Oedipus: Ignorance Would Have Been Bliss

Oedipus Rex, an iconic and timeless play, has set us to question “Is Oedipus innocent?” However, in reading this piece, another question has presented itself to me: “Would Oedipus have been better off not knowing?”

The first question will never reach a consensus; there will always be arguments over whether or not ignorance can account for innocence. This ignorance of Oedipus’ plays a tremendous role in the second question as well. While ignorance is the catalyst for Oedipus’ questionable actions, it also benefits him for a length of time in his life. Ignorance would have been bliss for Oedipus and would have provided him with a life free from the agony and regret.

    “Ignorance is bliss” (Gray)

Arguably, Oedipus had no hand in his life; his situation was controlled by fate and left him with no options or decisions. Following this aspect of Oedipus, one could argue that all his misfortune was undeserved. He exhibits instances of good personality and bravery, leading him to sacrifice himself for others. Oedipus, as a loving child, leaves Corinth to protect his adopted parents from the contents of the prophecy. As a selfless person, he risks his life to save people from the plague. One can see that Oedipus has many good traits, and this is what makes him a tragic character.

    “First and foremost is that the characters be good” (Aristotle)

Oedipus was good, someone with selflessness and motivation, would have had an influential life had he not discovered his true identity. He would have spent many long, happy years caring for his children, loving his wife, and ruling over his people with passion. Yet this all makes a turn for the worse when he is forced to confront his fate, instead leaving him with siblings he can no longer see, a mother who committed suicide, and people who lost their previous king at his hands.

As a tragic character, in addition to being “good”, Oedipus must also have a tragic flaw - a downfall. Hamartia - or sort of. Hamartia is being overconfident and too prideful and arrogant. But Oedipus’ hamartia is not what causes him to fulfill the heinous acts of the prophecy, nor is it what causes him to seek out his fate. Hamartia is what causes Oedipus to think he can outrun his fate and control his own life. In reality, Oedipus had not say in his own outcome, making his terrible ending feel unjustified.

This forces us to consider the what if. What if Oedipus had never heard the prophecy? What if his fate had never existed to begin with? What if Oedipus had just remained ignorant? In Oedipus’ case, living his life in the dark would have been best. Discovering and living his “unexamined life” did not benefit him in any aspect and it was a terrible fate. It would have been better to not know or care to begin with. Oedipus’ own actions acted as a catalyst to determine his unexamined life.

“Fate turns his pride for presumed self-knowledge and well-earned power into an ironic nightmare, exposing the futility of his rationality” (Gorland)

His search for Laius’ killer paralleled his search for the truth of the contents of the prophecy (Gorland). Oedipus, in a way, enacted his own downfall, yet was still ignorant of his decision. Yet ignorance did pose another problem. If Oedipus had known who his biological parents were, if he had not remained ignorant, the events of the prophecy also would not have occurred.

“Ignorance is strength” (Orwell)

In the novel 1984, the society is infested with ignorance. Daily citizens do not know freedom of expression, or even thought for that matter. Ignorance rules their lives, and not for the better. People lack the ability to genuinely experience life because of their lack of control over what knowledge they can obtain. While the people of 1984 remained oppressed and therefore were inhibited by their ignorance, Oedipus was driven by his lack of knowledge. He was able to function in his daily life until his unfortunate awakening.

“To each his suff'rings: all are men,

Condemn'd alike to groan,

The tender for another's pain;

Th' unfeeling for his own.

Yet ah! why should they know their fate?

Since sorrow never comes too late,

And happiness too swiftly flies.

Thought would destroy their paradise.

No more; where ignorance is bliss,

'Tis folly to be wise.” (Gray)

A well-known quote “ignorance is bliss”, Gray puts ignorance into perspective. As humans, delaying our knowledge of hardship and pain will maintain our happiness for longer. There is no benefit in subjecting ourselves to sorrow, so putting it off as long as possible brings us “bliss”; it’s foolish “to be wise” (Gray). The best alternative is delaying sorrow and knowledge for the entirety of your life, which could have held true for Oedipus if not for the natural curiosity of human nature. Influenced by his human instinct for justice and knowledge, Oedipus reveals his “sorrow” to himself.

Oedipus, a king and selfless person, is unfortunately subject to the definition of a tragic character. Forced to acknowledge and carry out his fate, Oedipus unjustly experienced a desolate ending. Had he never known the crimes he had committed, Oedipus would have lived a long, happy, and fulfilling life in ignorance.