Thyself In Sophocles 'Oedipus The King'

In “Oedipus the King” Sophocles shows through the actions of Oedipus that to know thyself is to be thyself. Oedipus doesn’t know himself. He always believed Polybus and Merope were his parents. He believed because of them he was born of royalty and a Corinthian. His real parents were Jocasta and Laius. He tells about he realizes he made mistakes and that are really his through this quote, “O light, may I behold thee nevermore! I stand a wretch, in birth, in wedlock cursed, a parricide, incentuosly, triply cursed’’(Sophocles 24).He knew of his prophecy, which was That he was to kill his father and marry his mother. He decided to ignore his prophecy, unknowing himself. He believed he was Corinthian so he went to Thebes to escape his real self,
but led him to his real self. As he begins to learn of himself he realizes the pain he has brought on his family and on his kingdom which he was crowned to. As he learns of himself he says, ‘’For, had I sight, I know not with what eyes i could have met my father in the shades, or my poor mother, since against the twain I sinned, a sin no gallows could atone” (Sophocles 27). Oedipus knew of himself but he didn’t know himself.