I find Oedipus' reactions interesting. It seems every time he asks for the truth, he only suffers when he is told it. Its funny in a since because even though he is told that the truth will hurt him, he seems to want it anyways, and he accuses the other person of causing him distress. In this sense, he seems very arrogant and does not take others seriously. For example, when Tiresias says, "I'd rather not cause pain for you or me. So why this . . . useless interrogation? You'll get nothing from me" Oedipus responds by saying, "Nothing! You, you scum of the earth, you'd enrage a heart of stone! You won't talk? Nothing moves you? Out with it, once and for all!" (178). This clearly shows his personality towards these situations. He does not care what the truth brings, but he rather just hear it even though it will cause him pain. He also does not believe what others tell him. For example, Oedipus says, "Much as you want. Your words are nothing" when he responds to Tiresias. So he almost hides reality by not believing. This also ties back into the motif of blindness and how Oedipus cannot see the truth of what is really being told. He just denies it because he wants to remove it from his thoughts.
He even ignores his wife when she tries to speak to him. On page 222, Jocasta says, "Stop - in the name of god, if you love your own life, call off this search! My suffering is enough" and in response, Oedipus says, "Listen to you? No more. I must know it all, must see the truth at last". Again, this shows his arrogance and his ignorance for other people. This may come down to the level of power, and how men had more power than women during the time. During this time, women were not allowed to perform on stage, it was something that only men could do. It was seen as a privilege too, so men gained power from this.
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