The story of Oedipus Rex is a tragic tale where a man unknowling kills his father and marries his mother. Upon finding the truth about his past his wife and mother murders herself and he gouges out his eyes, exiling himself from his kingdom to cure them of the plague. The story of Oedipus shows that history is important to know, even though it can be painful and brutal. The truth hurts. He could have foregone this hunt and lived ignorant but happy, however, it would have led his people into ruin. It took a lot of courage on Oedipus' part to continue searching for the truth, even though everyone kept telling him to forget it and move on in life. Furthermore he chose for himself the most miserable life to make up for the horrors of his past. It is easy to die, but to live blind and in shame... that is a torturous life.
Most people would say that Oedipus' outcome, though terrible, is the right ending for his story to have. It shows that you should think about others before yourself and that everyone should be knowledgable of their past to make the most of their future. However, had the situation been on a smaller scale would it have been ok to ignore the truth? At what point is the truth so big and terrible that it has to be known?
