Chapter 3 The Story of Oedipus-3

Oedipus killed his father and married his mother. This terrible secret has not been revealed for many years.He was a good and upright king despite his sins.With the help of Jocasta, he governed Thebes and won the love and respect of the people. After some time, the gods only sent a plague on the area, and any medicine lost its effect.The Thebes believed that this terrible disaster was their punishment from the gods.They automatically gathered in front of the palace gate and asked for asylum, because they believed that the king was the favorite of the gods, and there would be a way.The priests, holding olive branches in their hands, led a large group of men, women and children, rushing to the front of the palace.They sat around the altar and on the steps, and asked to be received by the king.

Oedipus came out and asked why the sacrifice cigarettes were lingering in the city and why there were so many complaints everywhere.An old priest replied: "King, you can see with your own eyes what disasters have befallen us: plagues prevail, droughts scorch pastures and forests. We cannot bear the torment and come to you and ask for help. You have Rescue us from the hands of the cruel Sphinx, there must be a god secretly helping you, so we trust you, you will be able to save us again." "Poor souls," said Oedipus, "I understand your pleas, and I know your sufferings. No one cares more about these things than I do. I am not concerned only with one or two people, but with the fate of a whole city. I thought about it and believed I had found a solution. I sent Creon to Delphi to find the oracle of Apollo and ask what could be done to save the city."

As the king was speaking, Creon had returned.He reported the contents of the oracle to the king in front of men, women and children.But this oracle is not comforting.He said: "God only commanded that one sinner who hid in the country should be driven out. Otherwise, you will never escape the punishment of suffering, because the blood debt of killing King Laius has brought the whole city to ruin." Oedipus had no idea that he had killed the king, and he asked to be told about the killing of the king.After listening, he announced that he must deal with the murder case himself, and then dismissed the assembled residents.

Oedipus immediately issued an order throughout the country, whoever knew about the murderer of Laios must come and report immediately.If you don’t report it, or hide your accomplices, you will not be allowed to participate in the ceremony of offering sacrifices to the gods, enjoy the Holy Communion, or have any contact with the people of the country.Finally, he vowed to curse the murderer and make him suffer and misfortune all his life. Even if he hides in the palace, he cannot escape the heavy responsibility.In addition, he sent two messengers to invite the blind seer Tiresias. His ability to predict hidden events is almost as good as that of Apollo himself.

Tiresias was led by a boy, and he came before the inhabitants and the king.Oedipus told him the calamity suffered by the people of the country, saying that it not only weighed on his heart like a mountain, but also on the hearts of the people of the whole country.He asked Tiresias to use his magical ability to help find the murderer who killed the king.But Tiresias uttered a sigh, stretched out his hands to the king, and declined, saying: "This power is terrible, and it will bring death to the person who knows it! King, let me go back! You bear your burden." Your burden, let me bear mine too!"

After hearing this, Oedipus asked him to show his skills even more, and the residents around him also knelt before him, but he still refused to answer.Oedipus was furious, accusing him of not reporting, and even saying he was an accomplice.The king's accusation forced him to tell the truth. "Oedipus," he said, "you have spoken your own sentence. You need not blame me, nor any of the inhabitants. It is your own crimes that have ruined the city! You are the one who killed the king." The murderer, you are living with your own mother in a sinful marriage again." Oedipus still could not understand these words, and he accused the seer of being a liar and a villain.At the same time, he suspected Creon and accused him of conspiring with the prophet to set up this lie and try to usurp the throne.Tiresias now called him unequivocally a father-killer and mother-wife, and prophesied disaster upon him.As he spoke, he took the boy by the hand and left the king angrily.Creon also fiercely accused Oedipus of slandering him, and the two quarreled fiercely.Jocasta tried his best to persuade them, but they could not calm them down.As a result, Creon left Oedipus angrily with grievances.

Jocasta understood the truth of the matter even less than the king. "What absurd things this prophet says! Take this for example. My ex-husband Laius had an oracle saying that he would die at the hands of his son. But what is the truth? What? Laios was beaten to death by robbers at the crossroads. And our only son was born with his feet tied and thrown on a barren hill, unfortunately he died within three days of his birth.” Oedipus was greatly shocked by this irony, but the queen did not expect it at all. "At the crossroads?" He asked in panic, "Laios died at the crossroads? Tell me, what did he look like, and how old was he?" Jocasta didn't understand why her husband was so excited, she said without thinking. Said: "He is tall and has gray hair. He looks very much like you."

Oedipus felt indescribably terrified when he heard this, and the vague question in his mind suddenly became clear, as if illuminated by lightning. "Ah! Tiresias is not blind, Tiresias is a man with eyes!" cried Oedipus.Although he knew the terrible truth, he still asked and asked, as if hoping that the answer would prove that it was a misunderstanding.But all the details fit.At last he heard that a servant had escaped at that time and reported the king's murder.When this servant saw Oedipus ascend the throne, he begged to leave the city and go to the farthest pastures to graze the king's cattle.Oedipus wanted to question him himself, so he sent for him.Before the servants arrived, the messengers of Corinthus arrived at the palace and reported to Oedipus that his father Polybus was dead and asked him to return to the throne.

When the queen heard the news, she said triumphantly: "O noble oracle! Where is the truth of what you said? The father who should have been killed by Oedipus is now dead!" But Oedipus who feared the gods After hearing this, Si had another idea.Although he was willing to believe that Polybus was his father, he had to believe that the oracle was efficacious, so he did not want to go back to Corinth, because there was still his mother Merobe, and the other half of the oracle The content said that he would marry his mother as his wife.He couldn't help thinking about it.But this doubt was dispelled by the messenger from Corinth, because he was the same shepherd who had taken the child from the servant of Laios many years ago.He told Oedipus that although he inherited the throne, he was only the adopted son of Polybus, king of Corinth.Oedipus asked where the shepherd who had given him the baby was.His subordinates told him that the man was the servant who escaped when the king was murdered, and now he is grazing on the border.

Jocasta heard this, and went away in despair, leaving her husband and the common people gathered at the palace gate. The old shepherd was called back from a distant land.The messengers of Corinth recognized him immediately.But the old shepherd turned pale with fright, and he wanted to deny all this, until the furious Oedipus threatened him, and he dared to tell the truth: Oedipus is King Laius and Queen Jocaster. son.The terrible oracle had been fulfilled: he killed his father and married his mother.Everything is clear.