All for one and one for all

Initially, Oedipus Rex did not make much of an impression on me besides intense discomfort and slight nausea. However, upon reflection, I was able to make the connection between the lesson Oedipus teachers and my pondering about failure. Oedipus' story is certainly one of ultimate failure, but Oedipus' reaction compared to those around him is what really struck me as important.

In the aftermath of the worst discovery of his life, the knowledge that he fulfilled the prophesy he tried so hard to avoid-murdering his father and bedding his mother- Oedipus does not allow despair to consume him as his mother did. True, he brutally punishes himself, "the king ripped out her golden brooches and plunged them down straight into his own eyeballs" (Sophocles 17) but he does not kill himself to escape his failures. Instead, Oedipus chooses to exist on and suffer for the wrongs he committed, helping others to learn from his mistake of trying to avoid the god's fate for him.

Had Oedipus followed his wife-mother Jocaste's example, his children would have been left with the idea that escaping failure is their only option when life turns nasty. Oedipus gave his daughters the gift of acceptance, the knowledge that no matter how horrible we fail or how badly life is going, we must endure and carry on. His last words to them are shining beacons of hope in an otherwise dark and suffocating future; "Live where you can, be as happy as you can" (Sophocles 20). Oedipus' lasting courage is inspiring to anyone who has ever failed at anything. So, everybody.

It took me while to realize the significance of Oedipus, because the immediate feeling I was left with was not uplifting. But reflection upon Oedipus' transformation from haughty king with everything at his fingertips to humbled and selfless leader who accepts his fate unwaveringly is truly great.

The last few lines of Oedipus certainly leave an impact and it is for the reader to decide whether it is a positive one or not; "Let every man in mankind's frailty consider his last day; and let none presume on his good fortune until he find life, at his death, a memory without pain" (Sophocles 20).

For me, this is both a warning and an inspiration. I take it to mean no one can be too comfortable in his good fortunes, for we never know what the future holds. However, the reference to "mankind" solidifies humanity as a whole, emphasizing community. Everyone is going to fail at some point or another, but we can be reassured we are never alone. We are all in this together, "all for one and one for all."