“Dark, horror of darkness
my darkness, drowning, swirling around me
crashing wave on wave-unspeakable, irresistible
head wind, fatal harbor!” (1450-1454)
In these lines, the motif oft the waves and the harbor come up again. However, this time the "waves" are crashing down drowning Oedipus. After Oedipus stabs himself in the eyes, he is
faced with the new challenge of living in a world of darkness. In this quote,
dark is repeated three times signifying its importance . Before
this point in the play, there were a lot of mentions of light when referencing
Oedipus. The people of Thebes
viewed Oedipus as Godlike. Now that the truth has been uncovered, a lot of dark
horrid things begin to happen. Like Jacosta hanging herself and Oedipus gauging
his eyes out. Additionally, these lines bring light to how chaotic Oedipus’s
world has become. He is no longer viewed on a high pedestal but rather is
“drowning” in his newly uncovered truth. The ship that Oedipus once controlled
has been destroyed replaced with what is now a “swirling” mess. In this quote “my” is in italics. This shows how Oedipus
continues to take full responsibility. Essentially, Oedipus blames himself for
the horrid things that have not only occurred to him but also his kingdom. This
is why Oedipus stabs his own eyes out, he is punishing himself with darkness.
 |
| *this poem is written in the viewpoint of Oedipus because as a reader I believe it is only natural to put myself in his shoes. This poem represents how I would feel if I was in Oedipus' position. In the poem I reincorporated words like "drowning" and "swirling" to further emphasize how Oedipus feels. The sailboat, symbolizing Thebes, is on rocky waters to show how the Kingdom is on the verge of complete chaos. In the poem I reincorporated words like "drowning" and "swirling". Underneath, fueling this chaos, is the poem which is surrounded by the color black. The black represents not only Oedipus' new blindness but also the shadow that has been caste upon him ever since his prophecy was uncovered. |
Sophocles. Oedipus the King. The Three Theban Plays. Trans. Robert Fagles. New York: Penguin
Classics, 1984. Print.
Great reader response -- I love the poem! It definitely captures Oedipus' (and, as you said, your own) emotions, and the repurposing of the words straight from the play was an awesome idea. I think using a simplistic design for the imagery was a smart choice, too; despite its basic format, the image and emotions you elaborate on are crystal clear, especially due to your writing. Good job, guuurrl!
ReplyDelete