While reading Oedipus Rex (or "Oedipus the King," depending on what version you are reading), I was haunted by one theme: justice.
Justice is something I have been thinking about often this semester. I am taking a philosophy class with Dr. Mashburn on God, Evil, and Suffering and one of our most frequent topics in that class is justice. The justice of man, of society, and of God.
Oedipus' situation at the end of this book catches me in a strange place. On the one hand, I am disgusted by the murder and incest committed. On the other hand, my heart is torn with pity. I think the pity stems from the fact that so much of this book seems unjust. All of the trouble in this book stems from a prophecy/curse that no one could control. Oedipus is not committing the sin of incest knowingly, and when he discovers the truth he is torn with remorse. Part of me asks "how can he be held accountable for something he was not aware of?" On the other hand however, sin is sin... And he did knowingly commit murder. Granted, he did not know he was killing his father, but he was aware that he was taking human life, which is also a sin. And while he exhibits remorse and repentance over committing incest and the fact that he killed his father, we see no sign that he regretted taking the lives he took until he knew that it was his father. Does this mean he deserves what he got? Or worse? Or should he be granted mercy at his repentance?
Another example of this question of justice can be raised with regards to his children. His children have no control over who their parents are. Yet, their lineage plays a significant part in their lives. Is this just?
So, to echo the question of our dear friends Socrates and Plato- "what is justice?" Does it exist?
While I do have an opinion, this is not a question I want to give a concrete answer for. It is one that must be wrestled with by you and I, I would simply ask you to take it into consideration as well, and, if you so desire, leave a comment with your thoughts...
I commented on Kelsey's post.
I love God, Evil, and Suffering (well, mainly just God but that's not the point). The point is that I feel that Oedipus was wrong for knowingly committing murder, not just because it was his father. Just because he's king doesn't mean he shouldn't be held accountable. That's like when a celebrity commits a crime and only gets a few weeks or a reduced sentence in prison, which makes me so mad blood shoots out of my eyes (not really but that's not the point)! Still, if he were in today's court, he would also be punished for committing incest, despite the fact he did not do it willing and clearly did not want to, for which I feel he does deserve some mercy. Despite all of this, his exile was a just punishment for the murder. I don't necessarily agree with him blinding himself, but that's not a crime. It's just stupid. So as far as justice is concerned in Oedipus Rex, I believe that it does exist in Sophocles' world, if only loosely.
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