Mythology American Rock Legend Tom

Mythology

American rock legend Tom Petty once sang, "It's good to be king." but, when one stops to think about it, the question is, "is it?" It seems history has shown the opposite - with numerous examples of wise men made foolish with an ascent to the crown. Two prime examples are Oedipus and Creon. Prior to being king, both were intelligent and well-educated men. However, once they became king, they were completely unable to recognize good advice and thus ruled as failures. So, what is it about being king, or having power, that can turn a wise man dumb?

In the book Sophocles I, this theme is examined in the form of an ancient Greek tragedy. In the story, the intelligent Oedipus earns the title of king as a reward for solving the riddle of the sphinx. However, prior to solving the riddle, he meets a man on the road and, after an argument, Oedipus kills the man. He then goes to Thebes, takes the title of king and marries the widowed queen. Unbeknown to him, the queen is his mother and it was his father who he had killed. Thus, his family is fated to be doomed for three generations.

In the play the audience witnesses Oedipus' fall from grace. In order to save his kingdom from the plague, he searches for his father's murderer. When the prophet Tiresias attempts to hint to him the truth, Oedipus refuses to listen and instead charges the prophet with murder. Even when he learns of his adoption and that Jocasta had killed herself, he ignores better advice and instead leaves the crown and entrusts his kids to Creon.

Prior to Oedipus' arrival, Creon was left the thrown while the true king, Oedipus' father, went to consult the oracle for advice. Of course when doing this he was killed, which set into motion Oedipus' arrival, unseating of Creon and marrying of his mother. The question then is, in this story, why is it that Oedipus as king becomes a fool when his father, as king, went to seek advice.