Denial in Oedipus

While reading Oedipus, I was really drawn in by Sophocles’ attention to human behavior, and especially that of denial. Throughout the play, Oedipus’s main mechanism of discourse and coping is denial. In blaming Creon and Tiresias, he is ultimately disregarding any involvement he might have in the death of Laius.

Not only does Sophocles accurately display the tenacious nature of denial, but also the conflict that arises with any form of negation: to live in a tailored world void or the truth, or to better know one’s world. Because Oedipus chooses to hold his discourse with Creon in public, he is forced to decide between not knowing the truth, but maintaining his reputation, and knowing the truth about himself and facing the repercussions. Oedipus’s situation can be easily tied to life today, where we are forced between living in in ignorant bliss, which would not be a particularly honest existence, or doing something as simple as watching the news and being informed, but all the while a bit horrified of the realities of our world. I think Sophocles masterfully portrays the intrinsic characteristics of denial and the conflicts that arise through disregarding the truth. He also proves that denial is essentially just a stalling mechanism, and that the negation of truth does not in fact make something false.