He wanted a little bit more and that desire ruined his life. Oedipus learns that anyone can be wrong -- despite what he or she might think. He thought he knew everything and he thought he journey would make him happier. He had to learn the hard way the even the king can be wrong. Oedipus does not think the truth would hurt him. Oedipus learns a powerful lesson about fate and how human nature ties into it. Robert Fagles writes that Oedipus "recognizes that the "prophecies given to his father . . . were true" (Fagles 143) and nothing he could have done would have stopped those prophecies from coming true. Oedipus' achievement is the "discovery of the truth, and that discovery is the most thoroughgoing and dreadful catastrophe the stage has ever presented" (150). Oedipus learns from his arrogance. He knows that he can be wrong and painfully so. The truth destroyed him and those he loved. The man who won fame for solving the sphinx's riddle turns out to be not so great.

Oedipus' character goes through a complete transformation by the end of the play. This transformation is not pretty but it is beneficial. Painful as his circumstances are, he has no one to blame but himself. This is not easy because of what this knowledge entails. Oedipus can look back on the events leading up to his discovery and see that he ignored the warnings of others and walked right into the mess he made. When he looks around, he cannot blame anyone but himself and this weight is simply too difficult for him to bear. In the end, he chooses death rather than living with the truth. After all, it has destroyed...

Walton writes, "Only when he has become physically as blind as Teiresias does Oedipus appreciate the enormity of the situation" (Walton). This is true and no one knows this more than Oedipus. When he admits he did it all himself, we know he has learned a valuable and painful lesson. In addition, he realizes he is not superhuman and, in fact, has defiled his mother.
Oedipus is a man whose character comes full circle in Oedipus Rex. The man who was king was not above the laws of fate. In the beginning of the play, Oedipus is a proud and arrogant man. He is human, however, and he does what many people do -- he thinks he knows best and he thinks the truth will somehow improve his life. Oedipus is too proud to hear what others are telling him and listens to his own selfishness instead. We learn that sometimes it is good to consider what others have to say. We also learn that being king does not make one the most knowledgeable in the land. He proves it can be far from it. Oedipus discovered he was silly in retrospect. Unfortunately, there can be no going back for Oedipus. He must accept what he has learned and this is worse than death.

Works Cited

Fagles, Robert. Sophocles: Three Theban Plays. New York: Penguin Books. 1984.

Sophocles. Oedipus Rex. An Introduction to Literature. Barnett, Sylvan, ed. Boston: Little,

Brown and Company. 1984. pp.721-64.

Walton, J. Michael. "Oedipus the King: Overview." GALE Resource Database. Site Accessed

December 06, 2009.