Oedipus Rex and Conventional Families
Comparison of Dysfunctionality Between Families in Oedipus Rex and Conventional Families
Oedipus Rex, a tragic play based on dysfunctional families, is a unique situation compared to dysfunctional families today. Incest, royalty and belief in gods is what caused dysfunction during Oedipus’ time. A dysfunctional family, according to an online dictionary source, is “one in which adult caregivers are unable to consistently fulfill their family responsibilities.†This is the type of family where abuse and conflict occur on a regular basis; this leads the children growing up in it to believe that it is normal to have such occurrences in a family life. Oedipus was a child, who although was born into a royal family, grew up as an adopted child to another royal family. This happens because when Oedipus was born, Apollo, who was one of the many gods, tells Oedipus’ birth parents that he will kill his father when he gets older. After hearing this, Oedipus’ birth parents leave him in Kithairon, a mountain range near Thebes, to die. Fortunately for baby Oedipus, a shepherd finds him and brings him to the King and Queen of Corinth, who adopt and raise him as their own child. This shows that fortunate events can result in misfortune.
In a time when wealth and power was triumphed over truth and justice, dysfunctionality was a result of immoral practices. In Oedipus Rex, the readers come to see the blind sighted nature of Oedipus which leads him to murdering his biological father with the ultimate goal of marrying his biological mother, Jocasta. As the tragedic play progresses, the readers discover that Apollo has made clear that whoever has murdered Laios must be “killed or exiled.†(Lines…) This leads to a townsperson, Choragos, to introduce Oedipus to Teiresias, who is a holy prophet that has knowledge of all the occurrences in Thebes. Teiresias avoids telling Oedipus the truth of who the murderer is, but Oedipus wants to know the truth. As the
Oedipus Rex, a tragic play based on dysfunctional families, is a unique situation compared to dysfunctional families today. Incest, royalty and belief in gods is what caused dysfunction during Oedipus’ time. A dysfunctional family, according to an online dictionary source, is “one in which adult caregivers are unable to consistently fulfill their family responsibilities.†This is the type of family where abuse and conflict occur on a regular basis; this leads the children growing up in it to believe that it is normal to have such occurrences in a family life. Oedipus was a child, who although was born into a royal family, grew up as an adopted child to another royal family. This happens because when Oedipus was born, Apollo, who was one of the many gods, tells Oedipus’ birth parents that he will kill his father when he gets older. After hearing this, Oedipus’ birth parents leave him in Kithairon, a mountain range near Thebes, to die. Fortunately for baby Oedipus, a shepherd finds him and brings him to the King and Queen of Corinth, who adopt and raise him as their own child. This shows that fortunate events can result in misfortune.
In a time when wealth and power was triumphed over truth and justice, dysfunctionality was a result of immoral practices. In Oedipus Rex, the readers come to see the blind sighted nature of Oedipus which leads him to murdering his biological father with the ultimate goal of marrying his biological mother, Jocasta. As the tragedic play progresses, the readers discover that Apollo has made clear that whoever has murdered Laios must be “killed or exiled.†(Lines…) This leads to a townsperson, Choragos, to introduce Oedipus to Teiresias, who is a holy prophet that has knowledge of all the occurrences in Thebes. Teiresias avoids telling Oedipus the truth of who the murderer is, but Oedipus wants to know the truth. As the