquietude and Pleasure in Oedipus the female monarch At the very core of Sophocles tragedy, Oedipus the King, lies emotional confusion. Sophocles purposely creates within his readers this finger of emotional confusion and self-awareness through his use of both disquietude and pleasure. When he grows up, unknowing of his adoption, he discovers his doomed fate from an Oracle. Seeking to escape it, he flees from Colonus. Once upon the road, Oedipus discovers his path blocked by a man, whom he perceives to be a robber. He kills this man, who turns out to be his father, and unknowingly fulfills the first map of the prophecy. Soon, he comes to Thebes, which is being terrorized by a terrible monster, the Sphinx. The Sphinx wanders the streets surrounding the urban center, inquire travelers an unanswered riddle. Oedipus encounters the Sphinx, and answers its riddle, causing the Sphinx to kill herself in disbelief. The citizens of Thebes, who have recently assemble themselv es kingless, appoint Oedipus king and give him Queen Iocast? for his wife as a reward. The couple lives together happily and produces four children. Some years later, the city is beset by a terrible plague. It is prophesied that the only way to heal the city is to find the killer of the previous king, and bring him to justice. Oedipus, who wishes to solve the citys peril, unrelentingly seeks out the answer to the problem. He soon discovers the hideous truth he has killed his father, married his mother, and fathitherd her children. He returns home to find that his wife/mother has move suicide, and, unable to deal with the reality of this wretched reality, he takes the broaches from her gown and gouges his eye out. The gruesome details of this story make for several examples of disquietude. The most demonstrable example occurs when Oedipus gouges his eyes out with Iocastes broaches. This scene is vividly described by the Chorus of Theban Elders, Deep, how deep you drew it then, hard archer, At a dim fearful range, and brought dear glory down (name of author and rapscallion ). Not only is this scene physically troubling, but it is emotionally disturbing due to the dramatic irony. Oedipus, before this, was blinded by his intellectual arrogance. Now, he has been humbled by fate and sees his mistakes, but is physically blind. Along with this example, there are two other examples of disturbing physical events.