As a philosophical matter, all men should search for the truth.
However, in the case of Oedipus ... maybe he should just have left matters alone. It sure doesn't make him any happier. Another chance to quote Tom Lehrer:
When he found what he had done
He tore his eyes out, one by one
A tragic end to a loyal son
who... loved his mother.
Teiresias does tell Oedipus the truth in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, Teiresias the blind prophet announces that Theban King Oedipus is King Laius' killer, Oedipus behaves very badly upon hearing the charge. Teiresias then spells it out that Oedipus will be destroyed before the day's end by the knowledge of his true identity and of the truth behind his role model personal happiness and professional success.
Jocasta, Oedipus' mother/wife hangs herself when she realized the truth about her relationship with Oedipus.
Delphi is the location of the Apolline temple where Oedipus seeks the truth in the play "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. -- 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, Apollo the sun god joins the ranks of Aphrodite the love goddess and Artemis the huntress to form three important defenders of the city of Thebes. His oracle therefore is consulted regarding important or problematic events. The most famous of the Apolline oracles is the one at Delphi.
Oedipus doesn't believe Tiresias, even when Tiresias spells the truth out to him; he calls him a liar and claims that he is in league with Creon for the throne.
When Teiresias reveals the truth of Oedipus's parentage, Oedipus is horrified. He is sickened by the fact that he killed his father and married his mother. When he finds that his mother/wife has killed herself, he gouges out his own eyes.
It is by not telling what she knows that Jocasta delays Oedipus' search for the truth in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.). Specifically, Theban Queen Jocasta figures out that her second husband, King Oedipus, is her son. She knows that he therefore is the killer of her first husband, King Laius. She makes an effort to dissuade Oedipus from continuing the investigation that ultimately will find him guilty of murder and incest.
The Wise Delphic Oracle
Teiresias does tell Oedipus the truth in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, Teiresias the blind prophet announces that Theban King Oedipus is King Laius' killer, Oedipus behaves very badly upon hearing the charge. Teiresias then spells it out that Oedipus will be destroyed before the day's end by the knowledge of his true identity and of the truth behind his role model personal happiness and professional success.
Jocasta, Oedipus' mother/wife hangs herself when she realized the truth about her relationship with Oedipus.
Oedipus doesn't believe Tiresias, even when Tiresias spells the truth out to him; he calls him a liar and claims that he is in league with Creon for the throne.
Delphi is the location of the Apolline temple where Oedipus seeks the truth in the play "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. -- 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, Apollo the sun god joins the ranks of Aphrodite the love goddess and Artemis the huntress to form three important defenders of the city of Thebes. His oracle therefore is consulted regarding important or problematic events. The most famous of the Apolline oracles is the one at Delphi.
When Teiresias reveals the truth of Oedipus's parentage, Oedipus is horrified. He is sickened by the fact that he killed his father and married his mother. When he finds that his mother/wife has killed herself, he gouges out his own eyes.
After Teiresias reveals the truth to Oedipus, Oedipus initially denies it and accuses Teiresias of being a fraud. As the truth slowly unravels, Oedipus discovers that he is indeed the one who has brought a curse upon the land of Thebes, and he is consumed by guilt and despair.
Because the truth will bring nothing but pain.
belive in yourself
He does not want to tell Oedipus the painful truth.
It is when he hears the eyewitness accounts of the Corinthian messenger and the Theban shepherd that Oedipus recognizes the truth of the situation in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, the Corinthian messenger identifies Theban King Oedipus as the adopted or foster son of Corinthian monarchs Polybus and Merope. The Theban shepherd indicates that Oedipus is the biological son of Theban monarchs Laius and Jocasta and that he is Laius' killer. At that point Oedipus recognizes the truth of his prophesied situation as his father's killer, his mother's husband and his children's half-sibling.