The Exile of Oedipus

The Exile of Oedipus

As Oedipus began to walk his long journey into an empty road of solitude, he suddenly stopped to think about the aftermath of all the chaos that had just taken place in Thebes. He soon came to realize that he would never again return to the city of Thebes after discovering the truth about himself and Laius' killer. Absent minded of his inability to see, he turned his head as if looking back at the city of Thebes from afar. As he proceeded to walk, he sensed the company of someone nearby. It was the prophet Tiresias, resting on a rock by the road, while he waited for Oedipus. Without hesitation, Tiresias slowly got up and Oedipus stood still, both men sure of who was present before him. "I know it is you Tiresias. I am ashamed of the man I have become and even more humiliated for not believing you. You tried to protect me from myself, but I was too blind to see it. It is in your eyes, Tiresias, that in the presence of total darkness, I can truly see and now come to understand the bane of my existence. I have come to accept that my voice will no longer be heard in the streets of the city, nor will I ever sleep in a bed of the house I once called home. I must begin a new life where no one speaks of the truth that was unfolded. I can now vanish into a world of confinement because I no longer worry of this predicament that had been haunting my very soul. If only the people of Thebes did not have to suffer for my mistakes. If only I had faced my ignorance much sooner. If only I had never doubted the truth you spoke of, Tiresias. But the gods and fate were rooting me to fail. As I stand here before you, I see a light at the end of the road that I am about to embark upon, and I am not afraid, I am at peace. Take care my friend; maybe someday we will meet